Deborah Carson, on her venerable food truck Magic Carpet Foods

Before new-wave food trucks were hawking mac-and-cheese 10 different ways, burgers with pork belly, and cupcakes with Earl Grey buttercream, there was Magic Carpet Foods, one of Philly's original food trucks.

Serving vegetarian eats with global influences and memorable monikers, Magic Carpet Foods quickly attracted a following when it opened on the University of Pennsylvania campus in 1984. Several trucks and Magic Meatballs later, Deborah Carson and her husband, Dean Varvoutis, have seen undergrads go on to finish doctorates, marry, and have children who enroll and come back. As Magic Carpet marks its 30th year, Carson chatted about the life in quilted steel.

How did you get started in the food truck?

Dean has always been an awesome cook, but he didn't actually want to go into the restaurant business. This way, he could cook for people but keep better hours. He started out with a single cart but then, over time, we graduated to two.

Why did Magic Carpet choose vegetarian/vegan cuisine? It wasn't exactly popular back in the 1980s.

There just weren't that many vegetarian options and we wanted to offer healthy, wholesome food. We never thought of it as anything but good - our vegetarian chili is just straight-up delicious chili, period. We don't cater to a select group. Most of our customers were not vegetarian back then, and that's still the case.

How has vegetarian food changed?

People didn't even know what hummus was and now there are 15 varieties in every store. There's definitely less stigma now and vegetarian food has come a long way.

But we haven't changed the menu at all other than we've taken out the nuts and we're more conscious of gluten allergies. You can tell we haven't changed because we still have the "Smurf 'n' Turf" - Smurfs were pretty big back in 1984.

What do you think about the new crop of food trucks in Philly?

Honestly, I don't live in the city so I don't go to the trucks to eat. I do know some of the guys through the Philadelphia Mobile Food Association and they're really great.

I'm amazed by all the events and opportunities food trucks have now, and I wish we'd had that when we were younger. We're 55 and we can't exactly hang out until 2 in the morning. But I think it's neat that there's this whole scene now.

Have the standards risen since food trucks have become so popular?

I do think there's a level of expectation. People seem to want more. And there's something to be said for being able to watch people prepare your food as opposed to eating something from a kitchen where you have no idea what's going on. What do you think about the use of technology for food trucks?

Every year a Wharton student designs an app and wants us to participate. We just don't have down time to put together orders. We pretty much serve lunch, clean up, and call it a day.

Does it ever get competitive or territorial?

Only when the laws get changed and vendors are pushed out of Center City.

It's not so much a matter of competitiveness as it is of business - you want there to be a high level of quality food, you want attractive trucks, you don't want there to be five carts selling the same thing on the same block. Yes, you could probably buy cheaper falafel than ours, but it won't be as good.

Do you have favorite moments from the truck?

I love seeing women who are pregnant come back with their kids - we call them "magic babies." I was pregnant with my own son and working in the truck. He's now 24 years old.

All kinds of people have met in line and gotten married over the years.

And I love a day when it's 65 degrees and sunny. Everybody's in a good mood.

What's the next chapter?

We're getting older and we're looking into maybe putting our food in retail stores, or possibly kiosks in a food court. Maybe something down the Shore. . . . We have a lot of options. We just want to figure out the right direction.

Has the longevity of the business surprised you? Was it kismet that you were in the right place at the right time?

I am most definitely surprised by it. We never intended to be doing this for this long. But we have loyal wonderful customers who come out in the snow and rain for us.

We worked very hard to get here and maintain our reputation. There was no kismet. It was hard work.