With the growing popularity of food trucks in American cuisine, one Bellingham chef sees an opportunity to support small business and help street food stay local.

Gregg Collier plans to operate a shared commissary kitchen and a private catering company called The Goat Rodeo in a warehouse space at 2185 Alpine Way 101, in north Bellingham. He hopes to open by Aug. 1.

Collier said local food-cart operators will be able to rent out the kitchen for food preparation. He added that he also wants to develop a cooperative for food vendors in Bellingham and Whatcom County.

The kitchen will emphasize cooking and food prep using local produce and food items, he said. A main goal is to connect vendors with local farmers and food producers to create a distribution and production point for community-sourced street food, he added.

“This will allow the creativity and the ‘mom-and-pop’ startups to take hold,” he said.

Street vendors have become more popular in many American food and restaurant markets over the past several years. On Bellingham sidewalks and street corners, food trucks and carts are now a common sight.

A 2012 estimate from market research firm IBISWorld suggested the U.S. street-food vending industry could have annual revenue of up to $1 billion.

Collier, a classically trained chef who said he’s been in the business for more than two decades, said he would like to be open in time for the Summer Meltdown festival, which will be held Aug. 9-11, at Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater in Darrington, Wash.

Summer Meltdown can be a lucrative opportunity for local food vendors. The event usually features vendors that produce unique, locally made fare.

The Goat Rodeo is online at www.thegoatrodeokitchen.com. Updates on the kitchen’s progress can be tracked on the company’s Facebook page.

Evan Marczynski, staff reporter for The Bellingham Business Journal, can be reached at 360-647-8805, Ext. 5052, or evan@bbjtoday.com.