Soulcial Kitchen updates Swansea campus, ready for food truck season opening
The Soulcial Kitchen Food Truck season starts Friday, April 25, at the Swansea campus, located at 127 North Belt East.
Those who have been there before will notice some significant additions since last season.
New to the campus this year are two 40-foot shipping containers converted to provide covered seating in the park area, which is kid/family/dog-friendly and accommodates up to 250 people.
Soulcial Kitchen founder John Michel said the two containers will flank the entry point for the park, which is now enclosed with fencing, providing both safety for guests and the opportunity to serve as a venue for private and ticketed events.
The containers, modified by Hamel-based Tardis Structures LLC, will have tabled seating for guests and flatscreen TVs. Rooftop seating will be added to the containers later in the season.
Soulcial Kitchen is about redeveloping — rather than developing — what’s already there, said Michel.
Repurposing the shipping containers “reduces construction waste and carbon footprint” while creating a “low-cost, high-impact solution for underutilized spaces,” he wrote in the project proposal to the Village of Swansea.
A 20-foot container will also be placed on the campus for use by a rotation of local entrepreneurs to feature their goods and services to guests. Another 20-foot shipping container is already on the property to serve as a tiki bar.
Also new to the Swansea campus this season is the new Lucky Ducks Pub, located at the former Crepes & Cones site at 1718 Helen St. This new business addition opens Friday, Michel said.
Additional amenities for the park will be added during the season.
Kicking off the food truck season
Folks can check out the new features of Soulcial Kitchen’s Swansea campus starting Friday. The 2025 summer concert series kicks things off with KC’s Night Ryders. The featured food trucks that day will be SoulFull and Jay’s Motor Beast.
Live entertainment is currently scheduled for 6-9 p.m. every Friday (except July 4) and one Saturday (June 7) through Aug. 29. All of the Fridays feature at least one food truck in the evenings.
For more info about the entertainment and available food options at Soulcial Kitchen in Swansea, check out the Facebook page.
A growing presence in the metro-east
Since launching the metro-east’s first food truck park in 2021, Michel’s original concept has grown and evolved.
Soulcial Kitchen Restaurant & Bar became Marco’s Express when Andrew and Ashley Huch moved their business from Lebanon Avenue in Belleville to the Swansea site in February 2023.
The following month, Soulcial Kitchen partnered with Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois through its Currency of Caring program to battle food insecurity among those serving at Scott Air Force Base.
To date, Currency of Caring has served more than 280,300 free hot meals throughout the community.
Soulcial Kitchen also launched its Food Truck Apprenticeship program, providing training in hospitality and entrepreneurial capability development. Multiple graduates of the program have moved on to run their food truck businesses independently. Some of these include SoulFull, The Space Shuttle Café, and Big Meechies, which also opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Granite City in late 2024.
Michel and Soulcial Kitchen aren’t stopping there. More partnerships and collaborations are being cultivated in other areas, including Collinsville, Alton and O’Fallon.
A collaboration with Collinsville’s Old Herald Brewery & Distillery began in fall 2024. Soulcial Space is now located in Old Herald’s event venue, previously known as The Barrel Room.
Originally located at the Swansea campus, the Space Shuttle Café can now be found at Flock, the Alton food truck park that opened in May 2022.
Through the Currency of Caring and Food Is Love collaboration, Michel and chef Lasse Sorensen are looking at ways to address food insecurity at O’Fallon’s Old Base Factory.
Michel has more plans for Soulcial Kitchen, its programs and collaborations coming soon.
About Soulcial Kitchen
Soulcial Kitchen is located at 127 North Belt East in Swansea. For upcoming events, collaborations and other info, visit the Soulcial Kitchen Facebook page or soulcialkitchen.com.
