Hunger ends at the 'Hangar': Yuba County Airport hosts trial run for permanent food truck park

Oct. 20—"Putting together a food truck park has been a dream of mine for probably over 10 years," said

Mike Shiyaneko, owner of Golden State Trailers, a local food trailer manufacturing company in Olivehurst. "I just never thought it would become a reality here in California."

Shiyaneko is originally from Oregon, a place well known for its established food truck culture. In Oregon, "food truck pods" have become a permanent staple of the culinary landscape, opening up a wide swath of variety and convenience for both residents and entrepreneurs.

Food truck pods are classified as a group of food trucks or carts that stay together in a permanent fixture or location. To replicate this in California, trucks need access to a commercial kitchen or "commissary," where they can offload food, drain tanks, and perform general maintenance each night.

This is where Shiyaneko's neighbors at Yuba County Airport came into play. Yuba County's airport is defined as a general aviation facility, which generally caters to private transportation, recreation, and emergency services. Touring acts headed to Hard Rock Live Sacramento or the Toyota Amphitheater in Wheatland have also been known to frequent the facility.

The airport just so happens to have a relatively underused commercial kitchen and an overly spacious parking lot. This, paired with the 52 businesses and approximately 500 employees that occupy the vicinity, makes it the perfect place to host a pod of food trucks.

"The goal here is much bigger than getting an easy lunch," said Jason Kopping, the airport's manager. "We see this as an opportunity for connection, a chance for different sectors of the community to come together and learn more about each other."

From now until Nov. 18, the airport will be hosting a food truck park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The current selection of vendors features Mexican, American, soul and Filipino style foods, the majority of whom reside within the area.

This one month trial will help Shiyaneko and Kopping gauge the community's interest moving forward and make any necessary adjustments. If all goes well, the food truck pod, now referred to as the "Hangar," may become a permanent fixture of the airport.

The Hangar opens the door toward creating a unique family venue that could include live music, games, and a picnicking area where patrons can eat and watch the planes coming in and taking off.

"We already know that there's gonna be groups of people flying just to come eat here," added Kopping excitedly.

"It's referred to as the 'hundred dollar hamburger,'" explained Kymberly Matta, an administrative analyst for Yuba County. "That's aviation slang for when pilots use good food as an excuse to fly somewhere for lunch."

In addition to serving hordes of incoming pilots and hungry workers, the presence of a permanent food truck park could very well connect into an established circuit of local culinary programs at both the high school and college level. Theoretically speaking, local graduates could earn their certifications, purchase a truck, and get started with their career all without ever having to leave the county.

More importantly, the Hangar embodies a unique revenue sharing partnership between Golden State Trailers and the Yuba County Airport.

"It's not typically done between government agencies and private parties," said Kopping. "So it's kinda breaking out of the norm here."

Some might wonder why the airport decided to become so heavily involved with this endeavor, as opposed to just leasing out the use of its property. The answer to that lies in Yuba County's Yes to Yuba initiative that is part of Yuba County Enterprise Solutions, which is meant to encourage economic growth, business retention, and local entrepreneurship. Kopping has been highly supportive of the initiative and feels that the Hangar will benefit all who are involved.

Conversations between the county, Shiyaneko, and the airport started taking place over a year ago. Rachel Downs, Yuba County's business engagement manager, and the local environmental health department is credited with helping guide Shiyaneko and Kopping along the path of making the food truck park a reality.

"I couldn't be happier," said Shiyaneko. "I've never worked with an agency that is so friendly and eager to help. It was a completely different vibe from day one. Going forward, I know that any other business that I want to start I want to start around this area."

Yuba County Airport is located at 1364 Sky Harbor Dr. in Olivehurst. For more information about the ongoing food truck park, look up "Hangar Food Trucks & More" on Facebook.