5 Ohio Food Trucks for Sweets

Cleveland Cookie Dough Co.
Get a taste of nostalgia at this northeast Ohio food truck that brings the fun without the worry of raw ingredients.

Dessert resonates with all of us, from ice cream on summer evenings to a slice of apple pie on Independence Day; but the simplicity of a chocolate chip cookie has captured hearts for generations. Perhaps the only thing more desirable than the cookie itself is the uncooked dough on the kitchen counter. Vicki Kotris’ Cleveland Cookie Dough Co. helps customers indulge in the classic taste without the risk of eating uncooked flour and eggs.

“I like to keep it simple,” she says.” You’ve got your sugars, your vanilla extract … just that kind of simple, nostalgic-tasting cookie dough.”

Also the owners of Cleveland’s Remixx Ice Cream + Cereal Bar, Kotris and her husband, Steve, are no strangers to sweets. Their truck, affectionately called Chip, is instantly recognizable with its bubble gum pink exterior and splashes of bright yellow and teal. Cartoon likeness of Cleveland landmarks like the Terminal Tower and Key Tower adorn the sides as a shower of sundae sprinkles rains down over them.

Cleveland Cookie Dough Co. doles out scoops of edible cookie dough made with heat-treated flour and without eggs. This combination, also made with other natural ingredients, is what Kotris uses to craft the truck’s two edible dough bases: brown sugar and white sugar. Each is a starting point for the rest of their flavors, six of which are on the truck at any time. Year-round favorites include Birthday Sprinkle and Brownie Batter. The reigning champ, though, is the classic chocolate chip cookie.

“Our chocolate chip is our ultimate,” she says. “It was the first recipe we created. … [It] actually came from my grandma’s chocolate chip recipe.”

For those looking to sweeten the deal, Kotris suggests the Dough Dae, the truck’s take on an ice cream sundae. It’s half ice cream and half cookie dough, finished with toppings. The Kotris’ started their careers in the corporate world, but in 2018 they decided to launch their truck (Remixx came along in 2020) and haven’t looked back.

“I was always really attracted to people that made their own goods and sat in a tent for eight hours in a market and had a great time and got to share a piece of themselves with their community,” Kotris says. clecookiedough.com

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The Mobile Cone
The Cone has been an icon of West Chester since it opened in 1995, with its soft serve orange and vanilla swirl served from a roadside structure that bears its likeness. But in 2005, Keith Wren and his dad, Ken, knew their recipe could reach beyond The Cone. Pulled by a truck decorated with cows eating ice cream, The Mobile Cone ice cream trailers (two in total) appear at southwest Ohio food truck rallies as well as private events.

“It’s a secret family recipe from 50 years ago. My dad developed it, and I tweaked it,” Keith says. “I made it a little more tart and a little more robust.”

Other treats from the trailer include Buckeye Parfaits with hot fudge, house-made peanut butter sauce and Buckeye candies, as well as Strawberry Shortcake, which is a popular option when The Mobile Cone appears at county fairs. themobilecone.com

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Chilljoy

For those who can’t spring for a trip to Hawaii, a visit to this vintage green 1959 Morgan Olson step van might be the next best thing. The van — or Thelma, as it’s affectionately known — is home to Chilljoy, a Hawaiian-style shave ice vendor operating out of Gahanna. Owner Kara Pashovich purchased the van in 2022 from Chilljoy founder Stephani McIntyre.

“She’s from Columbus and was stationed in Hawaii during her service and basically fell in love with Hawaiian-style shave ice,” Pashovich says.

She added a second, bright blue van decorated with rainbows and a shave ice bowl to the operation in early summer. The most popular menu items are the Sweet Venture Bowls that combine the soft shave ice with ice cream from Johnson’s Real Ice Cream. A favorite is the Pure Aloha bowl, featuring vanilla ice cream with strawberry and mango flavored shave ice topped with popping boba, mini mochis and a snow cap (a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk).

“Our regular vacationers to Hawaii … they’ll see the machine that we have on the inside, and they’ll say, ‘Yes, that’s the one I had in Hawaii,’” Pashovich says. “It’s the exact same machine you’ll see at any shave ice shop.” chilljoyft.com

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Glaze’Em Gourmet Funnel Cakes

When Giselle McDonald got a bad funnel cake at a county fair, her husband, Rashawn McDonald Sr., decided to make his own. His creations feature unique flavors and natural ingredients and are smothered in glaze and sweet toppings like fruity cereals, Oreo crumbles and fresh fruit. He brought the concept to the Toledo food scene in 2018 in the form of Glaze’Em Gourmet Funnel Cakes.

Today, his cheery trailer, complete with cotton-candy-colored rims, can be found doling out flavors like Turtle, Strawberry Crunch and Cookies & Cream. Seasonal flavors are also part of the lineup, with spring bringing fresh lemon glazed funnel cakes and fall featuring pumpkin spice and apple cobbler variations.

“I’m trying to make sure you taste how we cook from home,” McDonald says of the recipes. “I want someone to reflect on the flavors I grew up trying and eating.”

He suggests summer customers go for the banana pudding funnel cake, made with fresh bananas, homemade banana pudding and glaze, and crunchy cookies. facebook.com/glazeem

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The Cheesecakery

Since 2016, Liz Field has been sweetening life in Cincinnati with her cheesecake cupcakes. With more than 250 flavors in her lineup, a stop at her food truck, The Cheesecakery, provides the chance to sample from the menu of four she has on any given day.

“When I started, I made anything and everything: pies, cakes, cookies, tarts,” says Field, a business major turned baker who combined her talents into one passion. “I had a new mentor and he’s like, ‘What’s your niche?’ and I was like, ‘I think I’m really good at cheesecakes.’”

Since then, Field has found success with The Cheesecakery, which not only operates a truck but also a storefront in Madisonville. Visitors to food truck festivals in the area can’t miss the truck adorned with large photos of Field’s creations. Try the bestselling Oreo Cheesecake, which is the first recipe Field perfected, or go for the Strawberry Shortcake, Caramel Fudge Ripple or Raspberry Swirl. cincycheesecakery.com