Marcus Hammond grew up in Memphis in a family that loved hosting guests, and if you were a relative or friend, you were always invited to a cook-out. When he moved to Charleston, it was natural that he’d head to the big food celebrations the city is known for. Before too long, however, he noticed something: Not a lot of the people holding or attending those festivals looked like him.
“I decided I wanted to do something that could be family-friendly and provide an opportunity and safe space for people of color,” Hammond said. “I thought a Black food truck festival would be an awesome opportunity to be a launching pad for Black businesses.”
This year’s Black Food Truck Festival on April 22-23 in Ladson at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds may attract up to 20,000 people. Two-day tickets starting at $55 can be purchased online.
A leap to a new career
Hammond might not seem a likely candidate to start a food festival. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2009 where he was captain of the basketball team.
“I was a shooting guard, and I can still shoot,” he said. “I’ll always be able to shoot!”
He ran an event company doing mixers and parties, sold everything “from food to furniture to clothes” to avoid the corporate world, and then became a banker by trade and a high school basketball coach by avocation in his spare time.
The idea of a Black food festival grabbed hold of him. In September 2021, he left his commercial banking job at First Horizon to work full-time on launching the festival just two months later.
“Culturally, everyone loves food and music. I knew it would work, I just didn’t think it would work as soon and at the scale we’re working on,” Hammond said.
The first festival was held at the Battery stadium in Mount Pleasant and drew about 5,000 people.
The fact that Charleston was just coming out of the pandemic was another reason he was a bit surprised at the success of the festival.
“It was super risky, but it turned out to be the perfect storm,” he said. “People were starting to get antsy and come out again, a lot of regulations started to be lifted, and people were feeling a little more comfortable in crowds.”
The festival once was held twice a year, but Hammond said he’s learned that annually works better for him.
This year’s festival will feature about 45 food trucks. Hammond said about 90% are Black-owned. There also will be an Asian and Mexican food truck. About 10% to 20% will be first-time vendors, which Hammond said would give them the experience to “work the crowd and get their feet wet” — part of the reason he established the festival. While most trucks are from South Carolina, Hammond said some will drive in from North Carolina.
“I feel like food trucks are a business model here to stay,” Hammond said. “It’s pretty easy to get an assortment and variety of food trucks to pull out and have a festival outside, and we can combine that with music and games for the kids, and a hookah lounge and cigar lounge.
“Our goal is bringing people together to have a great time centered around food, music and culture. I want the community to rally around and support local business by having a good time.”
Hammond said he can see the food festival growing in the future.
“We want to spread this love of food, music and culture. We’re looking all over the country, at D.C. and the Baltimore area, in Atlanta and in Charlotte.”
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