ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg has a brand-new program meant to help small business owners. It’s a food truck academy helping aspiring entrepreneurs turn their dreams into a reality.
And it’s not just a classroom setting.
Program participants are getting hands-on experience, even participating in their version of supermarket sweeps for a chance to win money that will pay for the materials they need.
Each participant competed to win monetary prizes that they can use to start their food truck business. It’s not what most city funded entrepreneurship programs look like, but in the city of St. Pete, it’s all part of the strategy for their new food truck academy.
Kelly Harrington is one of the participants. Harrington has big dreams when it comes to being a cook and entrepreneur. She’s already got her cuisine and business plan.
“Comfort food. I’m not gonna put myself in a box because everybody is different,” she said. “The ultimate goal for my truck is I want to have a place where for those single parents who have a full-time job, but they still can’t make ends meet. I want to be able to give you an opportunity.”
She plans to open several food trucks. It’s why she signed up for City of St. Pete’s food truck academy during one of the hardest times in her life.
“My mom is currently on hospice, and she’s in home and she doesn’t have much time left. They’re telling me there’re days left, and I know her dream was to see my dream come through,” Harrington said.
Stories like hers are why St. Pete City Council Member Deborah Figgs Sanders said they approved this first-of-its-kind program.
“Any opportunity that we can have to socially and economically impact, not only households of individuals living in the St. Petersburg area but as a city, as a whole, it’s a good look to be able to provide those alternate opportunities for entrepreneurs,” Figgs Sanders said.
Saturday Shoppes Owner, Renee Edwards runs the program.
“In this class the vendors get to work on an actual food truck 10 to 12 times at different events and once they graduate, they should have between $10,000 to $15,000 to buy their own food truck,” she said.
Edwards said she saw the need for these classes after working with so many vendors at her Saturday Shoppes outdoor market.
“When we first started out, vendors were setting up wrong, vendors were displaying their equipment wrong, vendors didn’t have the tools,” Edwards said.
She’s hoping to expand their program to other areas.
“In the last seven years, food trucks have popped up everywhere, especially during Covid,” she said. “So the message I want other cities to know is invite us to your city, let us bring the food truck academy. That’s less stress on the fire department, less fires, less injuries, less people not being equipped.”
Renedra Rhodes Cox was one of those vendors turned food truck academy students.
“We got a food truck at first,” she said. “The first one and it was okay. Trucks have their ups and downs. There were things we didn’t know. We went in there with our eyes closed and we just prayed about it, and as an experience to get a second chance to join this academy, I’m like why not.”
Graduates of the program will leave with the proper licensing, truck training, as well as safety training to help protect themselves and others from fires and other incidents.
The city of St. Pete funded the program for $65,000, and they partnered with organizations like the fire department for that safety element.
The next cohort for the program launches in March. There’s a waiting list, but you can still apply at: https://www.saturdayshoppes.com.