Owensboro’s Food Truck Scene Welcomes Black Flame Cartel Hot Dog Cart

Nikki Basham knows a thing or two about food trucks. Her parents have owned the popular Frogtown Foods truck here in Owensboro for three years. Many local food truck fans were introduced to the deliciousness of that truck earlier this year during Owensboro Burger Week. That's when Frogtown Foods rolled out the popular Bourbon Bullfrog Burger, with caramelized grilled onions, melted smoked Gouda, house-made smashburger sauce, sweet onion sauce, and bourbon bacon jam.

READ MORE: Meet the Burgers: See Photos of the 2025 Owensboro Burger Week $8 Burgers

Nikki says, "I have always wanted to have my own food truck or hotdog cart, especially after working with my parents."

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Nikki and her parents (Kristie and Jim Miller) are a part of Vendors United, which is a group of food truck vendors from the U.S. and Canada. They routinely conference for meetings and share success stories, failures, recipes, ideas, and more. That group recently had a 4th of July drawing for a hot dog cart and Nikki ended up being the lucky winner. So, the realization of the dream to open her own cart literally just fell into her lap. Or, should we say 'buns'?

Nikki's brand new hot dog cart, the Black Flame Cartel, will make its official debut on Friday, August 8th at Street Eats on Parrish Avenue. If you're unfamiliar, Street Eats is across the street from Owensboro Catholic High School and routinely features a variety of food trucks gathered together and serving in one place.

Next week, Nikki's cart becomes the proverbial new kid on the block. She'll be serving from 5:30pm to 8. Nikki's excited about the launch and is encouraging local hot dog fans to check out Black Flame Cartel. She promises a few toppings that will 'steal the show.' She says you're gonna have to try the bacon jam and sautéed onions. Plus, she fully expects customers to flip out over the Mac Daddy Dog, which features macaroni and cheese.

And here's something else to be on the lookout for. Nikki says keep your eyes (and taste buds) peeled for exotic sausages.