PrintIn Videos: 2008 Vendy Finalists Announced: Hipster Truck Is Among the Nominees
Here are the 2008 Vendy Finalists. (Names are also after the jump.) What's interesting about this list: for only the second time, there's a hipster truck, the Vendley Brothers, of Calexico Carne Asada (the Vendleys were also nominated in 2006).
Carts and trucks are no longer the exclusive domain of recent immigrants. In fact the surprise is that there aren't more hipster vendors among the finalists. Think about it. So many hipster street vendors, everyone from The Treats Truck to the The Dessert Truck, to Van Leeuwan Ice Cream, have started up in the last few years. Why?
Because of the prohibitive cost of opening a bricks and mortar storefront in this town. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next year, when it will become harder than ever to come up with the money to open a retail business in New York. Who knows? We may see a food cart and truck explosion.
Ah, well, much to think about. In the meantime congratulations to this year's Vendy finalists. Serious Eats will be at the event, you can be sure. It will be big fun. Buy your tickets here.
Hipster Carne Asada Brothers Are Vendy Finalists
Fauzia Abdur-Rahman from “Fauzia’s Delights”
161st Street and Sheridan Avenue, Bronx
Meru Sikder from “Biriyani Cart”
46th Street & Sixth Avenue, Manhattan
Mohammed Rahman from “Kwik Meal”
45th Street & Sixth Avenue, Manhattan
Rafael Soler from “Soler Dominican”
Clinton Street & Bay Street, Brooklyn (weekends only)
The Vendley Brothers (Jesse, Brian, Dave) from “Calexico Carne Asada”
Wooster & Prince Streets, Manhattan
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3 Comments:
:( $80 for a ticket???? Ouch.
mh330 at 7:46PM on 09/24/08
Yes, ouch. But then I remembered the Vendy awards is actually a fundraiser for the nonprofit that helped save Tony the Dragon, my favorite chicken vendor. I'll make my coffee at home and bring my lunch more often this month and suck up the $80.
ak334 at 11:26PM on 09/24/08
Wait, out of all the Red Hook Ballfield trucks, it's the Dominican one that is nominated? Not any of the pupusa or huarache or juice and elote vendors?
kathryn at 3:05AM on 09/25/08