At just 21 years old, Nikki Basham is stepping into the world of entrepreneurship with the launch of her first food business, Black Flame Cartel — a new hot dog cart bringing creative twists to a classic American favorite.
“This has been such an exciting leap for me,” Basham said. “I’m now a 21-year-old business owner, but I also work as a communication specialist, and having experience in that field has really propelled me in getting to do this.”
The name Black Flame Cartel is a straightforward reflection of the cart’s identity.
“The black flame refers to the flames that we cook the dogs on,” she said. “And then ‘cartel’ is just describing it being a cart.”
While the concept might be simple, the menu goes far beyond ketchup and mustard. Basham is offering specialty hot dogs with unique toppings that elevate the humble street food.
“We have all the regular condiments and things,” she said. “But we’re also going to have special ones — like cheese, sweet Coke onions, bacon jam. Our ‘Boss Dog’ comes loaded with mac and cheese and bacon jam, and we’re also offering a jalapeño cheddar dog.”
The cart made its debut Friday at the Street Eats and Treats lot located at 1761 West Parrish Avenue, near Dollar Tree. The cart will be open there again on Saturday from 2-9 p.m., joining other vendors for a full day of food truck fun.
“For now, that’s going to be our main spot,” Basham said, though she hopes to expand to other events as opportunities arise.
From the very beginning, Basham has been passionate about community involvement. She’s already launched a giveaway to give back to local businesses.
“We want to give back and promote local businesses from the beginning,” she said. “So I’m doing a promotion on our Black Flame Cartel Facebook page. People can comment the name of a small business — with 15 to 20 employees — and tell me why that business should get a free catered lunch. Then I’ll go live on Facebook the evening of August 12 to pick the winning business.”
For Basham, the local response means everything.
“Even seeing that from working with my parents, we can’t do this without the people, “ she said. “Our food truck dream could not be a reality without having the support of our community behind us. The people are our entire business.”
