Meet The Team / Lawrence Weibman

New York City has hundreds of street food carts and trucks, but only five were selected Monday as finalists for the sixth annual Vendy Awards, which will take place September 25th on Governors Island. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice League, a non-profit that provides vendors with legal representation and advocacy. One tax deductible $85 ticket buys you all-you-can-eat access to food from each of the finalists' carts and the opportunity to vote for the People's Choice Award, the Dessert Vendor of the Year and the Rookie Vendor of the Year. But the finalists, competing for nothing more than the heralded Vendy Cup and a chance at increased post-event success, are the real draw.

After the jump, vitals on each finalist so you can start scouting the competition ...

Twenty five years ago today, Darryl Strawberry hit three home runs for the New York Mets in a game against the Chicago Cubs. Fast forward to 2010 and the former Mets, Yankees and "Celebrity Apprentice" star is hoping for another big hit with the opening off Strawberry's Sports Grill today in Douglaston, Queens. Whatever happens with the restaurant, the friends and family party Wednesday was success: The guests included "Bachelorette" star Ali Fedotowsky and her new man, Robert Martinez, reigning Miss U.S.A. Rima Fakih, former New York Knicks star John Starks, and former New York Yankees greats Whitey Ford, Bernie Williams, and Tino Martinez.

So what can we expect from the one-time Rookie of the Year's rookie venture as a restaurateur? Slashfood sat down for a one-on-one with Strawberry to find out...

"Gluttony at its finest" has a new meaning. No longer does it mean an extra slice of candy bar pie, a second burger patty on your bacon cheeseburger or adding a runny egg to your breakfast pizza. Now gluttony is defined by not what you eat but what you wear.

Introducing "Gluttony Pants," the first pair of pants with three buttons on the waist, each labeled for the level of "pigging out" the owner intends to achieve -- literally -- the buttons range in size from piglet to sow to boar. Other than a free napkin, the one favor Gluttony Pants creator and Food Network chef Chris Cosentino provides is that the pants cost $100 per pair, just enough to make you think twice about expanding your waist while shrinking your wallet.