Local chef to open food truck in North Lawrence; update on a couple of events

This 1946 Spartan trailer is being renovated to house the food operations of Dottie’s Food Truck, a new venture from Lawrence chef Zach Thompson. Thompson is seeking approval to permanently place the food truck in the parking lot of Lawrence Vintage Cycle, 912 N. Third St.

North Lawrence has been known to have loud trains, cool motorcycles, and even the occasional misguided boat. (We only were stranded on the sandbar for a week.) Soon, the neighborhood also may have a hip truck — or more accurately, a hip food truck.

Zach Thompson, the former executive chef at downtown’s popular 715 restaurant, has filed plans with City Hall to open Dottie’s Food Truck just off of North Lawrence’s main drag. Thompson is seeking approval to permanently place a food truck in the parking lot at 912 N. Third St.

As for what Dottie’s — named after the nickname of his grandmother — will serve, Thompson isn’t saying much. He said the main theme is that it will be local, it will be organic, and it will be food that people can easily eat on the go.

“It will be really well-crafted, seasonal organic food,” Thompson said. “Whatever that ends up being is what it will be. We’re going to play around with the market a little bit.”

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Thompson, who was the executive chef at 715 for a little more than two years until leaving at the end 2016, said he’ll be buying Kansas beef, Kansas pork and locally grown produce. Thompson didn’t provide many specifics about the menu, but said there certainly will be sandwiches.

“I want to do a riff on a smoked beef something,” Thompson said. “It may not be barbecue, but it will be my tip of the hat to the barbecue scene of the midwest.”

If you are having a hard time picturing where the food truck will be located, it will be in the parking lot of Lawrence Vintage Cycle, the cool place that sells old Harleys and restores them. If you still don’t know where that is at, you need to find an excuse to wear leather chaps more often. Perhaps you know where the O’Reilly Auto Parts store is located. It just a bit north and east of that building, about a block off the main drag of North Second Street.

Thompson said the owner of the property is a partner in the food truck, and that was a key consideration in the location. Thompson noted Lawrence’s strict regulations regarding food trucks. Unlike in other communities, it is difficult for a food truck operator to set up business in a public parking space or other high-traffic location in town.

But Thompson said he’s also intrigued by the North Lawrence food scene. For years there has been Johnny’s Tavern, and more recently the Levee Cafe opened. But many of the other offerings in North Lawrence are just a handful of fast food chains.

“It is almost like the Wild West out here for food, because there are not a lot of people over here doing anything,” Thompson said. (The Wild West comment confused me. Can I wear my hat and chaps now? I was led to believe that was never again a possibility.)

This 1946 Spartan trailer is being renovated to house the food operations of Dottie’s Food Truck, a new venture from Lawrence chef Zach Thompson. Thompson is seeking approval to permanently place the food truck in the parking lot of Lawrence Vintage Cycle, 912 N. Third St.

Thompson also is excited about perhaps being able to do some things out of a food truck that are difficult to do in a restaurant. While at 715 he took pride in producing not just good food but stylized food. But the equation isn’t exactly a cheap one in downtown Lawrence. He said he chose the food truck route because he doesn’t want to have to contend with the ever increasing rents that restaurant locations command in Lawrence.

“We are about eating better,” Thompson said. “The whole thing about doing this food truck is hopefully I can offer these better products at a better price. Downtown you see a lot of high price points. I don’t think it has to be that way, if you can get yourself in the right environment.”

As for a timeline, Thompson hopes the food truck will be open in April. In addition to the food truck, the site will be modified a bit to provide a small outdoor seating area. But the major part of the project is building the food truck, which technically won’t be a truck. Thompson said he already has acquired a 1946 Spartan trailer that is being renovated to house the food operations.

In other news and notes:

• Perhaps this has caused you to wonder whether the Kansas Food Truck Festival once again will be held in the Warehouse Arts District in East Lawrence. It sure appears so. The event has filed for a permit to host the event on May 6 at the Warehouse Arts District near Eighth and Pennsylvania streets. The event’s website also confirms that date. Details on what food trucks are participating in this year’s event weren’t available on the website yet.

• While we are on the subject of events, it looks like a unique one that got started last year will be back for a second time around. A permit has been filed at City Hall to allow the Kansas Relays Pole Vault Competition to be held in the parking lot of the Salty Iguana restaurant on April 20. The Salty Iguana, of course, is at Sixth and Wakarusa in west Lawrence. Organizers converted a portion of the parking lot into a pole vault pit to host world class vaulters last year.

Look for more details about the event as the date gets closer. The pole vault event is kind of a spin off from the popular Downtown Lawrence shot put competition that also is held around Kansas Relays time. That has grown into a Lawrence tradition, and I’m sure will be back too on a separate day.

photo by: Nick Krug

Spectators watch as pole vaulter Jordan Scott clears the bar during an attempt on Thursday, April 20, 2016 in the parking lot outside Salty Iguana at the corner of Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive.