The Street Food Festival
Street Food Vendors Come Together To Give Back To The Cedar Rapids Community
The second annual Street Food Festival took place at Ellis Park from 12:00PM - 4:00PM on Saturday July 25th. All proceeds from this event will go to Linn Community Bank, Metro Catholic outreach, Mission of Hope Cedar Rapids, Willis Dady Services, and St John of the Cross Worker House. The event is hosted by Street Food Fighter owner Oupekha (opie) Baccam. Baccam (who was a corporate manager at Buffalo Wild Wings before going full time with his business in 2024) believes that it is a pleasure to give back to the community, and that nobody should go hungry. Baccam (who was able to donate $5,000 after last year’s Street Food Festival) learned how to cook from his parents, and while working at Egg Roll House while he was in high school.
Pita’s Mediterranean and American Cuisine employee Micah Hughes hands a customer their order. Pita’s Mediterranean and American Cuisine has a physical location in Hiawatha and has had the food truck for the last two years.
Stan Hedges From Cedar Rapids eats some Boom Nachos from Boom Boom Nacho while visiting the Street Food Festival with his wife and daughter. 15% of all proceeds from the Street Food Festival will be donated to Cedar Rapids area shelters and food pantries.
Big Daddy Cole and The Ick band members (left to right) Spencer Heckler (guitar), Cole (Big Daddy) Thorpe (vocals), and Hunter schmolze (mandolin) perform during the Street Food Festival on Saturday July 25th. This was the bands first show.
Boulevard Grill owner Al Redenbaugh makes a double decker Bacon Cheese Burger for a customer while participating in the Street Food Festival as a vendor. Redenbaugh owns the business (which opened in 2017) with his wife Lorrie Redenbaugh.
Natalie Duffy-Collins from Cedar Rapids gets her face painted by Sarah Bui. Bui is related to Oupekha (opie) Baccam, and decided to help out at the Street Food Festival by volunteering to paint faces.
Roger Croppess gets some food from Las Ortegas Pupusenia. Las Ortegas was established in 2023, is owned by the Ortega family, and is based in Cedar Rapids.
Char Boom Craft BBQ owner Kevin Green makes some Nachos for a customer while participating in the the Street Food Festival as a vendor. Green started his business six years ago to help pay for his daughters medical bills after she was diagnosed with diabetes, and was trained in how to BBQ food and run a food truck by Netflix’s BBQ Showdown season two winner Thyron Mathews.
Vocalist and guitar player Corey Dundee performs with his band Sun Pop towards the end of the Street Food Festival. The members of the band Sun Pop have been performing together for about a year, and were the third musical act of the day. Also pictured is drummer Daylan starks.
All photos will be available for purchase upon request to cobbwildphotography@gmail.com