The growing popularity of the food truck industry is visible in Toledo.

One of the most popular is Glaze’Em Gourmet Funnel Cakes which serves up the crisp, deep-fried cake that evokes feelings of summertime at the fair, year-round.

“My grandmother was from the South, so she taught us how to cook from scratch,” said truck’s owner, Rashawn McDonald, Sr. “My grandfather on my mom’s side comes from slavery, so he taught us about strong, hard work.

“That’s what created it, and it just took off,” he said as he and daughter Arrhe Carter served customers at Monroe Street and Secor Road last week.

Isaac Ritchey

Photo Gallery: The 2nd Annual 419 Taco War

With the success of his food truck business, McDonald developed a desire to uplift the community and strengthen the local economy.

In 2021, McDonald started the now very popular 419 Taco War, the first event of its kind in the area.

“After COVID, I felt like there was a void out here. A lot of people were scared, or just timid but also a lot of businesses were looking to come up,” McDonald said. “We were out here in parking lots just as vendors, but I wanted to bring the community together.”

While the food truck community encompasses a vast array of foods — and owners — from many ethnic backgrounds, Mr. McDonald, who is biracial, took on the role of trying to foster a sense of togetherness.

“My wife is from Nicaragua. My mom is Black, my dad is white, so I can’t just focus on one demographic,” he said.

“I’ve come to notice here, we do the African-American Festival, the Latino Festival, German-American Festival ... and what tends to happen is you get limited participation,” he said. “People are kind of in a box, and I was like, ‘Let’s think outside the box.’”

Held at the Toledo Farmers Market, the first friendly food war attracted 10 taco vendors to the competition, about 6,000 attendees, and a noticeable sense of community pride and togetherness.

The success of the debut event prompted the 2022 event at the Lucas County Fairgrounds to grow to more than 8,000 attendees, and last year’s Taco War at the Village on Adams Street boasted an attendance of more than 30,000, with 15 taco vendors competing and 37 food vendors in all.

Adding to his incentive to bring the mobile kitchens together were past challenges in the trucks getting application approvals to participate in some local events, McDonald said.

He likened his thoughts with the metaphorical expression “Never beg for a seat when you can build your own table,” which is intended to inspire self-sufficiency, and a zest and gumption to create one’s own opportunities rather than waiting for others’ approval.

“That’s what we did. We built our own table, our own chairs, and changed the game,” McDonald said.

As founders of the Business Building Movement, Guisselle McDonald shared their nonprofit's mission to provide a platform for minority-owned businesses to grow and succeed through community building and legitimacy.

“When we started in the parking lots, there were a lot of people that were doing really good work and had a lot of good ideas, but it wasn’t organized and people needed to get licenses,” she said. “So we wanted to make sure that people that we were working with were doing things the right way so it didn’t bite them later on.”

Mrs. McDonald, who also serves as director of operations in the Lucas County Treasurer’s Office, explained how the food truck community has since expanded to host events like the Taco War, which showcases vendors’ products and provides exposure.

“And really, that’s what we do — we give people a platform, the handing of the microphone, so they can speak for themselves and put themselves out there and grow their businesses,” Mrs. McDonald said.

“Some people that used to be in the parking lot with us have had success, had their own businesses grow and have brick and mortars,” she added.

The nonprofit works with anybody, but there’s definitely a focus on minority small business, Mrs. McDonald said.

McDonald will also put on the Burger Battle and the Chicken War events, both free to the public, which are set for this summer.

Greg Baldwin, owner of Mustache Mike’s Italian Ice Truck, said he loves the vibe and plans to be a vendor at all three of McDonald’s events.

“It’s like a whole community coming together just having fun,” Mr. Baldwin said. “Summertime is when you’re supposed to have fun, spend money and enjoy the weather.”

Felisha Lawson of Toledo said she thinks she will be a strong contender in the Chicken War, and she is already registered.

“My grandmother was a cook, and she would cook for doctors, attorneys, and did everything from scratch,” she said. “And my other grandmother, same thing. So I was always in the kitchen with them learning, and I didn’t really realize then that it was a craft.”

The rise to a successful business didn’t come easy for him, McDonald said. As a young man, he recalled a period where his actions led to a prison stint.

“I got into trouble, and I kept getting in trouble,” he said. “And one particular time, I messed up a little too deep and had to go away.”

It was in prison, he said, that his culinary skills were strengthened and his mission became clear.

“When I went away, I maximized the time, went to school and then I became a 4.0 student,” he said. “I got more involved in business, culinary, and ServSafe [food manager certification], and when I came home, I hit the ground running.”

While his first year operating the food truck came with setbacks, McDonald said he was compelled to push forward and is grateful for his support system because quitting was not an option.

Also adding to the success of the business, McDonald credits knowledge he gained from Assets of Toledo, training through the Minority Business Association for those starting or expanding small businesses.

The community is already abuzz about 2024’s 419 Taco War, McDonald said, adding that several vendors have already secured their spots. The categories for the competition include best American taco, best street taco, and best birria taco.

“And this year, we’re adding the best nacho and the best tamale,” he said. “It’s only right.”

Until it’s time for the food trucks to go to war at the fairgrounds in August, Mr. McDonald can be seen about town serving up his gourmet funnel cakes that boast a wide range of flavors from strawberry cheesecake to Oreo cookies and cream.

“The food is just really good, the quality is good, and I like that it’s a Black-owned truck,” said Krystal Jones-Shephard of Toledo. “And the customer service is excellent.”

First Published February 14, 2024, 5:00 p.m.