ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Dozens of food trucks operate within St. Louis and a local developer is trying to create a central place for them to sell food in the Grove.
Bill and Jamie Cawthon own Frankly Artisan Sausages.
"We're almost at our one-year mark," Bill Cawthon said.
They operate their food truck in different areas throughout the city but they want to transform a 4.5 acre lot on South Vandeventer into a food truck park to give themselves and other vendors a new place to sell.
"There is endless opportunity here," Jamie Cawthon said. "It won’t be the only place that you'll find us, it will just be another place that you'll find us."
The couple partnered with Paramount Property Development, the owners of the lot and the vacant buildings on it.
"We had the concept and they had the space," Jamie Cawthon said.
They say it's a special space because they'll be able to create a shared kitchen for the trucks known as a commissary.
"You can't operate a food truck without a commissary," Bill Cawthon said. "This is going to allow us and other trucks to be able to heighten what you're doing on your truck."
The Cawthons say the trucks allowed on the lot will be carefully selected.
"All the food trucks are going to be excellent trucks that they make their food, that it's seasonally influenced, local products when possible," Jill Cawthon said.
She says all about growth to the local food truck business and to the Grove.
"We're looking at building some cool pavilions where you can come and watch games," she said. "We want a place where our kids can play and everyone can enjoy so that's kind of the vision for this space."
They plan to test their park plan by hosting a food truck pop-up event at the site this fall. The developers say the next step is to present an environmental clean-up plan to the Department of Natural Resources.
