Michael “Chez” Cheslock has reason to celebrate. On July 25, it marked one year since his food truck, TAPS Creamery, hit the streets. A veteran of the U.S Army, Chez experienced the ups and downs that come with starting a business. It wasn’t something he didn’t anticipate.
“There’s been a lot to learn,” Chez, who rose to the rank of staff sergeant in the Army, said. “There’s a lot of trials and tribulations. I think it’s gone quite well.”
One advantage Chez has is a type of ice cream TAPS serves. The variety is rare when it comes to food trucks in the area.
“There’s no other truck that does soft serve ice cream,” he said. “There’s a lot to it. I understand why people don’t do it.”
Nevertheless, it’s been the go-to offering.
“It sells about four to five times more than hard scoop ice cream and sundaes,” Chez said.
A valuable assistant in the process has been Chez’s wife, Aiyana.
“She was a volunteer in the trailer,” he said. “Other family members have also worked the trailer before.”
Since having a baby, Aiyana – a full-time ER nurse – hasn’t been around as much. At present, TAPS has no employees.
As mentioned earlier, customers can choose from a selection of hard scoop ice cream. All the hard scoop comes from a family-owned dairy farm – Homeland Creamery – in Julian, N.C.
“I’ve never had anything like it before,” Chez, who’s originally from Binghampton, N.Y., said.
Ironically, the Cheslocks were trying to determine where to get their hard scoop when a truck from Homeland was spotted.
“We were trying to figure out what we’d do for the hard scoop ice cream,” Chez said. “It kind of fell into our lap. They’re amazing.”
To reach patrons, TAPS travels about 90 minutes – in any direction – from the family home in Lillington.
“We move around quite a bit,” Chez said. “We’ve gone up to Raleigh. We go to Southern Pines.”
At the start, especially, there’s a mission to keep overhead low. With a year in the books, it’s likely TAPS will expand its reach.
“We have plans to move potentially farther,” Chez, the owner of a degree from Misericordia University, said.
Moving is something Chez and Aiyana are familiar with from his days in the military.
“We moved to Tennessee,” he said. “We moved out here, to North Carolina, to be closer to family.”
To celebrate completing the first year in business, though, TAPS planned a return to familiar turf, Red’s Corner, on July 26.
“The first place we ever operated was at Red’s Corner,” Chez said before the celebration took place. “We’ve got just under 50 people that we’re inviting to the private event.”
Music, by an acoustic duo, featuring Dalton Davis, was booked for the event’s last hour. Originally from Gastonia, Davis is a rising star on the country scene.
Red’s Corner is on Broad Street in Southern Pines.
Making it through a year in the food/restaurant business is no small feat. Chez reflected on what keeps TAPS rolling.
“A lot of time, money and effort went into it,” he said.
Along with its regular stops, TAPS Creamery is available for private events, school functions, church gatherings, community affairs, and special occasions.
For more information on TAPS, go to: https://tapscreamery.com.
~Written by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Dave Lukow. Dave has been honored as both a lyricist and screenwriter. Among other publications he’s contributed to are the Buffalo News, JD Journal, Beckett Hockey, Seminole Player’s Life, Poker Pro, Walmart World, and All In.
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