'Life is food. Taste life!'

Do you smell that, Atlanta? There’s a new hot spot on Howell Mill Road near I-75, and it’ll give your taste buds a run for their money. Atlanta’s first and only Food Truck Park is open for your business seven days a week.

Set at a bustling corner of Howell Mill Village, the Atlanta Food Truck Park & Market is something that metro foodies have been craving. Trucks from Sweet Auburn Barbecue and the King of Pops have brightened weekly lunch hours at Underground Atlanta, Atlantic Station and the Woodruff Arts Center for some time. But this — an entire park — is new.

Food trucks are a culinary trend, with the earliest apparently popping up in Los Angeles in late 2008. Although urban areas were the first to hop on, food trucks are now common in such smaller cities as Green Bay, Wis., and Columbus, Ohio.

“It’s like having a miniature festival every week geared toward everyone around Atlanta,” says Michael Bowden, owner of the Metro City Dogs stand, one of about 22 vendors that pull in once, twice or several times a week.

The park is a place where you can take your grandparents, aunts, children, friends, everyone, Bowden says. People can play games, like cornhole or Frisbee, or shop for knickknacks on the side.

Those parking at any given time include Honeysuckle (Southern-inspired gelato); Nana G’s Chicken & Waffles; Yum Yum Cupcakes; Mighty Meatballs; Yumbii’s (Korean, Mexican, Southern); Tex’s Tacos; Jake’s Ice Cream; the Mobile Marlay (fish and chips); Champion Cheesesteaks; Pressed for Time Paninis; Banged Up and Mashed (British pub food); MIX’d UP (gourmet street food from around the world); Rouxd Food Truck (Jamaican and New Orleans); Blaxican (Mexican soul food); and Hail Caesar (salads inpolenta cones). Soft drinks are available, but those wanting something a bit more spirited need to know the park is BYOB.

You’ll spend anywhere from $3 for snacks and desserts to $15 for multi-item meals.

The food and the scene are both fun, but the park’s versatility steals the spotlight. Whether you stop by alone for a quick lunch break or go with your pals or parents on a Friday night, you are pretty much guaranteed to experience something new each time. During weekday lunch hours, expect three to five trucks to be parked and not much hustle and bustle. There’s a whole different vibe on Friday nights and weekends.

The scene is laid-back but populated. Soft rock ‘n’ roll shares the breeze with an assortment of provocative smells. With up to 15 trucks on-site at any one time, it’s easy to lose yourself in a haze of indecision. From Bowden’s New York-style Polish hot dogs to the spicy one-two punch of Jamaican jerk chicken and ribs from One Love Grill, it’s impossible to take in all the deliciousness at one time.

When you do choose, there’s plenty of room to sit and sate yourself. The park stretches beyond a gravel-topped area for cars to a wooden platform for live music; it is ringed by picnic tables and bright umbrellas. The multi-tiered site has a second, separate parking area accessible through Beck Street and extra lawn space that doubles as a mini-picnic area and playground.

The park, which owner Howard Hsu says will evolve over time, has an undeniable flow and plenty of barbecue, tacos and sandwiches. Hsu, who serves his Sweet Auburn Barbecue there, says he’s open to up-and-coming vendors, musicians and artists and, let’s hope, an ever-growing selection of tastes. More Asian, anyone?

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Sophia Chin is a marketing and production associate at Atlanta Metropolitan Publishing, and an occasional contributor to Encore Atlanta.