Food Truck Owner Launches Brighton Street Food Rally and Market

Brighton will soon be home to a new food truck project. Beginning in March, Street Cart Eats will host at least thirteen food trucks, three non-food vendors, a taproom, a mini-market and live music at 19 South Third Avenue. “We want to showcase different world cuisines that bring a variety of options for locals and traveling food enthusiasts that you can't find any other place,” says Jason Powers, the project's founder.

He’s run World Taco Fusion (WTF) food trucks in Austin and Denver since 2015, but instead of expanding to a brick-and-mortar, Powers wanted to go even bigger — to challenge himself, provide variety for customers, and tap into the creativity that comes from working with such a diverse range of businesses.

“I just don’t like the normal stuff — burgers or pizza,” Powers explains. In his early twenties, he was exposed to world cuisines during travel to countries such as Jamaica and Haiti and visits to his wife’s family in India and Dubai. On every trip, he relished exploring street markets, grazing among vendors, sampling all the flavors and variety he could.

Street Cart Eats is meant to bring a bit of that adventure to Brighton, especially now, when pandemic restrictions make international travel difficult. Customers will be able to sample Filipino food from Orange Crunch and sushi from the Sushi Con. The Snowy Churro will serve a combination of churros and ice cream, while Mountain Pie Company will dish out New Zealand-style meat pies. There will also be rotating trucks such as OG Burgers, Reggae Pot, Billy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs, Laziz Ya Lebanese, Moontime Crepes, the Dapper Doughnut, Nel's BBQ & More, Barbed Wire Reef, Pho King Rapidos and Big Stuff Food Truck.

Powers spent the past five months creating Street Cart Eats out of a vacant office space. He's done all the work himself except the plumbing and electricity — even the murals of mountains, the Beatles and a man holding a moon filled with food. The 8,000-square-foot space will allow vendors to set up shop indoors and out; Powers hopes to create a food-hall atmosphere similar to that of Avanti Food & Beverage or Stanley Marketplace.

Inside, he will set up his own World Taco Fusion kitchen serving the food truck's menu of tacos filled with the flavors of Greek gyros, Cajun cooking and Korean barbecue. The kitchen will sit next to a bar that will serve beer and wine on tap.

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After five months of work, Powers is putting on the finishing touches so that Street Cart Eats can have its soft opening by March 1.

Claire Duncombe

A stage for musicians will also be sandwiched between the bar and the kitchen, adding to the artsy ambience that Powers is hoping to create. His business partner, Christopher Banks, helps run Mile High Festivals and Denver’s annual Juneteeth celebration, and will serve as the booking agent to keep a rotating roster of musical genres — including a good dose of jazz.

Powers hopes that Street Cart Eats will provide a permanent home for some of the food trucks that sign on, while others will have a choice to include the location in their rotation. The venue could also serve as a testing ground for truck owners who want to run their own space but aren’t ready to take the leap to their own restaurant. “If everyone comes together, it’s more doable,” he says.

The space will also have a small food market that will sell international groceries and snacks that aren’t found in typical grocery stores. Products will include Coca-Cola varieties popular in Japan and Korea, such as clear and apple; fun breakfast foods like Cap'n Crunch's Berrytastic pancake mix and Ocean Blue maple syrup; and snacks like roasted corn and barbecue-flavored Cheetos.

Powers expects to hold a soft opening of Street Cart Eats on March 1, with a grand opening soon to follow. Follow the Street Cart Eats website for details.