Colorado Springs has two barbecue food truck owners who have moved into sit-down eateries
Two barbecue food truck owners are moving up the food chain with the opening of brick-and-mortar places.The Chuckwagon 719 is the first to switch to swinging kitchen doors at 6453 Omaha Blvd. Another barbecue trailblazer is Stephen Davis Eshelman, owner of Otis’s BBQ and Fine Foods who will open his sit-down restaurant at 952 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, very soon. Two barbecue food truck owners, The Chuckwagon 719 and My Cellar wine bars in Colorado Springs, have opened their brick-and-mortar locations. The first of these businesses, Jarad Hammond, moved his family's Texas-style barbecue truck into The Sourdough Boulangerie on May 25. The Hammond family expanded their cooking equipment and expanded their smoking capabilities to meet demand. Stephen Davis Eshelman, owner of Otis’s BBQ and Fine Foods, is also set to open his sit-down restaurant in Manitou Springs soon. Eric and Sheryl Medeiros have opened My Cella wine bar at 9258 Forrest Bluffs View, sharing a parking lot with Basil & Barley Pizzeria and Einstein Bros. Bagels. The food and wine menu is small, offering a rotating selection of wines, select beers and cocktails.

Pubblicato : 10 mesi fa di Teresa Farney [email protected] in Lifestyle
Two barbecue food truck owners are moving up the food chain with the opening of brick-and-mortar places.
The Chuckwagon 719 was the first to switch. On May 25 the Hammond family moved their smoking operation into the former home of The Sourdough Boulangerie at 6453 Omaha Blvd.
“Shawn (Saunders, owner of The Sourdough Boulangerie) moved his bakery to the space next door,” said Jarad Hammond. Hammond and his family opened their native Texas-style barbecue truck in April 2023.
For Jarad Hammond, it was his first try in the food business, but not his first time wrangling a smoker.
“I started smoking ribs when I was around 16 years old,” he said during an earlier interview in 2023. At that time, he was smoking meat out of his food truck in the parking lot in front of The Sourdough Boulangerie.
In the new restaurant, Hammond, with his wife, Deidre, and their sons, Jaden and Jaxon Hammond, are continuing to produce the same juicy, fork-tender brisket and pulled pork that put them in the Springs culinary spotlight. And not surprisingly, from the line outside the door opening weekend, the Hammond familybusiness is filling the new dining space with faithful customers. In their first few days at the new space, they were selling out of their ‘cue in record times.
To meet demand for Hammond’s smoky goodness, Jarad enlarged his cooking equipment.
“We vastly expand our smoking capabilities and we now have three smokers, two 500-gallon offset smokers and a direct-heat smoker, and now we are looking into a couple larger 1,000-gallon smokers,” he said.
The Chuckwagon 719 restaurant hours are noon Thursdays through Sundays until they sell out, usually around 4 p.m. Details: 832-877-0549, facebook.com/chuckwagon719.
Another barbecue trailblazer is Stephen Davis Eshelman, owner of Otis’s BBQ and Fine Foods, who will open his sit-down restaurant at 952 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, very soon. “I’m waiting for City Hall to process my paperwork,” Eshelman said.
From the comments left on Eshelman’s social media, his eager fans are ready to get their Otis’s ‘cue fix as soon as he flips on the open sign. The eatery is named for Eshelman’s dog, Otis.
With the actual opening date pending, Eshelman is not sure of his hours of operation.
“I’m looking at 11a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays,” he said. “I’m just getting my staff organized and figuring out what will work for everyone.”
Husband and wife Eric and Sheryl Medeiros have opened My Cellar wine bar at 9258 Forrest Bluffs View. They share a parking lot with Basil & Barley Pizzeria and Einstein Bros. Bagels. The space is cozy and inviting and promises to be a popular place to meet friends and enjoy the sweeping views of the Front Range from the patio. The Medeiros are proud parents of their son, who graduated from the Air Force Academy.
“We would come and visit him when he was in school and fell in love with the Springs,” Sheryl Medeiros said. “We moved here when our son was a senior and opened our family-owned wine store.”
The food and wine menu are small, offering a rotating selection of wines, select beers and cocktails, as well as appetizers, charcuterie boards, small bites, salads, flatbreads and special entrees. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays, 9:30 a.m.-midnight Saturdays, and 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Details: 719-698-7437, facebook.com/mycellarwinebar
Married couple Amarpal and Jasdeep Mand have opened Curry Culture, 3255 E. Platte Ave. You may recall they opened another eatery, King Restaurant Indian Kitchen and Bar at 5660 Barnes Road, in late December.
The menu at Curry Culture is slightly different from the more formal King Restaurant Indian Kitchen and Bar. Regrettably for us, they will not have the amazing lamb chops we love at King Restaurant at Curry Culture, “But we will have lamb boti kebab,” Amarpal assured us. “Our big difference at the new restaurant is having a lunch buffet at Curry Culture daily.”
For the opening, the buffet was on special for $9.99, which was a deal for the massive selection of Indian delicacies that were on display. The regular price will be $17.99, which is still a bargain for the healthful food selection of chicken options, curry dishes, veggies, dals and nanna with all the sides available.
The hours are 11 a.m-2:30 p.m. for lunch and 4:30-9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays and noon-8 p.m. Sundays. Details: 719-698-9929, facebook.com/CurryCultureCos.
Welcome to Belly & Brisket Burgers, the newest addition to Avenue 19 food hall, 19 N. Tejon St. There you will find a burger heaven like none other in the downtown sector. The burgers are made from tender pork belly and Angus brisket, shaped into half-pound patties. Select from five burger options ($14-$18) with a few sides like fries, fried mushrooms and onion rings. If you like the Pueblo slopper-style burger, go for the Gringo Killer ($18). The juicy, fried piggy-belly and brisket patty gets topped with all the burger fixings and smothered in the same great green chili served at Burnt Toast. Add extra jalapeños ($2) if you like it spicier and bacon ($2) for even more yumminess.
Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Visit avenineteen.com/belly-brisket.
Two Shipley Do-Nuts shops will celebrate National Do-Nut Day on Friday . Get a free signature glazed do-ughnut with any purchase at 11010 Cross Peak View or 7955 Fountain Mesa Road, Fountain, or order online with code DONUTDAY24.
Temi: Food & Drink