Jackson Food Truck Rally combines food, friends, fun in 2021

A collection of local food trucks can be found outside of the St Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway in Jackson every Wednesday starting in the spring though the fall for the Jackson Food Truck Rally.

Two of the organizers that were part of its creation are Kristen and Billy Lewis, owners of Molon Latte. Kristen said they started the rally last year, mostly because with the pandemic, there wasn't a lot to do, but they wanted to bring the community together in a safe way.

The Lewises gathered a few other local food businesses they knew from past farmer's markets and looked up others to create the diverse food options at the rally currently. While not every food truck can come every week, the line-up includes Molon Latte, Straight Line Swine BBQ, Gabriel's Italian Food Speck Pizza, The German Cook, Kenny's Flipping Burgers, Lil' Country Store, Macho's Tacos and the Iron Mountain Whistle Stop Depot, which is on the property of the railway.

"We did a year apart and now it's time to get back together again," Kristen said.

She added that she hopes to see the rally grow as they are excited to have bands, performers, a petting zoo and more join the rally.

Owner of the German Cook Christian Voigt serves a customer a bratwurst directly from the grill during the Jackson Food Truck Rally outside of the St Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway in Jackson on Wednesday, April 14, 2021.Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com

Their slogan this year is "Food, friends, fun in 2021."

A group of friends brought their own table and chairs to enjoy their time at the rally this past week. One of the friends in the group, Sherri Prysrck, said they have been attending the rally as a group since last year. "They have great food, and it's great to be outside," Prysrck said.