Chubbfathers hosting 1st ‘Food Truck Fiasco’

Published 4:28 pm Friday, March 13, 2020

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By J.R. TIDWELL / Editor

When popular Alabaster restaurant Chubbfathers opened a new location in Clanton, people were quick to take notice.

The new location stayed packed every day for weeks after opening, leaving little doubt on how the new eatery had been accepted.

Now, several months into its existence, Chubbfathers in Clanton will be hosting its first food truck rally March 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot.

The event is officially dubbed the “1st Annual Breaking Bread Food Truck Fiasco.”

Owner Will Cholewinski said his restaurant has participated in many food truck events, and once he saw the location he would be moving into Clanton, he knew he wanted to have a new gathering there.

“I knew I would have the ability to let people come into the restaurant and eat (after ordering),” he said. “It sparked from all the food truck festivals we have participated in.”

Cholewinski had to go through the Clanton Planning Commission before being allowed to host the event.

“The City of Clanton and everybody that has been involved has been crazy helpful,” he said. “We just happen to be in unprecedented territory. Things like this have been done before, but done and permitted on city property at one of the parks. So there is an ordinance for that. There is no ordinance for what we are doing (coming from the Planning Commission.)

“They have been super awesome for us trying to hash this thing out. They are going to let me go ahead and do this one, then I am going to the Planning Commission meeting next month on April 14. We tentatively have the next food truck day scheduled for April 21, the third Sunday. I’m going to gather as much data as I can from the first one and take it to the meeting.”

Cholewinski’s goal is to have a food truck rally in the Chubbfathers Clanton parking lot the third Sunday of each month while weather permits.

He said the City of Clanton does have a no food truck ordinance for downtown, but the restaurant is outside of that line by about a block.

However, after talking with the commission, Cholewinski will be requiring all participants to have proper documentation allowing them to sell goods in the county.

Both cards and cash will be accepted by the participating food trucks.

“Right now we have the Chubbfathers grub wagon, our cluck truck, which will doing wings and tenders,” Cholewinski said. “I have Hollywood Grill. They will be doing burgers and cheesesteaks. I’m still working on getting a taco truck. We will have Frios gourmet popsicles, Dixieland funnel cakes and Pazzo big slice pizza.”