The backers of 9 Mile Garden in Affton are building a second food truck garden and entertainment venue, this time in St. Charles County.
Construction is underway on Frankie Martin’s Garden at 5372 St. Charles St. in Cottleville, a 2.74-acre site that developers say will share 9 Mile Garden’s family friendly atmosphere, but also have new features that expand on the offerings at the original $4.5 million food truck garden location. That opened in 2020 at 9375 Gravois Road in Affton and has become a hub of community activity in south St. Louis County.
The St. Charles County food truck plaza will open in the spring with sprawling pavilions, a live music stage, pickleball courts, a 26-foot
LED wall, food truck staging, a large beer pavilion and a whiskey and wine bar to be located in the former home of a late Frank Martin, according to a news release.
Co-owners of the project include Larry Chapman of Seneca Commercial Real Estate and Brian Hardesty, managing partner of the food truck gardens, along with Jeff and David Kolb of Kolb Grading LLC, Tom Mohan of Chapman Ventures LLC and Michael and Kate Reiter from ottleville Ventures LLC.
Development costs for the project were not disclosed.
The 130-year-old main house that once belonged to Martin will be turned into a whiskey and wine bar with 770 square feet of bar space. The menu will feature a selection of more than 230 whiskeys from around the world and a large portfolio of fine wine, according to the release. Guests will be able to purchase a glass or a bottle of wine and take it outside.
The gathering area will feature a 2,400-square-foot open air beer pavilion featuring craft breweries that could be used for gatherings, with pergolas and pavilions dispersed throughout, developers said. The area will also have shaded picnic tables and fire pits.
The Cottleville food truck garden will be open seven days a week with food trucks offering regular lunch and dinner service and Sunday brunch. Like 9 Mile Garden, the garden will host a variety of free events, with weekly occurring events and live music to be announced in the spring.
“Working with my partners to create another Food Truck Garden in Missouri has been an exciting experience and I can’t wait to open the doors and serve the community,” said Brian Hardesty, restaurateur and managing partner of Frankie Martin’s Garden. “The chance to bring the people of the area together everyday, to celebrate, eat delicious food, and create memories is what the Food Truck Garden experience is all about.”
The food truck lineup for the new food truck garden includes Angie Burger, Aristocrab Company, Beast Craft BBQ, Cluck Oink Moo, The Crooked Boot, Daddy O’s Cheese Steaks, Doggie Mac’s, Homestyle Grill, Lion’s Choice, Mother’s on Wheels, Moving Munchies, Scoops & More, SNS Goodies, Soul Burger, Supersmokers, The Sweet Side, This N’ That Eatery, Truck Norris, Ukraft, Wayno’s, Wok N’ Roll,Zacchi and Zia’s, with others to be announced.
