"el rey del sabor" news and stories

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 ...

A New York food cart. Photo: jasonlam/Flickr

Call it the Summer of the Street Vendor: Food trucks and carts are, it seems, this season's version of artisanal pickles or pastured meats. Whether you live in Los Angeles, Portland or New York, each day seems to spawn a new vendor -- and they're not selling your granddad's dirty-water dogs.

Words like "organic," "natural" and "handmade" are being slapped on everything from burritos to burgers, giving street meat an almost saintly aura and the occupation of street vendor a previously unheard of cachet. Street cart fever has spawned all sorts of coverage, from city-specific blogs to nationwide podcasts like VendrTV.

As with other low-profile aspects of the food industry that have suddenly found themselves ready for their close-ups, the sudden glamour of the street vendor trade obscures the everyday challenges -- some small, some overwhelming -- that come with selling food (no matter how pedigreed) from a big metal box on wheels.

Interviews with two vendors and a call to Slashfoodies to help us find great American street vendors after the jump.