Vendy Awards were a Great Success

Everything went smoothly at the Vendy Awards this past Saturday, with 21 vendors, fast moving lines and fair weather. The event had a great crowd, featured lively music, and had great sponsors ensuring the day would be a blast, like Maker’s Mark and Brooklyn Brewery. For the first few hours guests sampled as many cuisines as possible, strategically choosing between the most sought-after trucks and those with the most manageable lines. Korilla BBQ, Souvlaki GR and Solber Pupusas seemed to have the longest lines throughout, but eventually they winded down so I could have a taste.
Some exceptional offerings came from The Cinnamon Snail, which made a spicy red bean tart, seitan wrap and a Maker’s Mark jelly-filled donut, alongside their funky costumes. Taim’s green falafel was one of the best falafels I’ve ever tasted, and Sunrise Grill’s oxtail was unique and delicious. Taco Truck made light and refreshing tacos, and Two Pitas in a Pod had a great sample platter complete with pulled pork, falafel and hummus. La Bella Torte had extravagant and filling cannolis and desserts, and Wooly’s shaved ice made delicious Maker’s Mark infused shaved ice. One of the toughest challenges of the day was trying to juggle multiple drinks and plates while looking for a place to sit, but I suppose my own gluttony is to blame for that. As the trucks started to close up, I got a last minute chance for beef taco from Korilla, with kimchi and a delicious sauce, and a chicken pita from Souvlaki GR, complete with Greek fries inside.
When the time came for the awards to be announced, the trucks all closed and the owners gathered around the podium, while the judges were introduced, the concept of the Street Vendor project was discussed, and thanks given to all the sponsors and participants. The Most Heroic Vendor Award was presented to Patty’s Taco for standing up to the multiple violations she received and fighting back with a lawsuit against the city of New York. Best dessert went to Wooly’s shaved ice, which served up the perfect light dessert for this challenge, and they came with their very own Green Man. The Cinnamon Snail won the Maker’s Mark challenge for their donuts, and undoubtedly their colorful costumes as well. Taco Truck won the Best of New Jersey category; Korilla won Rookie of the Year, storming the stage with the most enthusiasm of any of the vendors present, and Souvlaki GR won People’s Taste. The Vendy Cup was at last presented to Solber Pupusas, which had lines as long as anyone’s today, and served delicious, authentic corn patties.
With the final award given out, the 7^th Annual Vendy’s came to a close and everyone shuffled towards the ferry, vendors included. With delicious food, great weather and an even greater turnout, this year’s Vendy Awards picked a stellar group of food vendors and gave recognition to some unique trucks that until now were largely unknown.

Vendy Awards Are This Weekend!

This Saturday the 7th Annual Vendy Awards will take place at Governor’s Island, and tickets are still available to those of you looking to get in, albeit the cheaper general admission tickets have long sold out. For the first time this years a “Best of New Jersey” category was opened up, and the awards will continue to honor the “Most Heroic Vendor”, supposedly ranging from the vendor who called in a terrorist threat to the vendor who memorizes your order and has it ready for you every day.
There are many other awards to be given out tomorrow, including the People’s Choice Award, Rookie of the Year, and the juggernaut of them all, the Vendy Cup. With so much food and so many enthusiasts present, the only perceivable threat is long lines. So if you still can, buy a ticket and head down to Governor’s Island tomorrow to see what it’s all about. Your friends at Foodtoeat will be there, so make sure to say hello!

Seven Vendy Cup Finalists Announced

This week the full list of finalists for the top honor known as the Vendy Cup award in this year’s 7^th Annual Vendy Awards were finally announced. The seven finalists are all vastly different food vendors, and many are much less known, but no doubt will make a mark on this year’s contest with their delicious food that got them nominated.

Solber Pupusas serves Central American food throughout Brooklyn, and has been serving it’s fare for twelve years now. The truck specializes in pupusas, Salvadoran corn patties that have rarely been brought to American mainstream culture. Nominated previously in 2008, the owners believe its is the pupusa that deserves to win the Vendy Cup, all they do is bring it to their customers.
Eggstravaganza is a popular breakfast cart in Midtown that serves Mexican wraps and egg sandwiches. Creating this cart was a longtime dream for owner Arturo, working in restaurants most of his life to create the perfect blend of his family’s traditional cooking and American styles. The delicious chorizo, made by his father, a butcher, makes Eggstravanza stand out from the competition.
Chimicury el Malecon stands on West 207^th street serves Dominican hamburgers called ‘chimis’, and has served Dominican food for 25 years. Business began when Washington Heights and Inwood experienced a growing demand for Dominican food after an influx of Dominican immigrants. Chimicury el Malecon has experienced great neighborhood support over the years, but recognition by the Vendy Awards would catapult them into the spotlight.
Sam’s Falafel is a vendor with 14 years serving in Zucotti Park, originally from Egypt. Owner Sam Ahmed has spent years perfecting his perfect falafel recipe, which shows in his highly desired falafel platters. Everything is made from scratch with high quality ingredients, and though Ahmed was originally a translator in Egypt, cooking has been his true calling.
Souvlaki GR has only been vending for one year, but their signature Greek food has become a staple around the Wall Street area. What makes their food unique is the Greek fries that are stuffed in the savory pitas. The truck’s owners thank their fans and customers for their fortune so far, appearing in last year’s Vendy Awards as well.
Trini-Paki Boys Halal Food is in fact owned by a woman, Fatima Khan, but named after her two sons. The food is a blend of Trinidadian and Pakistani, like Khan and her husband, and specializes in curry chicken and biryanis. Khan ascribes a very loyal customer base to her success, and the cooking skills she learned in her mother’s kitchen.
The last Vendy Cup finalist is Tamales Guadalupe, a Brooklyn vendor with 14 years of experience serving Mexican food. Mexican tamales are the specialty of Guadalupe Galicia, a single mother of five children who works tirelessly for her family. Guadalupe’s tamales are among the best in New York, with customers repeatedly coming back for a taste of their authenticity.
That rounds up the finalists for this year’s Vendy Cup. General admission tickets are sold out but VIP tickets are still available for this Saturday’s event.

The Vendy Awards Announces Rookie of the Year Finalists

Last week the Rookie Finalists were announced for the NYC 2011 Vendy Awards. The six trucks cover a broad range of tastes, and the full list includes Korilla BBQ, Eddie’s Pizza Truck, Taim Mobile-Falafel & Smoothie Truck, Comme Ci Comme Ca, Eat Here Now Now Eat Here, and Sunrise Grill.
Korilla BBQ has received its fair share of press recently since being featured on the second season of The Great Food Truck Race. Developing a similar model to that of the famous Kogi BBQ in Los Angeles, Korilla was founded by Columbia University graduates looking for a less conventional career path. Their Korean BBQ tacos have become renowned in New York City, with a loyal customer base going to all ends to get their Korean BBQ fix.

Eddie’s Pizza Truck specializes in thin crust pizza and has transformed it into a standard New York street food. The truck was founded by two brothers with a lifelong dream of opening a food truck. Finally they partnered with New Hyde Park’s Eddie’s Pizza to bring the restaurant to NYC. Eddie’s Pizza Truck can be found throughout Manhattan and in the new food truck lot in Long Island City.

Taim Mobile offers a fresh take on traditional Middle Eastern street food. With outstanding sauces, vegetarian options and fresh smoothies, Taim is street food you can feel good about eating. The multicultural team speaks a wide variety of languages, and uses the freshest ingredients in their food, providing great service and food that’s good on all fronts.

Comme Ci Comme Ca is a Mediterranean/Moroccan specialty truck with a wide variety of food that most people can agree on. The truck’s owner Samir began cooking when he first came to this country to avoid eating out every night. Eventually he developed a passion for it and started his own truck. Specializing in a fluffy cous cous, the food is deliciously spiced with juicy meats and savory vegetables.

Eat Here Now Now Eat Here serves tacos and burritos with an Asian twist, and offers a breakfast burrito served all day. These vendors are known for their delicious tortillas, and serve food with a purpose behind it. Truck owner Stan Tankursley spent winters in the Dominican Republic and was deeply affected the earthquake in Haiti. He raised over $10,000 in just a few days for earthquake relief and travelled there to help immediately.
The final contender for the rookie category is the new Jamaican Sunrise Grill Truck. This truck offers real, authentic Jamaican food including oxtails, jerked chicken, curry goat and saltfish. The food can be as spicy as you would like, prepared homemade and seasoned with real island spices.

The six trucks will be featured on September 24^th on Governor’s Island in the much anticipated 7^th Annual Vendy Awards.

Best of Jersey Vendy Award Finalists Announced

The finalists for the Best of Jersey category in the upcoming 2011 Vendy Awards were recently announced. The three finalists are the Cinnamon Snail, Two Pitas in a Pod, and the Taco Truck.
The Cinnamon Snail is an organic vegan truck, offering breakfast and lunch and dessert pastries as well. The truck can usually be found in Hoboken, nearby the train station and has a special brunch menu available Thursday through Sunday. The Cinnamon Snail was chosen because of their unique, creative and ethical food. The owners of the truck are friendly and outgoing, and change their menu seasonally and often update with daily specials.

Two Pitas in a Pod serves Mediterranean food and fusion specials from around the world. The truck can be seen around Hoboken, Jersey City and Newark, and has received a lot of press recently as one of New Jersey’s most renowned food trucks. A lot of the truck’s popularity has stemmed from the friendly, humorous owners of the truck, who provide excellent, timely service. Of course the food is excellent as well, all the sauces are homemade, and the owners grind the meats themselves, taking a great deal of pride in their truck.

The last New Jersey finalist, the Taco Truck, also travels throughout Hoboken, Newark and Jersey City serving authentic Mexican street food. The Truck makes uses locally grown, organic products whenever possible, and constantly creates unique new tacos for its lunch and dinner menus. Their al pastor taco is a fan favorite, and they accept online orders as well. The Taco Truck takes sustainability very seriously as well, and composts and recycles all of their leftover food and packaging.

These three trucks will all be present alongside the finalists from other categories at this years Vendy Awards, September 24^th at Governor’s Island.

Vendy Awards Dessert Nominees Announced

Today the Street Vendor Project’s Vendy Awards announced its five dessert nominees for this year’s upcoming competition. Relative new players in the mobile dessert world, the nominees are Miss Softee, La Bella Torte, Cupcake Crew, Wooly’s and La Newyorkina. These finalists were chosen by anyone who wished to cast a vote, and many exceptional dessert vendors were snubbed this year.
Veteran trucks like Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Coolhaus have received plenty of media attention for their original creations, but fans chose newer treat vendors over these traditional favorites. Hoboken’s La Bella Torte has only been around for five months, but serves some truly unique desserts, including an olive oil, rosemary and blood orange cake. Wooly’s Truck specializes in Hawaiian and Taiwanese shaved ices, and takes a different approach to the standard shaved ice recipe. This truck blends delicious flavors together in ice, then shaves them off and covers them with a variety of toppings, such as fresh fruit.

Miss Softee is a woman who has served signature ice cream cones from a Mister Softee ice cream truck for the last two years no longer operates from her truck, but still makes scheduled appearances for events. La Newyorkina serves handmade gourmet Mexican ice pops with unusual flavors, like cucumber lime or mango chili with real fruit slices. The last nominee, Cupcake Crew, serves gourmet cupcakes with an Italian appeal. Many are stuffed with cannoli cream, and owner Frankie Francollo constantly tricks out his cupcakes to stay ahead of the competition.
The Seventh Annual Vendy Awards will be held on September 24^th at Governors Island. Tickets are already sold out, so if you’re one of the lucky ones who already ordered a ticket, be sure to try out these diverse desserts.

Anticipation Builds Up for this Year's Vendy Awards

                It may be a little early, but here at Foodtoeat we can barely stop talking about the upcoming Vendy Awards. Held on September 24^th, The Vendy Awards honor some of New York’s best and most innovative street vendors in an intense cook-off at Governors Island. Finalists in the competition are nominated by everyday people through an online form, and winners are decided in four categories; people’s choice, desserts, rookie of the year and Vendy Cup winner.

                While this competition is only in its sixth year, it’s already spread outside of New York, with the first ever Philadelphia Vendy Awards held earlier this summer. Once the event starts, vendors begin serving up food on Governor’s Islands for guests and judges. The day features a raffle, music, entertainment and plenty of wine and beer. Though an integral part of the experience involves standing in line waiting for food.

                Last year Astoria’s King of Falafel dominated the competition, though every year it seems a different vendor comes out on top. While attendees vote for some of the categories, The Vendy’s esteemed judges decide who wins the grand prize. Proceeds from this event help support the Street Vendor Project, a non-profit organization working for the rights of New York City street vendors. The Street Vendor Project has been actively working to solve the trucks’ legal troubles with the city, and have drafted a petition to allow food trucks to stay in their preferred locations. This organization honors worthy street vendors who have been denied their rights, they rely on donations to continue.

                We may still have some time to wait until the Vendy Awards, but this event is surely not one to be missed. Just think, unlimited food, drinks and entertainment all on an island? Sounds like a vacation to me.

To purchase your tickets to the 2011 Vendy’s click here.