My love for hot dog trucks began when I was a little girl in the late 70’s and my Grandmother, Lonnie Smith, owned a hot dog truck with my Aunt. Some of my fondest memories were helping her on that truck: the smell, the excitement of driving it through the streets, the look on the customers’ faces, preparing the sauces, and the sense of satisfaction that came after a day’s work. Owning my own food truck was always a dream of mine, something I thought I might do after I retired from teaching, but upon finishing my degree and discovering that the job market had dried up, I decided to pursue my crazy dream a bit earlier. When my sister Melissa saw a vintage 1973 food truck for sale, the dream became a reality. Deciding upon a name for the business, I remembered how I could convince my sister to do anything (including helping our grandmother on her truck) by calling her by her favorite children’s literary character, Pippi Longstocking. Pippy’s Hotdog Truck was born.