Southside Garage Adds Two New Permanent Food Vendors

Southside Garage, January, 2025
Southside Garage, January, 2025
Southside Garage, January, 2025
Southside Garage, January, 2025

In recent years, South Knoxville waterfront development has surged. With the Rail to Trail and Sevier Avenue Streetscape projects along with the successful $24.7 million dollar RAISE grant for the pedestrian bridge, progress is happening from one end to the other. Nestled among all of these changes is Southside Garage at 1014 Sevier Avenue.

Southside Garage Trail Connection, January, 2025
Southside Garage Art Trail Connection with Outdoor Dining and Bocce Court, January, 2025

Opened in June, 2019, Southside is a food truck and event space that features an on-site bar, daily events and a court for the SoKno Bocce League. Access to the coming SoKno Art Trail is available behind the building with outdoor seating.  

In recent weeks, two food vendors have taken up permanent residency. I spoke with the owners of Dia De Foods and Mia Piccola Coffee about their businesses and both the excitement and challenges of being on the south side.

Nathan Kitner, Owner Mia Piccola, January, 2025
Nathan Kitner, Owner Mia Piccola, January, 2025

Mia Piccola Coffee

Nathan Kitner, owner and sole employee of Mia Piccola Coffee, crafted a delicious Brown Sugar Spiced Latte during my first visit. When asked about the shop’s name, he explained it was inspired by his Italian heritage and a 2023 legacy trip to southern Italy, where he researched his connection with his great-grandparents’ ancestry, telling me that the location “informed a lot of my personality, my interests and what I liked.”

He returned to Northwest Michigan where he worked for a hospitality group, eventually as Coffee Director, selecting coffees, training staff and doing buildouts. Kitner related that he’s “been doing coffee since high school (at Farragut High). I’m 25 now. I think I bought my first coffee set when I was probably 15 or 16, so I’ve been doing this as a hobby and career for close to ten years.”

Mia Piccola Food Cart, January, 2025
Original Mia Piccola Coffee Stand, January, 2025

While in Michigan, he built a tiny home called La Mia Piccola (“my little one”), inspired by his time in Italy. He sold the home and used part of the proceeds to buy his first coffee stand, naming it after his tiny home, when he returned to Knoxville. He opened in late August 2024 and recently signed a lease for a space inside Southside Garage.

Kitner came to Southside after people requested that he bring his coffee to the area. He messaged businesses around Sevier Avenue and “Southside and Dia De had a common interest that they wanted coffee here. “I wanted a more permanent pop-up location. I didn’t have to do a ton of convincing. It was something that was stirring in the air.” After a few months outside, an indoor space became available, and Kitner seized the opportunity. Now living in South Knoxville, he enjoys the area’s natural setting and active lifestyles, which he believes pairs well with coffee. 

Brown Sugar Spiced Latte, Mia Picolla Coffee, January, 2025
Brown Sugar Spiced Latte, Mia Picolla Coffee, January, 2025

The growing population on the south waterfront has also boosted foot traffic and coffee sales. Kitner has also received a large bump from social media with a half million views on Tik Tok. While I was having coffee, multiple patrons came in, citing his social media. Kitner estimated more than 80% of customers that week were from his accounts.

Mia Piccola Coffee at Southside Garage on Sevier Ave, January, 2025
Mia Piccola Coffee at Southside Garage on Sevier Ave, January, 2025

Mia Piccola “serves all your normal range of espressos beverages, from plain espresso all the way up to latte size drinks.  I have house-made syrups and flavors that people can add to their drinks.” His syrups “have fewer questionable ingredients.” All of his products are ethically sourced and where possible, local. Tcho chocolate syrups for mochas, baked goods from south Knoxville baker Mother’s Daughter Bakery and dairy from Cruze Farms extend this ethos. He sources his coffee from local roaster Nomad with whom he is working to import coffee beans from a grower in Ethopia to roast here in Knoxville.

Mia Piccola is open Wednesdays through Fridays, 7 AM to 2 PM, Saturday and Sunday, 8 AM to 3 PM. Kitner is the sole employee currently, though his business partner, Reed Shick, manages marketing and visual presence. As the business expands, Kitner said that he plans to add employees.

For more information about his menu, see his various social media accounts below.

Mia Piccola Social Media: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok

Dia De Foods Truck, January, 2025
Dia De Foods Truck, January, 2025

Dia De Foods

Outside is Dia De Foods, Southside Garage’s permanent resident food truck, owned by partners Jesse Rossbach and Erica Collins. Clearly sold on the location, Dia De Foods recently signed a new two year lease, meaning that they are the only full time food truck on site. Both came to Knoxville via Austin, Texas from locations around the US.

Jesse grew up in New Mexico, where much of the food inspiration for Dia De Foods originates. After culinary school in Colorado, he worked for Fox Restaurant Concepts for about six years. He told me that he “traveled with them to open up a few restaurants and as like a kind of a sous chef for those opening restaurants they were growing their brand…they finally sent me down to a permanent place in Austin, Texas, which is where I met Erica. She was working there as well.” Rossbach was eventually hired by Tim Love of Lonesome Dove in downtown Austin.

Collins arrived in Austin for a different reason. “I’m born and raised in Philly. I moved to Austin on a coin toss. It was either Seattle or Austin. So that was back when grunge was cool, and Seattle was like the scene. So me and a couple of friends were doing shots of tequila one night. We’re like, let’s bust this town. Let’s get out of here. Okay. Flipped the coin, landed on Austin. A week later, I was on a plane.”

Southside Garage on Sevier Avenue, January, 2025
Southside Garage on Sevier Avenue, January, 2025

The transition to Knoxville came through Tim Love and Knoxville’s Lonesome Dove which opened in 2016, a story covered by Urban Guy. Collins told Rossbach “”Let’s go somewhere else, you know? We don’t have any ties. We’ve got animals. We can take them anywhere. Right. We were ready to move to Santa Fe, and then he got the call, and we were like, man, I guess we’re going to Knoxville.” During all of these moves, starting a business for themselves was always on their minds.

Making the leap finally happened in 2020 with the Covid pandemic as a major catalyst. Collins told me “We just lost four jobs. Like, let’s just do this now. Boy, did we get lucky. I managed to grab some unemployment for one of my three jobs. And so I just didn’t spend it at all. I just stacked it. And that’s how we were able to save money to go buy the bus in Jersey.” They bought their original bus and one-way tickets to New Jersey. Friends and family around Knoxville, including Collins’ brother, helped to renovate the bus into their first food truck.

Dia De Foods Truck, January, 2025
Dia De Foods Truck, January, 2025

The current bus is larger but builds on lessons learned from the original, which had just a single burner and a household refrigerator. The menu still reflects the offerings from that original truck. Collins said that “We have five dinner staples that if we took them off, [customers would] burn our trailer down.”

With an early hand from Next Level Brewing, they built a reputation. Six months after opening, they did two Fridays at South Side and “killed it down here. We always liked coming down here. James (Tourville) and David (Yousif) were always awesome to us . . . Duncan from Captain Muchachos, who’s a good friend of ours . . . recommended us. We had a few brunch services that just showed them ‘hey, these people have a following.’”

Dia De Foods usually operates alone but invites trucks like Big Daddy D’s for larger events like South Knoxville Pride, at which both trucks sold out. The original truck is now used only for off-site catering for friends. On-site catering at Southside handles food prep, setup, and serving with a reservation.

When I asked how their business had changed since becoming a permanent resident, Collins said “convenience is astronomical. I mean, just being right around the corner. You know, like last year when we had that big snow last year and everybody was closed down on Sevier Avenue, we cruised around the corner and flipped the lid open, and we made a killing that day.” As it has for Mia Piccola, foot traffic from nearby residents makes up a large portion of their business. Dia De has several employees now to help fill out the week.

Dia De Food’s number one seller is the Baja Burrito. Collins said “We were doing a play on a Cali thing. It’s our number one seller. I’m like, really? People like a big old burrito with shrimp.” Tied for second is the green chili cheeseburger and the tacos birria.” Rossbach explained, “I grew up in New Mexico, and I always loved that food . . . But I didn’t want to do just traditional New Mexican food or traditional Mexican food. I wanted to put a little flair onto it.”

The menu includes Monday burgers and Tuesday taco specials. Thursdays feature a rotating dish like chorizo fried rice, while Fridays and Saturdays follow an all-day dinner menu. Sunday brunch is set to expand with a southwestern chicken wings option for Sunday nights soon. The team also continues experimenting with new dishes.

Dia De Foods Breakfast Churizo Burrito, January, 2025
Dia De Foods Breakfast Churizo Burrito, January, 2025

On my first visit, I enjoyed a grab-and-go breakfast burrito with homemade chorizo and Green Hatch chiles, a staple in New Mexico. The fluffy eggs were very flavorful, and the chile delivered a delayed kick I appreciated as a fan of spicy food. The generous portion left me barely able to finish.

Collins updates the rotating items on the schedule each night for the next day. The full daily menu can be found here

South Waterfront Benefits and Challenges

Both Mia Piccola and Dia De Foods cited the growing number of residences along the South Knoxville Waterfront as providing a large portion of their increasing business. Kitner, Rossbach and Collins all noted the impact of the Gay Street Bridge closure on downtown business. Rossbach told me “We did get more foot traffic. The Gay Street Bridge being closed doesn’t help. It’s killing us . . . We definitely noticed a significant decrease in sales once that closed.”

Collins summed it up, “Southside rules!” If you’re on the south side, stop in and check out either business, or both, to find out why.

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