Wildly popular food truck Nash & Proper to open downtown Sacramento restaurant

Cecil Rhodes II and Jake Bombard have run arguably the most sought-after food truck in Sacramento since they debuted at the Our Street Market in June 2018. It’s accumulated nearly 18,000 Instagram followers in 18 months and frequently garnered the longest lines of any truck at events like Gather Oak Park over the summer.

Now their Nash & Proper will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant after winning the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s “Calling All Dreamers” competition, the organization announced in a press release Wednesday morning.

“Nash & Proper brings a delicious twist to an otherwise traditional chicken sandwich,” Downtown Sacramento Partnership business development senior manager Valerie Mamone said in the press release. “Watching Cecil and Jake’s dream come to life firsthand has been an exciting experience. Their brand has had a strong cult following and we are thrilled to see their dream become a reality in downtown.”

Nash & Proper specializes in Nashville-style fried chicken, served at heat levels ranging from “Naked” to “Cluckin Hot.” Rhodes and Bombard will receive a prize package valued at over $100,000 from the Downtown Sacramento Foundation, including $10,000 cash, in-kind services and lease negotiation support for a storefront along The Kay (Seventh Street to 13th Street between J Street and L Street). No anticipated opening date has been listed.

Past winners of the six-year-old “Calling All Dreamers” competition have included Andy’s Candies, Allspicery and Oblivion Comics & Coffee. Leash and Collar, Cerealism, Co-Creations House of Art, and The Spottery were all finalists as well this year and will receive unspecified support from Downtown Sacramento Partnership to open storefronts of their own.

Rhodes, a Sacramento-born chef, also runs another food truck called Cecil’s Taste.