Produce News

UNT Dallas students convert DART bus into produce market for southern Dallas

Highland Park San Antonio farmers market produce

Produce is in short supply in certain parts of Dallas.

Highland Park Neighborhood Association/Facebook

Hoping to fill a food desert of sorts in southern Dallas, students from UNT Dallas are crafting a mobile food market from which they can sell fresh produce.

The fun part: It'll be in a low-emission bus, provided by Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) that's been converted into a mobile food market. The project is funded by a $268,000 grant from Toyota.

According to a release, UNT Dallas, Toyota, and DART launched this initiative on the UNT campus in an event that included a free farmers market for community members in nearby neighborhoods.

The market is an effort to counteract the shortage of grocery stores with fresh fruits and vegetables in certain parts of southern Dallas.

The bus will sell fresh fruits and vegetables sourced from local community gardens. In addition to funding the retrofit of the bus and providing scholarships for students, Toyota is also sharing its knowledge and expertise with students to help guide the effort.

The project came about via UNT Dallas biology professor Kelly Varga, whose work in a southern Dallas neighborhood gained the attention of Toyota as it seeks to advance its own mobility strategy.

"If we can help connect the community to fresh produce and healthy food, we can help fuel a young person’s development, learning and progress toward adult success,” says Varga in a statement. "The project nurtures social mobility through wholesome meaningful education and outreach."

Dallas County is 20.6 percent food insecure, well above the national average of 14.9 percent. Food insecurity in children is a staggering 26.6 percent in Dallas County, above the national average of 22.4 percent.

"By bringing fresh, locally sourced produce directly into neighborhoods in southern Dallas, we can also spur business growth, support local gardens and uplift the community," said Al Smith, a Toyota VP. "Through projects like this we can inspire new solutions and provide hands-on learning opportunities for students."

DART is providing a compressed natural gas bus that will be converted to a mobile farmer's market; the bus is expected to launch in spring 2019.

In addition to selling fresh produce, the program will also provide education on healthy living, professional development workshops among other opportunities. Students will also get hands-on learning experience.

UNT Dallas Urban SERCH Institute and School of Business students will collaborate with the community and local farms to develop and launch the program, which is supported through scholarships from Toyota and UNT Dallas.

Students will conduct a community assessment, create a strategy to source food, plan delivery routes that minimize emissions, and develop a business plan. Students from Cedar Valley Community College’s Automotive Program will also participate in the initiative, helping to renovate and maintain the bus.

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Where to eat

Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 best new restaurants for July

Frenchie

Natalie salad at Frenchie

The July edition of Where to eat, CultureMap Dallas' monthly column of the hottest restaurants, has an exciting range of cuisines and locations: from a new bistro in McKinney to an impressive Indian restaurant in Coppell to a downtown Dallas cafe to a mom-and-pop taqueria in Oak Cliff.

Here's where to eat in Dallas right now:

Boxed and Brewed
Downtown Dallas cafe from Boxwood Hospitality features boxed lunches, breakfast sandwiches, croissants, and breakfast tacos. They do it gourmet style with offerings such as a curried veggie goat cheese wrap, Mediterranean chicken sandwich, and Greek salad. They're open in the U.S. Post Office at 400 N. Ervay St. during classic downtown worker hours: Monday-Friday for breakfast and lunch.

Centro on the Square
Italian bistro from acclaimed restaurateurs George Stergios (Knife Steakhouse Plano) and Brian Dunne (Mexican Bar Company) has made its long-awaited debut on McKinney’s downtown square in the former Harvest space (which relocated in 2023). The menu features hearty Italian-American dishes like chicken meatballs, mussels, cacio e pepe pasta, short rib ravioli, chicken marsala, soups, and salads. They also served grilled items including salmon, red fish, and chicken.

Donde los Tacos
Small taco shop in Oak Cliff in a former gas station is a mom-and-pop from first-time restaurant owners Martin and Jennifer Reyes who are putting lots of love into this small, cozy spot. Their tacos include trompo marinated pork, chicken, chorizo, fried shrimp, a slow-simmered beef called suadero, a ribeye taco, and a vegetarian taco made with plant-based protein. Appetizers include guacamole & chips, queso, and Mexican street corn. The majority of their tacos are $3 but on Tuesdays, they offer a $2 taco deal.

Ella
American bistro in the old Chido Taco Lounge space brings elevated eats to Preston Hollow Village. The concept is from Chido Taco Lounge founder Blaine McGowan and executive chef Kyle Farr, with Michelin-awarded Julian Shaffer leading the bar program. Their menu features shrimp and masa dumplings, pork cheeks, steak frites, and sides like broccolini and truffle fries.

Flamant
European cocktail bar and bistro that cooks over an open flame is now open at the Boardwalk at Granite Park in Plano. The restaurant is from acclaimed restaurant team Tanner Agar and Taylor Rause, and is a sibling restaurant to award-winning restaurants Rye and Apothecary. The menu features flavors from Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy with dishes such as faux gras, pasta, wood fired Wagyu burger, and pepperoncini chicken. They also offer weekend brunch with frittata and cannoli French toast.

Frenchie
French concept from Travis Street Hospitality (Le PasSage, Georgie) recently opened in the former Corner Bakery at Preston Center Plaza, which closed after 23 years in 2022. The restaurant is a French brasserie, serving casual lunch and dinner. There are dishes such as crepes, quiches, oysters, steak frites, and onion soup.

Silk Road IndianSilk Road

Mas Chingon
Sports bar and restaurant with a lively atmosphere recently opened in Bishop Arts dishing out Latin vibes and a Mexican-Latin menu. Standout dishes include tacos, Mexican burger, al pastor burger with both a beef patty and al pastor, elote coated in Hot Cheetos dust, and ceviche. They also do bar food such as a burger, chicken wings, and an over-the-top $350 Cowboy steak.

The PoBoy Shop
Sandwich shop obsessed with po’boys is a spin-off of Evan’s Meat Market now open in Preston Center. Founder Evan Meagher is drawing on his Louisiana roots on po’boys and sandwiches such as fried shrimp, fried bologna, turkey, and pastrami, available in 4-inch and 8 inch sizes with Cajun sides such as dirty curly fries topped with grilled boudin or Zapp’s Potato Chips.

Ruthie's Cafe
Do-gooder cafe that started out as a food truck is bringing new life to South Dallas. They serve grilled cheese sandwiches — solo or with tomato tomato soup — including one stuffed with brisket. There's also breakfast including sandiwches, a power bowl, and a chicken sausage & bacon wrap. They just added a coffee bar, in response to customer demand, with creative espresso drinks such as Nutella latte, Horchata, and Matcha latte.

Silk Road Indian
Indian concept from a hospitality trio recently opened in Coppell. The restaurant comes from Prinu Prasannan, Sushil Kumar, and Sreekumar Madolil, who have roots in the Kerala state in India but met in Dallas. They serve a range of vegetarian dishes such as vegetable samosas and tikka masala. They also have non vegetarian and Indo Chinese dishes including biryani, butter chicken, fish curry, and egg curry.

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