Mac Attack: Mac N Cheese Rebel Arrives at Sequoyah High School

Image courtesy of Mac N Cheese Rebel

Sequoyah recently welcomed a new addition to its lunchtime routine, causing competition for the beloved Student Store Committee, who usually sustains the student body with their large selection of differently flavored Pringles. Starting in mid-February, local business Mac N’ Cheese Rebel, run by Alfredo Gonzalez, has (literally) parked itself outside the school to serve eager students burgers, burritos, fries, and of course, their eponymous mac ‘n’ cheese. The Barefoot Times and its large contingent of hungry journalists are here to give you a behind-the-scenes look at this food truck business.

Alfredo Gonzalez started Mac N’ Cheese Rebel in 2017 to support his family after the birth of his first child. A traveling musician for much of his life, Gonzalez decided to switch gears and launch the food truck. 

Initially hesitant about the potential cost of operating the Mac N Cheese Rebel truck, recently Gonzalez found himself delighted by the Sequoyah community’s obvious enthusiasm for a hot lunch, which was overwhelming at first. “We didn't know exactly what we were doing,” he admitted, “because the challenge is to feed everybody something good in an hour, which is very difficult. But we've gotten the hang of it.” Gonzalez, appreciated by Sequoyah students and faculty, returns that admiration. He told The Barefoot Times: “The kids are super happy. And if a kid is short a couple of bucks… somebody will even buy their lunch… it's really cool to see.” In terms of future plans, Gonzalez and Mac N’ Cheese Rebel will continue to occupy the Sequoyah parking lot on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additionally, Gonzalez hopes to eventually create a network of local food trucks to develop a multi-cuisine lunch program. For now, though, Gonzalez recommends Mac N’ Cheese Rebel’s fish tacos, which they’re hoping to offer as a special in coming weeks. 

The other main facilitator of these culinary connections is Colleen Thaxton, Sequoyah’s administrative assistant. According to Thaxton, the food truck program was suggested in late 2023 by parents passionate about creating more options for kids at lunchtime; the rollout of Mac N’ Cheese Rebel began shortly afterwards. Thaxton and high school director Marc Alongi decided to, according to Thaxton, “do just one test day with the Mac N’ Cheese Rebel truck. There was a huge line, which was so awesome, and also really great for small local businesses to have a really great day of sales.” Thaxton’s praise of the food truck isn’t simply theoretical: she herself tried the vegan cheeseburger during the first week and was surprised with its quality. “The burger did not taste vegan. I asked, ‘Are you sure this is the vegan one?’ And he [Gonzalez] was, like, ‘Yeah.’ [It was] really good.” Thaxton encourages students to come to her with suggestions for other lunchtime treats or ideas for student-benefitting programs at large. (Select members of The Barefoot Times would like a food truck that only serves dessert, but it remains to be seen if their requests will be fulfilled.)

Finally, The Barefoot Times spoke with one of the main beneficiaries of Mac N’ Cheese Rebel’s lunchtime selection: an actual Sequoyah student. Harper Gowen ’26 is a self-proclaimed food lover who ordered from Mac N’ Cheese Rebel on multiple occasions, including a burger, a burrito, and of course, the mac ‘n’ cheese–their favorite. Gowen called the mac ‘n’ cheese “nice and filling” and the burrito “quick and easy,” though they wished for a bit more spice in their food. They weren’t a fan of the hamburger but plans to continue purchasing food from the truck, saying that “something about having a hot meal at school is really nice.” True to Gowen’s statement, heating up your food at Sequoyah is often a Herculean effort, due to the school’s microwaves often being encrusted with shreds of burnt popcorn, much to the chagrin of hangry high schoolers. And Gowen additionally told me, “It's kind of cool to smell all the food that's coming from the food truck wafting an aroma of cheese on campus.” 

There are many food-based traditions at Sequoyah: seniors brunches, celebratory potlucks, and Marc’s Talking Leaf waffles (again, take a look at Rachel Youngstrom’s extremely thorough explanation of this unique Sequoyah phenomenon). Perhaps Mac N’ Cheese Rebel and other future food trucks will soon be integrated into the school’s culinary lore. The Sequoyah community seems to be all for it.