Every other Friday for This Is Nashville, I hop out of my host chair and into the passenger seat to ride shotgun with one of our fellow Middle Tennesseans. It’s summer, so what better time to take a ride with the ice cream man?
Ice cream trucks are awesome. Hearing that classic music a few blocks away can cause a frenzy among the neighborhood kids. For adults, it calls to mind nostalgic moments from their youth, when life felt much simpler. It’s easy to see why ice cream trucks are so beloved. In Mario Ridley’s case, the ice cream truck changed his life.
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Mario grew up on the streets of Nashville and, he says, he found himself in trouble.
“I used to be wild. I used to rip and run the streets, in and out of jail,” he says, as he drives his ice cream truck down Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch.
Some years back, over a haircut, his barber, who also drove an ice cream truck on the side, made him an offer.
“He’s like, ‘I’ve got this ice cream truck sitting outside. Look man, I’ll give you an opportunity,'” Mario remembers.
His friend told him to take the truck out for a week, and see what he thought. He wanted $500 for it, and said if you make that, and want to keep it, go for it. If you don’t, no problem.
Needless to say, Mario made more than $500 that week. He also found something he loved. Since then, he’s owned more than 10 ice cream trucks.
“I’ve been rolling ever since,” he says.
Mario knows pretty much every kid by name in the neighborhoods he serves. He often looks out for those who don’t have enough money to buy their favorite flavors.
“We gonna try to spread as much love as possible,” he says. “We have 15 kids and I sold 13 popsicles, why can’t I give two more away man?”
It’s clear: Mario is a big man with an even bigger heart — hence the name, The Big Guy Ice Cream & Snack Truck.
Khalil Ekulona is the host of our daily show This Is Nashville. Email him at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @khalilekulona.
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