WILMINGTON — After a year-and-a-half of planning and construction, Wilmington’s first food truck park is debuting to the public Friday. While it will feature a multitude of flavors, one food truck in particular is new to the dining scene.
READ MORE: Wilmington’s first food truck park eyes spring opening on Fourth Street
General contractor Zeke Nathans and Tap Tea Bar owner Dynh Le will open Chow Town from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Aug. 8. It’s located at 1101 N. Fourth Street in the Brooklyn Arts District, behind The Jelly Cabinet Bakery.
The half-acre, triangle-shaped property consists of colorful stacked shipping containers, which will house restrooms, a bar selling beer, wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a merchandise hub, operated by Chow Town. Six bays will welcome varied food trucks parked daily, with 22-foot-tall structures outfitted with awnings over picnic tables for folks to gather and grub.
Local art peppers the vibrant space, with metal creations including signage and even a tin man of sorts, created by Doug Campbell — “a family friend,” Nathans said.
“It’s been quite a process,” Nathans added about opening the outdoor food plaza, noting permit delays.
But with the soft opening behind them and the new official launch date in place, a multitude of flavors will welcome visitors for the grand opening. Le’s Tap Tea Bar will have grab-and-go’s available, plus there will be snacks for sale from area vendors. The food trucks this Friday include Rude Bwoys Jerk BBQ, Razzle Dazzle Italian Ice, Big Ralph’s Rolling Bistro, Mommiez and the newly launched Gusto Peruano.
The brand new truck will roll out for the first time Friday, from area chef Mauricio Huarcaya and his brother, Renato. The focus of the cuisine is on their Peruvian roots, with a small menu featuring traditional flavors. Included will be lomo saltado, a Peruvian version of beef stir fry (Peruvian food is inspired by Japanese cuisine), and causa limeña, an item well known in Peru’s capital city of Lima. It consists of layered potatoes, creamy chicken and egg, topped off with olives, tomatoes, avocado, and crispy sweet potato.
There also will be daily specials featuring local ingredients from area farmers. On Friday, Huarcaya said it will include a vegetarian rice dish highlighting mushrooms.
Huarcaya has been creating his Peruvian cuisine at End of Days Concept Kitchen in the last two years and has embarked on caterings, pop-ups and other events at farmers’ markets, Cape Fear Food and Wine Club and more. He said opening the food truck is a passion project, with the goal of eventually owning a Peruvian cafe.
“We wanted to open something small first,” Huarcaya said. “It’s hard right now, to buy something as big as what we’re dreaming, so we decided to go with a food truck.”
Huarcaya has worked on the local culinary scene for years, last as a chef at the vegan fine-dining restaurant, The Green House. He moved from Peru to North Carolina as a child and ended up studying culinary arts at Charlotte’s Central Piedmont Community College. He has worked at Asbury Hotel in uptown Charlotte, Charleston’s famed FIG kitchen — a James Beard Foundation winner — and The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island.
He also competed statewide as part of the N.C. Restaurant & Lodging Association annual Chef Showdown, winning the People’s Choice award in 2024. Huarcaya was preparing for the 2025 finals on Monday in Durham as well, in addition to launching his first business this week.
By the end of the night, he was crowned the competition’s Chef of the Year and won the People’s Choice Award for his pork and beef skewers. A similar item, anticuchos, will be on his food truck’s menu.
Huarcaya said it was kismet that the launch of Gusto lined up with the opening of Chow Town.
“We just got our inspection approved two weeks ago,” he said, noting the goal was to open the food truck quickly with their summer menu and catch the end-of-season tourist crowds. Gusto Peruano’s menu will switch seasonally.
“And I think Chow Town is a great concept for food truck owners to showcase what we do best, and in a spot where traffic and people will always be there,” Huarcaya said.
Le and Nathans said they are still working out the schedule for the coming weeks of trucks setting up at Chow Town. Their research in opening the business found more than 100 in the area, not including out-of-town trucks that may also set up in the park. The rotating schedule — with the goal to keep the food and drinks varied each day — will be updated on Chow Town’s by Friday.
“That’s what we’re doing this week: getting the calendar up and going,” Nathans said. “There’s tons of food trucks and mobile businesses that are looking to be out there.”
Nathans and Le told Port City Daily earlier this year the goal of Chow Town, aside from offering something new to the dining public, was to also support budding businesses.
“It really is about the entrepreneurial spirit,” Le said, “maybe for people who don’t have the funds to start a big operation.”
Chow Town’s grand opening also will include DJ Rizzy Beats spinning tunes Friday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and games are set up for people to play, including cornhole.
The food truck park will open for lunch and dinner daily.
[Ed. note: The pieces was updated after press to reflect Huarcaya’s win at the statewide competition on Monday.]
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