The Stop Food Truck ‘stopping by' to discuss supporting local farmers, growing your own food
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – 'Where we will stop is where we will cook…' is the motto for Carolyn Henry when it comes to the Stop Food Truck.
Henry 'stops by' WJBF to discuss her delicious menu, and why it is important to support local farmers and grow your own.I'm from Maryland. I'm from Southern Maryland. So, I have been in the CSRA for about three years, so I've brought some of my Maryland roots and some of the things that I enjoy as a child. I brought them here, and I picked up a lot. Since I've been here, I've enjoyed some of the cuisine and the people that have introduced me to some of the local delicacies. It's just been great.
ALSO ON WJBF: Black Lotus Cuisine providing fresh, flavorful food in CSRA You know, I was just looking to escape the jungle, so it just got very expensive in the DMV (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia area). I have little ones, so I wanted them to have a slower pace. I kind of tell people, you know, I didn't find Augusta. I actually live out in Hephzibah, and sunny Hephzibah found me. So, I looked in Aiken and just by chance, I ended up in Hephzibah. I have a great neighborhood and great neighbors. I've met lots of folks here that have been very open and welcoming, and my children are thriving. So, I'm really enjoying it here.The inspiration for the name is simple. Where we will stop is where we will cook. So, I want to harvest locally from our local farmers and our local value added folks, and I want to add global flavor. So, I say harvest local and add global flavor, and we can stop wherever we want. I enjoyed a career with the federal government and did a lot of traveling, but one thing I noticed was that foods are the same all around the world. You get the same beans, you get the same chicken, you get the same rice, but if you add global flavors to them, to that local, whatever you find locally, it can be a whole new experience. So, I want folks here to experience global flavor.So, each week I try I talk to local farmers in the area. I like to work a lot with the organic farmers. So, I'll talk to Addison's Fresh Produce, Starlet Roots, Hancock Farms, etc. I like to get my local honey from Country Sweet Honey's, Black Farm Street, etc. Those are all local farmers and urban growers. If I want meat, I can go out to Lincolnton and see 3Ts Farms and you know, he's a pork producer, and I can shop locally at the South Augusta Farmers Market, or at Augusta Locally Grown, or the Saturday Market, and I want to be able to have things that are grown locally here in the CSRA. It's not just fresh because it's local, but it's also like the honey, it's local honey. So, it helps us with our immune system and things like that, and I want to support them, and I want folks to see what they purchase locally. They can do amazing things with it.
ALSO ON WJBF: LaDonna Doleman serving community one meal at a time | April CBE365 Affirmation Award Winner It's important because I can keep the cost down. So, I'm the mother of many. I have a lot of children right now. I'm raising my grandchildren, and I want them to have healthy food. I want to teach them to be self-sufficient. So, we found during the hurricane we couldn't get out of our neighborhood, but we had collards, kale, and a bunch of stuff right in our backyard, and by just having our food truck, we were able to use our gas and our generators to help feed our communities, but it started with having those things right in our backyard. So, it was great, and I want to encourage kids. I was a kid. I grew up in a farming community, and one thing my father and my grandmother taught us was to be self-sufficient and to go out and grow your own. And guess what? There's no tax in my backyard, right? You know, it's a certain amount of self-satisfaction, and you're closer to earth. It just really puts you in touch with things. So, I encourage everybody to pick up some seeds and just throw them out on the ground. If you don't have time to plan them, let God do the work for you, and I guarantee you, you'll get a reward at the end of it.It is very important. It helps our economy. There are lots of local vendors here. They need our support. You know, folks like me, if I want to keep my costs down, and if I buy locally, I can keep the costs low and the price point lower. I also want to be able to encourage growth in my community. So, if I can buy locally regardless of whether it's food, if it's plants, if it's clothes, if I want to go down to the flea market or any of the Saturday markets, I want to be able to do it locally and support them and keep the money in my community, which ultimately will help keep my community strong. It'll also help to put money into our economy through taxes to support our school system, and that's really important right now, too. We need to get our school system up, and we need to get our children moving.Last year, I started to grow from what we call starts – where they are small plants that I went to a nursery to purchase. Well, this year when I called to ask for the starts, they said they didn't have any yet. They had some that were coming, but also that the cost of the starts in the seeds had really went up. So that's really important because whereas I would buy seeds in bulk, or we would buy them collectively as a group, now we're seeing that we have to put more money in the pot to get that, but I would still rather grow it myself if I have the opportunity in the end, if I grow it, I can save my seeds, and I can save money later on next year or the next harvest. I'll have a head start. So, no one saw the tariffs come in. So, whereas I have some seeds, I really want to have more, and I want to try a different variety of plants and fruits and vegetables. So, the tariffs have hit home already, and I think people are going to see that not just in the grocery store, but in your nurseries as well.If you have children starting young, put them in the 4H Club. Like I said, Black Farm Street has a summer camp. South Augusta has a summer camp that's coming up for children that they're going to have a farm experience. My own granddaughter is a 4H Club member, and it is one of the best experiences she's having. You can also just have a summer project where you go and get some seeds. Go to the Dollar Tree. The seeds of four for a $1.25 – full packs. You cannot go wrong just allowing children to be children, get in the dirt, get them away from the electronics, get them out in the sun, and get them healthy, active, and moving. So, I would encourage folks to start there. The other thing is to look at some of the local organizations to join. If you're in a rural area, you don't have to raise cows or be in a cattle association. How about Georgia Grown? You know, subscribe to them on social media. So, you'll see, and Georgia Grown will tell you who in the local area has them. They just had a post on where the local strawberries are so that you can pick your own. Georgia Organics is another organization. We have South Augusta Farmers Market ALG. Those are all organizations that you can subscribe to online and find out more about growing and just having food locally. We need to eliminate the food insecurity and wipe that out, and we can do it from our backyard.
ALSO ON WJBF: Veggie In Smoothie Bar and Bistro bringing northern flavor to Augusta They can follow us on social media. The Stop Food Truck on Facebook and Instagram, or they can give us a call. Our number is (762) 221-1331, or they can text. We do more community-based events, but we'd love to come out to your community. We'd also love to come out and interact with our young folks and teach them how to cook some of the dishes that we have to offer.
The Stop Food Truck is also a part of the Community Garden which is located at Belle Terrace Presbyterian Church at 2473 Golden Camp Road in Augusta.
Videography by Gary Nipple; Music by Danny Ray Smith, Jr.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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