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Andrew and Lee Judge are pictured in front of their cupcake food truck, Sugar Belle. (Matt Wake | mwake@al.com)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Something sweet will roll into downtown Huntsville at noon on Friday.

Sugar Belle, which launched in early February 2013 as Huntsville's first mobile cupcake truck, has leased an undeveloped gravel lot on 225 Holmes Ave. N.E., across from the old Times building and Below the Radar Brewing Company.

Andrew Judge, who operates the food truck with his wife, Lee, said Sugar Belle's initial operating hours at the new location will be noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The first 50 visitors to the food truck Friday will receive a free cupcake.

"We had been thinking for a while that we'd like to find one regular location, and we worked with Chad (Emerson, CEO of Downtown Huntsville, Inc.) before on the street food events this summer and figured he'd have some ideas," Judge said.

The lot, which is owned by Chapman Sisson Architects, was previously used as an extra parking area for Below the Radar customers, Judge said.

Since the Huntsville City Council voted to amend a zoning ordinance last month to allow food trucks in most commercial areas throughout the city, including downtown, John Hunt Park and Jetplex Industrial Park near the Huntsville International Airport, Judge said it was a natural fit for Sugar Belle to locate a spot where cupcake lovers can always find them.

"Being mobile is fun, but a lot of Huntsville is still slow to getting the food truck idea," he said. "It also makes pick-ups for custom orders a lot easier for customers. They don't have to track us down now."

Judge said Sugar Belle's goal was to be more centrally located and give their food truck -- a 28-year-old former Army vehicle -- a break from the constant driving.

The Judges plan to use the Holmes Avenue parking lot as a permanent home base and pick up a second truck in a few months. Eventually, they will hire additional staff to help run the burgeoning young business.

"We've made the mistake before overbooking on private events," Judge said. "It's difficult to cover all of them with two people and one truck. Truck No. 2 also lets us continue showing love to cupcake-hungry folks in Madison and elsewhere."

Emerson, who worked with Sugar Belle to locate the property, said the food truck's move fills a gap in downtown Huntsville.

He added that Sugar Belle's move and the passage of the ordinance governing food trucks allows more flexibility for similar projects in the downtown area.

"I think it shows an increasing number of businesses are realizing that downtown is a great location," he said. "I think it will likely bring visitors to downtown who are already a fan of the cupcake truck."

The couple, who each maintained day jobs when they opened Sugar Belle last year, are now fully dedicated to the business. "This is a full-time operation for us now," Judge said.

Judge said cupcakes and food trucks are delicate trends, but he and his wife have bigger plans beyond the cupcake truck. The couple is tight lipped at the moment on what that means for the future of Sugar Belle.

"We've grown and learned a lot," he said. "It's funny thinking a year ago how excited we were to sell just a few dozen cupcakes a day."

Send Lucy Berry an email at lberry@al.com.