Five of Chattanooga’s International Food Trucks

 

Wei To Go

Dom & Luwei Han

 

Inspired by the movie, Chef, Dom and Luwei Han opened their own food truck – Wei To Go – and serve a variety of authentic Sichuan cuisine. But creating and testing their menu began long before the truck.

Luwei has been cooking for friends and loved ones since she moved to the U.S. As she met people from different countries and backgrounds, her curiosity for different cuisines only increased.

“I began visiting international grocery stores and learned the spices and popular dishes from different regions,” she says. “Eventually, I was not satisfied with just cooking for the people I knew – I wanted more people to try my cooking. That’s how everything started!”

To create Wei To Go’s menu, Luwei and Dom hosted their friends to sample and rate the dishes individually. “It was a compromise between staying authentic and meeting the local preference,” Dom says. “We also gave up so many concepts that didn’t perform well inside the truck.” 

 

Photo Courtesy of Wei To Go

Growing up near where China borders the Middle East, Luwei understands firsthand how language barriers can hold people back from trying different cultural cuisines. This is why she and Dom chose to make authentic Asian food accessible to Chattanoogans.

“I’ve lived and stayed in six different provinces in China,” Luwei says. “People speak different languages, look differently, and have totally different eating habits. A lot of our customers see Tso’s Chicken as Chinese food, while others may go into an authentic Chinese restaurant to find a menu written in full Chinese and have no idea what they’re ordering. We’re trying to break this stereotype and introduce different flavors while giving five to six options that are easy to order.”

 

 

Throughout the week, Wei To Go sets up on St. Elmo Ave., at Riverside Wine & Spirits, Tanasi Brewing, Asian Food & Gifts, and the Chattanooga Market. Food prep, cleanup, and truck maintenance can be a lot, but Luwei and Dom say that chasing their dream is worth every moment.

“Our favorite part is looking at Square at the end of the day,” Luwei finishes. “It tells us how many new and old customers we served, and the happiest thing is seeing old customers coming back!”

Flaco’s Street Tacos

Natalie Guerrero, Joel (Flaco) Salazar, and Jazz Salazar

 

Tacos have been a part of Joel (Flaco) Salazar’s life for as long as he can remember. Growing up in Mexico, he helped his father run a taco stand at the age of 11 – introducing him to the dish that would lead to him running his own food truck 40 years later.

“It wasn’t a food truck or anything fancy, just a simple stand dedicated to making tacos,” he recalls. “It made me realize how natural cooking came to me, and that I enjoyed cooking for others and seeing people enjoy my cooking.”

 

 

Moving to California as a teen, Salazar began pursuing his culinary journey at local restaurants and chains, but he soon realized he wasn’t as fulfilled as he had been in Mexico.

“After cooking for corporate chains, I realized I was not doing what I loved. I had fallen into a routine of work, making the same dishes every day. I knew then that it was time to follow my dreams and do what I knew I was good at.”

Thus, Flaco’s Street Tacos was born. Continuing the family legacy, Salazar’s daughters, Jazz Salazar and Natalie Guerrero, now help him to run the truck and social media accounts. Permanently parked on Wilbanks Drive in Hixson, the food truck’s menu consists of traditional street tacos, tortas, and burritos, as well as carne asada fries and California burritos inspired by his time in California.

“Our street tacos are what best connect us to our roots,” Salazar explains. “When you think of Mexico, you think tacos. From the cilantro and the onion to the fresh salsa on top, nothing beats an authentic taco.”

 

 

Over the past year and a half, their creativity and love for sharing food has allowed them to experiment based on customers’ suggestions and serve unique dishes alongside their traditional menu. “If we could, we would add every customer’s suggestion to the menu,” Salazar laughs. No matter what he’s cooking, Mexico will forever inspire his efforts. 

“Our food is more than just flavor,” he concludes. “It’s about family, tradition, and bringing people together. I am sharing my history and life with others through our food. I am representing the very place that molded me into who I am, Mexico, right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee.”

Culture-Licious

David & Annee Simoukdalay

 

Annee Simoukdalay says that “food has always been life.” With her father owning and operating a restaurant for over 20 years in Minnesota, she grew up in the business, and she even ran it for several years alongside her husband, David, before the couple moved to Chattanooga in 2021.

“A year passed by, and we missed eating good Asian food, so that’s why we started a food truck,” Annee says. “We felt like other locals needed a spot to try new food options, and we saw an opportunity to fill in the Asian food void that we have here in Chattanooga. And of course, we picked a food truck because it’s an affordable way to run a food business.”

 

 

Culture-Licious is known for “chasing the flavors of Asia,” and Annee and David do their best to ensure that they are continuously making different types of cuisines.

“We’re called Culture-Licious, so we can create anything from different cultures,”
Annee explains. “I don’t want to be known just for one cuisine. We truly love to eat, so we create foods that are based on our favorites growing up or from when we have traveled.”

By combining their Southeast Asian and Lao cultures, Annee and David serve dishes that include pad thai, garlicky noodles, and bulgogi kimchi fries. But their favorite menu options remain the nam khao and noodles.

 

 

“Nam khao was always a dish that David loved growing up, so we had to add that to our menu,” Annee says. “It’s light but flavor-packed in a lettuce wrap. And I love noodles; I could eat them every day! So, I created the garlic noodles as a combination of both things that I love. The ground pork mix has everything that reminds me of the dishes that I ate growing up, and – added with the noodles – it’s the perfect flavor combo in one!” 

At the end of the day, Annee says that interacting with customers and watching them try Culture-Licious for the first time is her favorite part. “I love it when they start dancing after their first bite!” she says. “It’s awesome trying new food and experiencing new cultures that you’ve never even heard of. So, I hope that those who are unsure see that it’s not scary, and once you try it, you’ll be a believer!”

Hangry Pinoy

Neenuel & Everly Pattawi

 

When Neenuel Pattawi moved to Chattanooga, he observed that there weren’t many places serving Filipino food. Little did he know that he would help to fill that gap in July of 2024 by opening his own international food truck – Hangry Pinoy.

“I have always loved cooking,” Pattawi says. “When I was a kid, I used to watch my family cook all the time and learned from them. When I moved to Chattanooga as an adult,
I noticed that there was no one doing Filipino food at the time, and I realized that this was something that I could do.” 

Going through his favorite recipes, Pattawi carefully created a menu that he felt would best represent his culture to Chattanooga. One of those recipes is pancit guisado, also known as stir fry noodles.

 

 

“It was one of my favorite recipes growing up,” he says. “At Hangry Pinoy, we always want our food to be served just like we do back in the Philippines, but we make sure that the herbs and spices we use are familiar to most people here in Chattanooga. No matter what you try from our menu, our food is always happy and welcoming – just like Filipinos.” 

Though there are many aspects to running a food truck – one of the hardest being how to maximize the small space of their truck – Pattawi says that being fully engaged makes a difference. In fact, his favorite part of the day is prepping ingredients and cooking the incoming orders.   

 

 

By doing what he loves, he and his wife and business partner, Everly Pattawi, are able to continuously deliver and improve their dishes. “It gives me a sense of calm and satisfaction knowing that I’m about to share good food with others,” he says.

As Hangry Pinoy approaches its two-year anniversary, the Pattawis are seeing more people visit the truck for the first time. But what truly makes their day is when customers revisit their truck every Saturday at Asian Food & Gifts (AFG) of Chattanooga or at Verre Noire’s Night Market on every last Friday of the month.   

“It’s heartwarming,” he finishes. “And sometimes you end up becoming friends with your customers! As time goes by, more customers come to try our food and they like it. We love having new customers and when they end up becoming regulars. Our goal is to satisfy everyone’s Filipino cravings and always welcome those who like to try something new.”

The Churro Company

Sydenia Ponce, Cesar Zuniga, and Martha Zuniga

 

Enter a world of sugar, spice, and everything churros – The Churro Company. Cesar Zuniga and his mother, Martha Zuniga, opened the food truck in 2024, but churros have always been a labor of love and heritage for their family.

During the challenging economy of 1998, Martha began selling churros in Dalton, Georgia, to help make ends meet. Later expanding to tamales and gorditas, she became known throughout the city as “Doña Martha.”

“Going door to door, my mother sold churros out of her hand basket with my younger sister and I walking by her side,” Cesar recalls. “She’s dedicated all her life to food service, and I, throughout my teens and young adult life, have been able to learn skills like photography, graphic design, and digital marketing. So, when this idea entered our minds again, we knew we had to do something with it.”

 

 

Their menu includes traditional churros, churro sundaes, churro bites cups, gourmet churros, and more. From selecting the finest ingredients – including the avocado oil that the churros are fried in – to mixing and kneading the mother dough that will fuel an entire day’s worth of churros, the Zunigas honor the culture behind their craft.

The history of churros includes Spain, Mexico, the U.S., and all of South America. To represent each country, the Zunigas offer sweetened condensed milk, Nutella, and their homemade strawberry and dulce de leche dipping sauces.

 

 

“I LOVE our strawberry sauce,” Cesar swoons. “That right there takes me back to the cathedrals plaza in Acámabaro, Guanajuato, in Mexico, where we’d walk with our parents and grab a hot churro filled with strawberry sauce.”

Located at the Lowe’s off of Cleveland Highway, the Zunigas and Sydenia Ponce often attend local events in Dalton. With their most recent event being at the CFC versus Orlando game at Finley Stadium, Cesar says they’re excited to spend more time in Chattanooga.

“Living near Chattanooga for the past 30 years, it’s become our second home,” he finishes. “We’ve grown up sliding down cardboard hill, paddling under Walnut Street Bridge, and playing pickup soccer in Highland Park with friends. We hope to attend many more events so we can share our churros with the community of Chattanooga!”