I started The Treats Truck in June 2007. I loved the idea of having customers all over the city, and couldn’t wait to get started. I studied the city’s rules and guidelines and set out looking for places to park my truck.

When you own a food truck in New York City, you’re given lists of restrictions and rules, and you do your best to find a suitable spot. In addition, you soon find out there is also the reality of the streets, and each block is different. You have to put in the time to figure out where you fit in. Even after you establish your spots, you must remain sensitive to changes in the way a particular block works.

It was not easy that first summer, but it was also magical.

A grand adventure in a totally new world. A group of older Greek ice cream vendors took me under their wing. The leader of the group, Jimmy, brought me to his garage to meet his men–one word from Jimmy and that was it. I was one of them. The men were amused by me, scratching their heads as they looked me up and down–a small woman with a truck full of brownies who wanted to park in so many places and not just one (foolish girl!). They offered me daily advice and encouragement and all the free ice cream I could eat.

Over that summer and into the next year, I would go to a block many weeks in a row before deciding if I was a good match for a neighborhood. It sometimes took months to establish a spot. Over time, I built up a good rotation of regular stops around town. I made friends with the other vendors, UPS men, office workers, and residents. In most places, I think I seemed harmless enough to the shopkeepers and building managers. Just treats? No coffee, no meals? How much can the girl sell? She seems nice. She works so hard. It’s okay. And, she sells cookies! And after over four years of vending, I had built up more than six regular spots with hundreds of regular customers.

Then everything changed.

Last June the police came to me and explained that all food trucks would be moved out of Midtown (and other spots soon to follow). The penalties would be severe–tickets, towing, maybe even court summonses. A judge had recently ruled against one particular truck that had been getting into trouble on the Upper East Side–when the owners of the truck went to court to challenge the regulation from 1965, no selling of merchandise from a parking meter, which had been used strategically to move their truck out of the neighborhood, they lost. Food is merchandise, the judge ruled–a precedent-setting first for the city.

Up until this ruling, the informal consensus by the city and the police had always been that this regulation was not meant to include food, so unless someone complained about you, you could park and sell in peace. Now, the police informed me, everyone has to go. They were kind but firm, and wished me well. Make another plan, you can’t stay here, close now and go, good luck.

Soon, I would see my profits drop by 50%.

Over the past five years, a new generation of food trucks has emerged, making their best burgers, fries, desserts, ethnic fusion, grilled cheese–all great additions to the existing street food scene of chicken and rice, falafel, arepas, tacos, hot dogs, and ice cream. I like to think of all the trucks – both old and new–as carousel horses. When I was a kid, I loved that moment when you got to pick the horse you wanted to ride. The yellow one with the purple and red ribbons or the black horse with the gold harness, head back, hoof raised? Oh, such a delightful decision to make in the 30 seconds before the ride began! The world of food trucks–with its diversity of food, colorful branding, and passionate cooks–make for quite a ride on the carousel.

I hope the city can figure out a way to make room for food trucks. It would be a shame to see these small businesses disappear. And I believe the city would miss them. Whenever I’m asked what is the best part of my business, I answer without hesitation–hands down, the best part of my business is the customers. They are a pleasure, truly, and our daily exchanges at the truck are what I remember most at the end of the day. Owning a food truck in New York City has been, and I hope will continue to be, my privilege and great good fortune.

The Treats Truck Baking Book is in stores now, and you can follow her on Twitter and Facebook to keep track of Kim’s comings and goings.

It seems as if the ramp up in police pressure on the food trucks of Midtown has claimed its first permanent victim. The Treats Truck sent out this unbelievably sad email to their followers this morning:

To my dear customers,

We will not be midtown for the time being. The police have let us know that they no longer want food trucks in the midtown area. Two of our spots dear to our hearts (and our first two regular spots since the early days) have been 45th & 6th Ave and 38th & 5th Ave. We have so many wonderful regulars, and you all have made serving you such a pleasure. We are so sad to have to take our truck elsewhere. We hope to be able to return someday. For now, we cannot. We wish we could. You have all made the past four years very special. You can always order for delivery for your offices or come by our new spots. You can call to find out where we are each day.

Thank you for all our years midtown. We hope to be back when it is allowed. We’ll miss you very much. I’ll miss you very much, and thank you for making my Treats Truck dream come true.

all my best and thanks,
Kim Ima (the Treats Truck lady)

This is especially sad because the Treats Truck was the very first “gourmet” food truck that I remember writing about on Midtown Lunch. And Kim did it the right way, making friends with the surrounding food carts, local businesses and beat cops, and building up her two Midtown spots over the course of months and years. And as much as we love the new trucks that have hit the scene over the past year, it’s not right that Kim should have to lose what she has spent years building up because of others. We’ve been predicting this for years but it looks like it is finally coming to a head. The current way of doing things is unsustainable.

In the meantime, while we hope for a solution that will allow the Treats Truck to come back to Midtown, they will still be doing deliveries in the area. So if you can manage to get a bunch of friends or co-workers to come together on a big order, you can get your Treats Truck on in Midtown.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! Timing for the eating o’ the green treats. If you’re courageous enough to brave the emerald clad revelers, there are some St. Patty’s Day treats awaiting you at Treats Truck including: cupcakes, crispy treats, and four leaf clover sugar cookies. And Robicellis is now delivering to Joe the Art of Coffee in Grand Central on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so Joe should have a selection of their holiday cupcakes: Irish Soda Bread (with a clotted cream buttercream & Drambuie soaked raisins), Irish Coffee (Bailey’s-espresso cake & buttercream, ganache, crushed white chocolate) and the Car Bomb (Chocolate Guinness stout cake, Bailey’s buttercream, Jameson whiskey ganache). Lily O’Brien’s will be getting a delivery of these flavors tomorrow for those of you still celebrating on Friday (or needing something to get over your hangover).

Also Shake Shack is serving up Mint Chocolate Chip Custard, and if you tell your server “Get Lucky” at The Counter in Times Square they’ll give you a green beer or green shake for just $3. “Like” The Counter on Facebook and show it to them (on your phone or a printout) they’ll give you the shake for free.

For those of you who forgot that today is Valentine’s Day, you can still save your you know what with some treats for your lady. Lily O’Brien’s (on 40th btw. 5+6th) will be getting their Monday delivery of Robicelli’s with special Valentine’s flavors:

• The L’Amour: Chocolate Chambord cake, Chambord & raspberry buttercream, chocolate shavings, wildberry drizzle
• Strawberry Champagne: Champagne cake, strawberry champagne buttercream, strawberry reduction, edible gold dust
• Dark Chocolate Dulce: Dark chocolate cake, dulce de leche buttercream, dark chocolate drizzle, Maldon flake sea salt (seen above)
• The Eve: Walnut cake, pomegranate cheesecake buttercream, roasted walnuts glazed in pomegranate molasses.

Additionally Treats Truck will be making a special Monday appearance in midtown on 45th & 6th Av from 12:30-3pm with heart shaped sugar cookies, chocolate heart cookies and raspberry linzer heart cookies. Keep track of the Treats Truck’s location on the ML Twitter Tracker or via Twitter.

Lily O’Brien’s (40th btw 5+6th), 212-575-0631