Trackside is reimagining the food game in Cookeville, TN. 

With four staple dining trucks and two others on rotation, owners Ricky and Shannon Shelton are providing consistent, convenient, diverse, and delicious options on the WestSide, working alongside established local dining options to further revitalize the historic district.

Ricky stated, “It’s a vision my wife and I had for a while. We visited other areas and saw food truck parks where the public would mingle. We didn’t just want a truck in a parking lot, but something beyond that.” He continued, “The WestSide and Cookeville in general is really becoming a food destination, a ‘foodie’ destination if you will. There are a lot of great restaurants and chefs downtown. This isn’t really to compete with them. It just creates more traffic coming into this area.”

Beyond scrumptious meal options, Trackside features live entertainment each Friday and Saturday night, a kid-friendly play area (don’t miss the giant Connect 4 game), a concert stage, and cornhole, making this a destination the entire family will enjoy.

Named after the bustling railway yard that existed on Trackside’s current footprint, the food park honors the past while doing its part to ensure a bright future for the culinary side of our city.

“When we were excavating, we actually uncovered a couple of very large support timbers that were part of a loading dock in the 1920s. We utilized those on site along with a lot of the other railroad timbers,” Ricky said. “We tried to keep the depot vibe going. We wanted to utilize and reclaim some materials and that’s part of the story. That’s why we wanted to name it Trackside.”

Trackside is open Wednesday through Saturday each week, and maintaining a thriving food truck park is not easy. The Sheltons have made this a passion project, and their investment into the community has become a labor of love for the entire family. 

“We’re here four days a week, cleaning, overseeing, and pouring our hearts into this,” Shannon said. “Our daughters help us keep it a clean place for visitors to come and unwind while enjoying a great meal together.”

To the Sheltons, Trackside represents another step forward for entrepreneurs and Cookeville overall, one accomplished by bringing people together over a shared love of quality food, connectedness, and the beauty of the WestSide.

He stated, “This is local. Not just us as local owners. Each of these food trucks have local owners, with families to support. These are not chains. We’re trying so hard to promote people coming and supporting these locals alongside us. We have the perfect option for the family looking to get quality food, enjoy the outdoors, and bond together.”

– by Andrew Buckner, photos by Olivia Merritt