UPDATE:
Here is a full listing of the charter members for University Market:
Hot Dog Mike
Homegrown
Taqueria Samantha
Haygood Bar-b-que
Red River Catering
The Food Truck
Christians Take Out Too
Peace Hog Mobile Cafe
Papa’s Burgers and Dogs
University Market is a project initiated by Mosaic Church, which is in the process of purchasing the old K-Mart on the corner of University and Col. Glenn, according to Jennifer Harrison, a church member who is helping organize the food truck space. Hours, initially, won’t be steady. Each vendor can use the parking lot whenever it chooses, according to Harrison. Some of the owners of the trucks have day jobs and will only park in evening hours. Others will do the opposite. By March, Harrison said she hoped more trucks would join the rotation and hours would become consistent.
Mosaic plans to turn the former Kmart into a community center open to all comers, according to Harrison. The University Market is an extension of that mission, she said. “We want to offer gourmet food at affordable prices and food that’s multi-ethnic, like Mosaic.”
Harrison said current city zoning laws don’t allow large signage or outdoor seating for food trucks, but she is hoping to get an exception from the city.
Harrison’s husband is Jon Harrison, the former Caterpillar executive who recently quit Caterpillar to volunteer full time for Mosaic.
EARLIER:
Who knew? When I was in San Francisco last week, one of the wish-we-had sights I saw was a plaza near the civic center with a regular lineup of food trucks that serve weekday lunch.
Guess what? Little Rock has a food truck fair in the works. A “food truck court” set to open this week at what’s being styled the University Market at 4Corners. That’s the intersection of University Avenue and Col. Glenn. According to the Facebook page map, it will set up on the southeast corner of the intersection (by the old Cinema 150). Subsequent posts on the Facebook page indicate the trucks will be on the former Kmart parking lot on the southwest corner of the intersection.
Hot Dog Mike says the “soft opening” is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday. Mike is one of nine vendors listed on the Facebook page. I’m pleased to note that one of them is Taqueria Samantha, my go-to burrito choice that’s a staple on Geyer Springs Road.