ROCKPORT — What does the fox say? It says: “I’m hungry.” The Midcoast just gained a new gourmet food truck with the launch of Fox on the Run, owned by Lauren Jellison and assisted by her partner, Kevin Allen.

The bright red truck with the sprinting fox logo will be easy to find once Jellison finds the ideal spot. She’s kicking off her soft launch in May in downtown Belfast, then moving to Rockport Marine Harbor for the summer. On weekend nights, she’s working on securing a late night position in the Rockland bar district.

“We’re looking to be available after the restaurants are closed, because there’s really no place to get food from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.,” she said

Jellison said she plans to offer healthy, fresh and well-crafted food made from locally sourced ingredients.  “A lot of the flavors I enjoy eating and cooking are inspired by Asian and Hispanic flavors,” Jellison said. The menu will include salads, soups, chili, flank steak and fish tacos, pork ribs, bahn mi sandwiches, noodle bowls, curry dishes, breakfast sandwiches, and even mango and espresso sugar-free snow cones. “Healthy stuff that we can grab and go,” she said.

Jellison purchased the truck from a man from Warren who formerly used it for selling sandwiches on the side of the Route 90. She had it repainted red with the new name and logo. Inside, she took out the electric stove and replaced it with propane. The interior has a 50-gallon water tank with a sink, a prep station with steaming tables and two refrigerators.

“We always liked the song ‘Fox On The Run,’ from the band Sweet, and we just thought the name fit the food truck concept pretty well,” said Allen.

“This is a new venture for me,” said Jellison. “I’ve been working in Maine restaurants for years and always wanted to do my own thing. It just really fell into place once we found the truck.”

Both Allen and Jellison are originally from Maine. Jellison has a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Maine for studio art, as well as an associate’s culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University. She started working in the food industry when she was 19 and has worked at Primo Restaurant, Flatbread Pizza and Francine Bistro.

While preparing for the launch she’s been spending her time crafting recipes and experimenting with flavors, something Allen has enjoyed. “I’ve gained 10 pounds since we got the truck,” he said, laughing.

”I’m excited to get up first thing in the morning, drink coffee and fire up the smoker,” Jellison said. “For me, I’m used to that schedule of being in restaurants, working late and being a zombie all day. This allows me to re-arrange my schedule.”

She’s coordinating with Beth’s Farm Market, Jess’s Market and other local farmer’s markets to secure the produce, seafood and meats for the menu and has a friend who is raising two pigs for the business, so that in November, she can offer her own bacon, sausages and pork belly sandwiches.

The tentative schedule will offer breakfast and lunches in Belfast throughout May. “We’ll do breakfast sandwiches and Huevos rancheros to start and kind of test the waters there,” she said. When they move to Rockport, the hours will be Monday through Friday for lunches. Stay up-to-date on where Fox on the Run will be this spring and summer by visiting their Facebook page.

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Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com