East Sherman Food Trucks breaks ground

COEUR d'ALENE — The east side of Sherman Avenue is about to become a whole lot tastier.

East Sherman Food Trucks broke ground Wednesday, bringing owners Timm King and Evan Blake one step closer to opening a new foodie hotspot in Coeur d'Alene.

The 10-truck food court is expected to be open as early as September. Applications are being accepted for businesses interested in participating.

“We’re looking for the best food trucks in this region,” King said. “We want pizza, burgers, tacos, you name it.”

King and Blake bought the 21,000-square-foot property at 2002 E. Sherman Ave. in 2021.

“When we secured this lot, originally it was going to be mixed use," King said. "We were thinking of putting in some high-end condos and we’d have a retail section down below."

The more thought went into it, the more they gravitated toward a community-friendly, food-centered project that would fill a need in that side of town.

“We love food. We’re huge foodies,” King said.

“This feels like something that will service a lot of people, and will hopefully drive a lot of interest and good kind of traffic down to Coeur d’Alene," Blake said.

Originally from Portland — a veritable metropolis of food cart offerings — the Kings came to North Idaho four years ago. In that time, they tried all kinds of local fare and realized the need for more diverse cuisine, especially in the East Sherman area that is frequented by a robust cross section of visitors, residents, businesspeople and more.

“Outside of bar food and resort food, there really wasn’t a place to take my family,” King said, adding that he has spoken with many people who bemoan the lack of food options after about 8:30 p.m.

“Having an option like this, having this availability, even for us personally with two kids, it was a huge advantage," he said.

As they began floating the concept of a food truck court in that area, Blake said people at the city of Coeur d'Alene expressed excitement for the project.

“Even in our initial meeting with the city, they were like, ‘This is a great idea,’” he said. “The goal here is to have something that people will appreciate.”

The food truck court will have 20 parking spots, picnic benches and bathrooms. It will be fenced and landscaped.

East Sherman was once hailed as the "Miracle Mile" back in the 1950s and 1960s, a vibrant and popular eastern gateway to the city. That popularity faded through the years, and the city has since kept its eyes on revitalization opportunities. 

Pop-up block parties were held before the COVID-19 pandemic to show what different East Sherman blocks could look like with life breathed back into them. An "Activate East Sherman" project that also aimed to change up the neighborhood was deactivated in 2022.

"East Sherman has always been one of those areas that's been looked at over the years for what kind of improvements could be done in that area," said Sean Holm, senior planner with the city.

East Sherman Food Trucks could be that missing puzzle piece to draw people back to the east side.

"We’re hoping that this can provide a lot of energy and synergy to East Sherman, provide the neighborhood with options to eat and that it will become an area that is frequented by visitors and locals alike," Holm said.

Tanden Launder, a generational North Idahoan who is the project manager for East Sherman Food Trucks, said the whole goal with the East Sherman corridor plan was to try to tie East Sherman back into downtown.

“Everyone wants to grab lunch, so your draw is really far-reaching with something like this," he said. “It’s a community-building project, is what it is. If it was just an apartment complex, I wouldn’t be doing it. It has a community component that’s vital to Coeur d'Alene continuing to be a community-oriented town, where people are still walking and biking and supporting local businesses.”

Email tk@shermanfoodtrucks.com or call 208-244-0095 for info and application details.

    Interstate Concrete and Asphalt equipment operator Roger Nowakowski runs a mini-excavator Wednesday morning on the site of the future East Sherman Food Trucks food court that is expected to be open in September.