Medora male finds results with food stuff trailer

Practically every single time Billy Hattabaugh Jr. has established up his Spanky’s food stuff trailer this winter season, the words and phrases “Sold out” have been posted on his Fb web page.

For his debut Dec. 4 in the parking great deal at State Bank of Medora in his hometown, Hattabaugh, acknowledged there by little one nickname “Spanky,” said he thought 50 to 75 men and women would exhibit up.

He wound up advertising out with 250 products in a few several hours.

When he established up Dec. 11 in the vicinity of the West Towne Plaza on the west aspect of Seymour, he well prepared more food stuff, but he however bought out, this time with 350 goods.

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“It was just unbelievable,” the 47-calendar year-outdated said.

Eleven days later on, he experimented with night several hours in Seymour and had a further successful outing.

Then for the vacations, he offered bash trays with rooster nuggets, hand-breaded hen strips and barbecue meatballs and trays of smoked pork loin, pulled pork barbecue and grilled hen nuggets. Those people offered out, as well.

Hattabaugh could not have requested for a superior start off to his new undertaking.

“It took pretty much every single dime I had to get almost everything rolling,” he said. “It’s nuts how it has advanced.”

Born and lifted in Medora, Hattabaugh graduated from Medora Higher School in 1992 and then worked at a few of factories, Bob Thomas Chevrolet and Dura Automotive.

Then in 1995, he begun as a forklift driver at Walmart Distribution Centre in Seymour. He’s nevertheless there these days as a human means manager.

Due to the fact he enjoys cooking and likes when persons enjoy what he can make, Hattabaugh explained he has generally preferred to have a cafe or food stuff truck.

In early 2020, it arrived down to him and yet another individual to lease a restaurant in close proximity to Patoka Lake. The other human being experienced working experience and was picked for the lease, so Hattabaugh pursued a food stuff truck.

Via research on the web, he uncovered Purple Fern Dynamics in Georgia and went down there July 2.

“The male utilized to be an engineer, and he started (earning meals vans) five or 6 years in the past, and they are some of the very best you’ve ever constructed, precisely what I preferred,” Hattabaugh reported.

The foodstuff trailer was tailored to involve two fryers, a steam table, a proofer, a flat grill and a charbroiler. It was done in early Oct.

“Those are the points I experienced to have in it to make the food items that I make,” he reported.

He fashioned his menu after obtaining co-employees and many others sample his foods. It involves grilled chicken nuggets with rooster sauce, breaded tenderloin, pulled pork barbecue, pulled pork nachos and tiny pigs, which is a sandwich with pork loin, pulled pork and bacon.

Setting up in Brownstown for the to start with time Thursday, Hattabaugh included barbecue meatballs to the menu. When once more, he offered out of meals.

That was his remaining outing until finally the spring simply because he is having time off to have hip surgical treatment in February.

As a child, a horse stepped on his ideal leg, ensuing in a black and blue bruise. Afterwards in lifetime, he was walking a person working day and felt like his hip was likely to appear out. A health care provider told him he would have to have it replaced someday.

“I couldn’t consider it,” Hattabaugh said.

Then a few of many years in the past, he was wounded when his leg went forward right after hitting a tree root when mowing.

An orthopedic surgeon told him he needed hip substitute medical procedures.

“It just damage so terrible, I could not stroll,” he explained. “I just designed it all these decades, and then it just bought to exactly where I just cannot bear it any longer. I have received to have it done.”

To start with, while, he wanted to shed 130 lbs . to have the ideal body mass index.

In 2010, he had gastric sleeve surgery and dropped about 160 kilos. A number of decades later, though, hip problems prevented him from strolling, and he begun gaining pounds.

The working day right after purchasing his meals trailer in 2020, he started out on a lean and eco-friendly diet regime to decrease his BMI. Having lean grilled rooster nuggets, lean hamburger (no a lot more than 7 or 8 ounces at a time), pork loin (with extra fat minimize off), turkey roast and eco-friendly beans and preventing fast foodstuff and soda assisted him reduced his BMI and drop 120 lbs.

That’s a big accomplishment considering the fact that he experienced been turned down for hip surgical treatment in early 2020.

“I just felt entirely hopeless mainly because I realized I could not wander and I know it normally takes physical exercise to do it, but at the time I started doing this lean and green, it does perfectly,” Hattabaugh said.

He went from donning XXXL in shirts to XL and now wears smaller dimensions denims.

“It’s kind of ridiculous due to the fact the way I feel now, even however with my hip hurting, I feel so considerably youthful,” he reported. “Forty-seven several years outdated, but you know what? Guy, I come to feel like a unique man or woman. I experience like I did when I was in my 20s. Even nevertheless I was obese then, I could do what ever I preferred, and it is receiving to the level exactly where I can do that yet again.”

Between his excess weight loss, hip surgical procedures coming up and meals trailer success, Hattabaugh explained he has enhanced self esteem.

He appreciates everybody who has supported him in his new enterprise enterprise so significantly.

“It usually means a good deal to me simply because every person stored telling me, ‘Hey, your food stuff is great. You’re heading to make it. You are heading to do nicely,’” he mentioned. “I doubted it because I go by some food items vehicles and I do not see a line and I assume their food items is excellent, but for some motive, the aid I’m receiving is just overwhelming. It definitely is. I know a good deal of men and women, but it is just there are folks I don’t know that are coming a whole lot.”

For a food truck to have good results, Hattabaugh mentioned it is important to keep a route, supply new objects and discover distinctive sites to set up.

At the time he restarts in the spring, he options to do those factors and also provide an on the net ordering and pickup alternative and do some catering. Also, in hopes of regional festivals transpiring this calendar year, he wants to set up and give one of a kind meals on a stick, like region fried steak and fried chicken wrapped in bacon.

He also is working with a mate who doesn’t try to eat meat to provide balanced alternatives on his menu.

“I consider it will be pretty magnificent, far too,” Hattabaugh mentioned. “I want to be ready to provide most people, have balanced selections on there, way too.”

He appears to be like forward to ongoing success with the foodstuff trailer in 2021, and he also wants to transform his residence or create a new just one this calendar year.

“My everyday living has modified a whole lot (in 2020), and I strategy on it to alter in huge approaches in 2021,” he mentioned.

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