Vegan food truck in Rockford advocates for a plant-based, delicious diet
By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — For Candace Latimore, cooking vegan was initially a way to feed family members. Then it became part of her own diet. Now, it’s her business.
The Rockford mother of three went vegan about six years ago, but shortly after the dietary change she recognized a lack of local vegan options. This often made family dining outings frustrating and unsatisfying, she said.
“Going out to restaurants, we were literally limited to appetizers,” Latimore said. “We were still hungry.”
While the Rockford area does include vegan options like Pig Minds Brewing Co. and Jack it Up Juicery, Latimore began experimenting with her own recipes. That evolved into her first food truck, Main Squeeze Vegan.
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Using sites like Pinterest, where users often share recipes, Latimore began to research vegan cuisine. With a natural affinity for cooking, she slowly began inviting her non-vegan friends over to taste her dishes.
“Once I transitioned over to vegan, it just started being fun again,” Latimore said. “Just seeing different recipes and trying to recreate it was fun.”
Latimore went through about four and a half years of trial and error with her recipes. Once she was ready to bring her creations to more people, Latimore felt a food truck was a natural choice.
Main Squeeze Vegan debuted in August with Latimore as the sole operator, but she often has help from her family.
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Main Squeeze’s recipes are predominantly made from fruits and vegetables. Latimore strays away from soy and other ingredients commonly used in meat-alternatives to create her unique dishes.
Her end goal is to have a storefront, but in the meantime Latimore loves to use her food truck to connect with vegan and non-vegan customers who want to give plant-based food a try.
“I love when other vegans come to the truck,” Latimore said. ” I also love when I have new people trying it and they love it. That’s just a great feeling.”
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Main Squeeze Vegan serves vegan nachos, Philly Po boy sandwiches and more, depending on the daily menu. The food truck also often has various flavors of lemonade and fresh-pressed juice.
Latimore will bring her truck to Vegandale in Chicago on June 11. Vegandale is a vegan food festival which takes place in multiple cities, including Dallas, Miami and more.
If you decide to give vegan food a try and want to support this local business, you can find where Main Squeeze Vegan will be each week by checking their Instagram @mainsqueeze_rockford.
This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent
