Authentic Mexican snacks, frozen treats feed sweet and salty cravings in South Knoxville
In the fall of 2019, Rene Gomez and Cecilia Carmona launched La Michoacana Movil, an eye-catching pink food truck serving authentic fruit-based frozen treats inspired by Gomez’s native home, Michoacan on the western coast of Mexico. These included paletas, nieves de leches and aguas frescas.
About two years ago, they shut up shop and drove their food truck away from the corner of Chapman Highway and West Blount Avenue. Since then the couple, along with their son, also called Rene, have been hard at work opening their own ice cream shop.
Cecilia Carmona said that they spent two years looking for a building. They rented and started remodeling a smaller shop farther south on Chapman Highway, but unbeknownst to them, the building was condemned, and their plans fell through.
Finally, they found an alternative space at 2623 Chapman Highway and spent several months fixing everything from the walls to the ceilings of their current location, which was once a labor exchange office.
La Michoacana Movil officially opened on Oct. 14, 2022.
“Instead of being Tex Mex, we tried to add more authentic Mexican snacks so people can try them,” said Rene Gomez, Carmona and Gomez’s son. “We added Esquite (street corn) crepes, and waffles. All of these are snacks you would get from street vendors in Mexico; there is nothing comparable around here.”
“Instead of being Tex Mex, we tried to add more authentic Mexican snacks so people can try them,” said Rene Gomez, Carmona and Gomez’s son. “We added Esquite (street corn) crepes, and waffles. All of these are snacks you would get from street vendors in Mexico; there is nothing comparable around here.”
New on the expanded menu are chicharron preparado, fried pork skins topped with cabbage, tomatoes, sour cream cotija cheese, avocados and hot sauce. Churritos are crispy corn snacks flavored with spicy chili lemon seasoning and hot sauce. Tortas are a meat sandwich similar to a burger served in a bun with toppings.
The crepes are also served a little differently. “We like to put Nutella, strawberries, sweetened condensed milk and a scoop of ice cream,” said Gomez.
The couple used to make their ice cream and popsicles at home, but the increased space means they can make them in store and offer more flavors. There are 24 flavors of ice cream in the dipping cabinet, but they rotate through 45 flavors on their menu, and there are 98 flavors of the popsicles.
According to Gomez, the most popular items on the menu are the banana splits, milkshakes and the gaspacho, a famous fruit cocktail from the state of Michoacan made with pineapple, mango, jicama and watermelon marinated in orange juice and topped with cottage cheese and tajine, a squeeze of lime and chamoy sauce. Chamoy is a Mexican condiment made from sweet, dried apricots, spicy chili de arbol, salty tajin seasoning, and sour hibiscus flowers.
At the moment, La Michoacana Movil is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week, and Gomez said over the summer they may stay open as late as 11 p.m. He added that the afternoons and particularly the weekends are their busiest times.
“We tried to offer a place with plenty of seats for people to sit and enjoy their food with family,” said Gomez. “Orders can be called in advance, and if they are having a party and give us up to two weeks’ notice they can choose ice cream, popsicles or snacks and we will prepare them.”
Due to the cold weather, the original La Michoacana Movil pink truck that started it all has been parked next to the ice cream shop. “Probably over the summer we will start doing events and going to high schools again,” said Gomez.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: South Knoxville shop La Michoacana has Mexican snacks, frozen treats
