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"When Jacob Palmer opened the cart at the Bantu Island pod in January, I saw it as more than a food cart: an opportunity and a community space. The cart serves an array of chicken wings and tenders tossed in sauces like Buffalo, hot honey, barbecue jerk, and an orange-chicken-adjacent "orange curry," as well as garlic rice and a brioche-bun chicken sandwich with pickles and slaw. Palmer, who grew up in Portland and remembers watching his great-grandmother fry chicken in St. Louis, aims to perfect a never-frozen, gluten-free and dairy-free wing that is saucy yet consistently crispy—"It's got to be crispy, and the same every time." He uses ThiccBoi as a platform, staying open about missteps and goals on Instagram, planning to feature art by other BIPOC Portlanders, help develop the pod’s outdoor dining, and support fellow marginalized communities while being vocal about his beliefs, including saying "Black Lives Matter." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden