Warehouse Row brings lunch to the street

photo Kris Spengler, co-owner of Monkey Town Donuts, fills a bucket with mini doughnuts at the Scopes Heritage Festival in Dayton, Tenn. Monkey Town Donuts will join other mobile eateries this week for Street Food Tuesdays at Chattanooga's Warehouse Row. Photo by Kimberly McMillian

IF YOU GO• What: Street Food Tuesdays.• Where: Warehouse Row, 1110 Market St.• When: Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.• Admission: Free, prices of food varies by vendor.• Website: www.warehouserow.net.

John Cena remembers Sunday dinners when he was a child in Michigan, eating the dishes of his parents' Argentinean upbringing.

Now, he said, he hopes to bring the flavors he remembers from his boyhood to the Scenic City, with his new food truck, Taste of Argentina, which will launch Tuesday at Warehouse Row.

Cena and his wife, Darcy, join other mobile eateries for the second incarnation of Street Food Tuesdays, a gathering of food trucks, including Famous Nater's World Famous Sandwiches, Pure Sodaworks and Southern Burger Co., at the Market Street center each Tuesday.

"The food-truck movement has really taken off in the past several years," said Jennifer Mingola, spokeswoman for Warehouse Row. "We wanted to be able to really support those new businesses. It's also a great amenity for our customers."

Mingola said the officials at Warehouse Row were seeking "unique" food offerings, focusing on local entrepreneurs over franchises.

Monkey Town Donuts established a presence last year at Chattanooga Market, but, said co-owner Kris Spengler, they are making an effort to be more involved in the community, expanding their presence in town. Kris and his wife, Jennifer, are excited to join Street Food Tuesdays this year.

"It's a perfect location. It's directly across the street from TVA. You've got thousands of downtown city workers right there," said Kris Spengler. "The building itself is amazing."

The Spenglers reside in Dayton, Tenn., and Monkey Town Donuts is named for the town's claim to fame, the 1925 Scopes Trial. The 30-calorie doughnuts are wheat-based and fried in soybean oil. The crisp outside and airy inside appeal to the growing population of area gourmands, they believe.

"Chattanooga has become such a foodie town," said Kelly Scott at Warehouse Row. "The restaurants are terrific, and people are becoming more involved and interested in food. It's a perfect fit for the street-food movement to be here now. Food trucks are a new experience. It's big in so many of the major cities. It's something different."

Also featured will be Legends of the Game Cookie Co. and Taco Sherpa, a new Korean taco truck, which will join Street Food Tuesdays on April 17.

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