Welcome to Chow Town

Chow Town, Wilmington’s first food truck park, officially opened its doors on Aug. 8, bringing to life a community-oriented concept that has been two years in the making.

The brainchild of co-founders Zeke Nathans and Dynh Le, Chow Town isn’t just a spot to grab a bite; it’s intended to be a destination to spotlight the city’s growing mobile food scene while supporting small business owners and fostering connections.

Nathans is a general contractor, and Le is an entrepreneur who got his start in the beauty business and now owns four Tap Tea Bar locations locally. They first met when Nathans did the construction for Le’s downtown Tap Tea Bar location. Their partnership grew from there, fueled by a shared vision drawn from their combined experience.

Nathans said that while working on construction projects, he and his co-workers often look for food trucks to visit on their lunch breaks.

“I feel like they care the most about their food, because most of the time the people who operate the food trucks also own the truck,” Nathans said. “So, they like to have the best food they can, right? I’ve also been to food truck parks around the country, and I just figured Wilmington is a good place to do it.”

Nathans father, Dave, owner of Urban Building Corp., owns the land upon which the park is built, and Dave Nathans has worked on several downtown projects, including the development of the Brooklyn Arts Center.

They had the land and the vision, so the next step was to convince the city to greenlight a new category of business that would allow them to move forward with the concept and construction.

“This is a whole new type of business (for the city),” Le said.

The partners were determined to work through the necessary zoning and permitting to bring Chow Town to life despite the elongated timeline. They worked with Romero Architecture to create the site plans for the park.

Located at 1101 N 4th St. in the Brooklyn Arts District, Chow Town is outfitted with multiple shaded seating areas, an astroturf lawn and shipping containers that serve as a bar, bathrooms, cold storage, office space and a future prep kitchen.
“The park allows for six trucks at a time,” Zeke Nathans said.

Food truck owners can apply for space through an online system where they submit menus, photos and a deposit to secure their spot. Once approved, they pay a 15% commission on total sales, which covers use of the space, power, water, trash services and marketing support.

That support is crucial, Zeke Nathans and Le believe, in helping local entrepreneurs thrive.

“We have a central area where they can come, for days, weeks, months at a time,” Zeke Nathans said. “And it’s not just food trucks; it’ll be for mobile businesses as well. We’ll host pop-up markets with opportunities for local artisans to sell. That’s basically the issue we’re trying to solve – giving them visibility.”

Le sees Chow Town as more than just a business; he sees it as an incubator for entrepreneurs like himself to test the market.
“Starting up a food truck means not having to take the high risk of opening a brick-and-mortar right away,” he said. “If it works out, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But at least we gave you a space to go to and do your thing.”

Some familiar trucks have already signed on: Catch the Food Truck, Rude Bwoys Jerk BBQ, Mommiez, Gustu Peruano and KT’s BBQ among them. The team plans to maintain a public calendar so guests can easily see which trucks will be on-site each day, with slots available for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Community is central to Chow Town’s mission, the owners said. Alongside food and drink, the park will regularly host live music, seasonal events, farmers markets and even wellness programming like yoga and fitness pop-ups. The Brooklyn Arts District’s proposed social district could further boost visibility and accessibility.

With room for about 100 seated guests and space for lawn chairs and blankets, Chow Town invites locals and visitors alike to grab a drink, discover something delicious and stay awhile or grab a quick bite on the way to Live Oak Bank Pavilion. And for groups having trouble deciding on where to dine, the food truck park offers multiple options all in one place.

“We’ve worked really hard for the past two years putting this together,” Zeke Nathans said. “I’m just happy to open our doors to the public and ready to share the love of what we have with everyone else.