Episode 15: A History of Black-Owned Food Trucks with Ariel D. Smith of The Food Truck Scholar

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Ariel D Smith is the founder of The Food Truck Scholar and host of its podcast. The platform seeks to amplify voices in the food truck industry, educate current and aspiring food truckers, and inspire those in and beyond the food truck and entrepreneurship fields. Ariel is also a PhD student at Purdue researching specifically African American participation in the food truck industry.

In this episode, Ariel shares her journey as a journalist, PhD student, and researcher of Black food truck history. She shares her perspectives on Black food truck culture past, present, and future, and how this culture has been ingrained into the fabric of American cities and small towns for centuries. In this episode’s Table Topic, Ariel shares her favorite food trucks across a number of fun categories.

Learn more about Ariel and listen to her podcast below.

• Website: TheFoodTruckScholar.com
• Instagram: @thefoodtruckscholar
• YouTube: The Food Truck Scholar
• Twitter: @FoodTruckSchola
• Facebook: The Food Truck Scholar Page
• Clubhouse: @FoodTruckSchola

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “The Great Taco Truck War” by Rebecca Winters Keegan – Time Magazine Black,
• Hispanic entrepreneurs discriminated against when seeking small business loans by J.D. Harrison – The Washington Post

Food Trucks mentioned in the Table Topic:

• Aw Shucks – Birmingham, AL
• The Beignet Bar – Nashville, TN
• The Guac Box – West Lafayette, IN
• R & R Extreme Wings – Indianapolis, IN
• Lip Smacking’ Creations Food Medic – Nashville, TN
• Pop Goes the Waffle – St. Petersburg, FL