WINONA – A local food vendor was voted president of the Mississippi Food Truck Association earlier this month.
The Mississippi Food Truck Association (MSFTA) is a registered non-profit group that was established in 2015 as an industry association for food trucks, according to MSFTA’s website.
“We are a collaborative group of food truck owner-operators located throughout the state of Mississippi. The MSFTA dedicates itself to working in partnership with the municipal offices to develop regulations that protect public health and safety, promote innovative small businesses, and ensure the best interest of our customers,” as stated on the website.
Gary Howard Jr., owner of Small Time Hotdogs in Winona, was selected to the position of president during the association’s recent quarterly meeting in July to serve a two-year term, Howard said.
“At the last meeting, I was nominated by the last president before his two-year term was up, and I got a majority of the votes,” said Howard.
He has been an active member of the food truck association since he joined more than two years ago, and the new position will bring more responsibilities such as calling and leading meetings, Howard said.
“I’m not going to take it likely. In other places and in larger cities, the food truck industry there is huge,” said Howard, adding cities such as Memphis and New Orleans have food truck associations.
He went on to say, “I’m the guy people call when something goes wrong. If you want to be put on a roster for a festival or something, you could call me. I organize the roster.”
The association works to book food truck vendors that have permits, are licensed and bonded and provide “good food” for functions and events, Howard said.
Along with Small Time Hotdogs, which started five years ago in November, the Mississippi Food Truck Association is comprised of 18 vendors around the state, including The Caramel Apple Van, Hog Heaven BBQ Truck, Lurny D’s Grille, Bessie Roo’s Catering, T&J Concessions, Capital Coney Island, 2 for 7 Kitchen, The Manship Wood-Fired Kitchen and Crunch Time Concessions, according to MSFTA’s website.
“We are all friends, and we do play nice,” said Howard. “We’re trying to set a standard, where if you book through us, we have a code of conduct.”
He said the group also works to get ordinances passed to allow food trucks to operate in cities around Mississippi and, on occasion, donate their various forms of cuisine to people in need.
Visit www.msfoodtrucks.com or Mississippi Food Truck Association on Facebook for more information.
