Introducing Curbside Cuisine: Colorado Springs Premier Food Truck Park

Press Release Curbside Cuisine 4/22/2013

The Food Trucks are Coming! The Food Trucks are Coming

Great news! Curbside Cuisine, Colorado Spring’s own food truck mall is ready to fly! We have found a terrific downtown location next to the Downtown YMCA at the corner of Nevada and Platte across from Palmer High School and Acacia Park at 225 North Nevada Avenue. Where once there was a gas station and car repair service, you will soon find Curbside Cuisine. The property is owned by the YMCA who is one of our key partners in this venture. General Palmer and his horse oversee a very busy intersection that is perfect. Opening Day is projected for May 15! We are hoping you will be part of this exciting, new project which is a clear signal of change for downtown Colorado Springs.

Spend a few minutes in the space and you will be amazed at the number of pedestrians who are in the immediate area — students and staff from Palmer High School, YMCA members before and after a workout, downtown residents who cross through Acacia Park on their way to an appointment, office workers escaping from their offices at lunch time, bike riders with children in tow. Add to that easy parking for the high volume of vehicles on Nevada and Platte who will turn in and find super easy parking.

The transformation from a broken down corner in our downtown to a bustling, vibrant happening will be fast and wonderfully exciting. There is a lot to do and we are ready to start. Here is the plan:

• First we are going to transform what has become an eyesore… power wash the building, repair the canopies, hang banners from the existing sign posts, and add paint… lots of paint! Remember the transformation for Better Block? Using the Better Block model, we are lining up a ton of volunteers to help with a warp speed cleanup, add greenery in the big horse troughs, add chalkboard art, and painted tires to completely change the space.
• Imagine 6-8 food trucks or trailers setup facing Nevada Avenue with a line of folks waiting to place orders, the menu signs out front, diners sitting under the canopies or walking across the street to the park to eat at one of the unique street food choices, and you are part of a new downtown experience. Make plans to join us as we help transform downtown Colorado Springs.
• No more need to drive around to find your favorite food truck. Here they are all in one place ready to tempt you with breakfast crepes, barbeque smoked wings, wood-fired pizza, organic juices, Korean kimchi tacos, poor boys, gumbo, mini bundt cakes and desserts.

Curbside Cuisine’s primary goal is to provide a food truck pod in downtown Colorado Springs which will give unique street food options. Curbside Cuisine is a semi-permanent installation that will enhance the walkable environment and provide outdoor dining in an under-utilized space in the center of our downtown area. With the launch of Curbside Cuisine, Colorado Springs will join the highly successful models of Portland, Austin, San Francisco, and Denver who have helped launch culinary entrepreneurs while creating 15%+ gains in pedestrian traffic for nearby businesses.

The local concept is the brainchild of a group of downtown advocates who are excited to be doing something to enhance our community. As an Organizing Team, we have resisted the urge to overcomplicate the initial steps leading to startup, but rather have chosen to act. We found in the Colorado Springs Urban Intervention (CSUI) at the Pikes Peak Community Foundation a group of like-minded folks willing to serve as our not-for-profit organizational structure. The Organizing Team serves as an intermediary between the independent food truck vendors and CSUI.

Curbside Cuisine will contract with food truck owners for space on a month-to-month basis who are selected on their unique, freshly created, healthy food offerings sold in price range from $ 5.00-$8.00. The selection criteria will include the décor of the truck/trailer, the uniqueness of the menu, and the quality of the products. Hours of operation are 6:30am to 8:00pm, seven days a week. To maximize offerings during the high demand lunch hour and cover the breakfast and evening openings, vendors will be able to select either a morning/lunch or a lunch/evening schedule. Trucks/Trailers will remain on-site for the length of the contract with overnight security provided. The large amount of real estate at 225 North Nevada allows for future expansion to include up to 15 food trucks and 2-3 related businesses to occupy the existing structure. We are committed to operating Curbside Cuisine with a goal of zero waste and encouraging vendors to use local food suppliers where possible.

We are looking for volunteers and a few unique additions to our food truck options. Interested?

Contact: Sandra Vanderstoep 719-330-8979 sandy@curbsidecuisinecs.com

Website: CurbsideCuisineCS.com

Facebook: facebook.com/curbsidecuisinecs