If you’d told Stephen and Andrea Millington when they first started out that their small food truck would feed hungry fairgoers for over 20 years and win not one, not two, but three “Best New Fair Food” awards they probably would have laughed.
Millington’s food truck, Cool Runnings Jamaican, has become one of the most beloved and well-known spots at the N.C. State Fair over the course of its nearly 25-year run.
Starting in 2000, their business originally operated out of a small plain food truck. Back in the food truck’s early days it had a steady stream of patrons, but there were never long lines of people waiting for food. In fact, it wasn’t even called Cool Runnings Jamaican. Back then it was called the Taco Tower.
Although small and not very well known, those who did know about the small food truck were passionate. After being encouraged by friends and family, the Millingtons’ went on to open a restaurant in Cary on Harrison Avenue called Cool Runnings Jamaican Cuisine . Here, they served a wide variety of Jamaican foods. Although the restaurant eventually closed in 2009, it led to the Cool Runnings Jamaican food truck we know and love today.
After renaming their food truck, the Millington’s continued to serve delicious food year after year. Despite both having full-time jobs and three kids they still made it a priority to show up for the fair every year.
The small food truck exploded in popularity in 2018 when they won Best New Fair Food for the first time. Their jerk pork wrap, served with mango salsa, lettuce and tomato, and wrapped in a flour tortilla. The buzz about the wrap brought new fans to their food, keeping the lines long and people talking.
“People would say: ‘You’ve been here how long?’ They couldn’t believe it,” Millington laughs, recounting how life changed for them as word about their food truck began to spread. Overnight they went from having no lines to 100+ person lines. Items like their jerk chicken rice bowl, jerk wings, and even a jerk chicken bao bun continued to take the fair by storm year after year, winning them two more Best New Fair Food titles as voted by the media.
Millington credits her sons with the ideas for many of their more unique products. Their jerk pork belly bao, which was one of the winners of the Best New Fair Food in 2024, was suggested by one of their children. Millington says that her boys are big foodies and help them to continue to innovate.
“We love our loyal customers. To be honest, that’s the biggest thing that brings us to the fair,” Millington said, reflecting on what keeps her coming back to the fair year after year, “We have customers that still come to us from when we opened in 2000.”
To make sure they don’t let any of those dedicated fans down, preparation for the fair has to start early on. Millington says that they typically begin preparing for the fair early. They look through their menu to decide what they’ll be serving at the State Fair first, and once they’ve finalized what dishes they’ll have they start making food orders.
Running the food truck itself is no small task either. It typically takes a rotating staff of about 8 people. While the core staff is made up of her and her family, they also have friends who volunteer to come help with the cooking for a few days of the fair each year.
It can get tricky to manage your time when you’re such a popular vendor at the fair while also having a full time job, but the Millingtons have learned how to handle it. She confesses that they spend a lot of time finishing their work during the afternoons and on weekends so that they’re able to dedicate as much time to the fair and their customers as possible.
Although she isn’t certain exactly what the future holds for the business, what she does know is that they aren’t planning on stopping anytime soon. Recently they’ve become members of the Got to Be NC family and are focusing on selling their Milly’s Seasonings and planning for their next events. With the State Fair as their main focus, they aren’t looking to expand.
When people walk up to their stand Millington hopes that they’ll take note of the sign which hangs outside of the truck. It reads “One World, One People, One Love” and is a testament to their Jamaican heritage and culture.
“God has been gracious to us,” she said, reflecting on their business over the years, “and the fair is just perfect for us at this point in our lives.” The family is looking forward to bringing us new and exciting menu items for many years to come.