Come back every Wednesday for another funny, informative video documenting my inept food adventures. NYC Food Cart Tour is my exploration of the hard-working vendors feeding NYC’s population every day.
The greatest day in mobile food vending is back. On September 12, the Vendy Awards will take place on Governor’s Island honoring the greatest in New York’s food vending community. Tickets are still available for purchase here. For the next few weeks, I’ll be documenting all of the nominees in three categories.
Rookie of the Year: Kaya NYC
Gua bao are not new to NYC, yet they continue to grow in popularity as lunchers have discovered they make a fantastic snack or meal. David Li operates Kaya NYC where the gua bao (Taiwanese steamed buns) are loaded with authentic flavors like pork belly, peking duck, and fried tofu. The cart, which hits a few different neighborhoods around NYC, also fries up popcorn chicken and spring rolls.
Dessert of the Year: Squish Marshmallows
Everybody loves a marshamallow, especially when it’s roasted over a fire or smushed together with chocolate and graham crackers to form a s’mores. But they are usually loaded with mysterious chemicals and preservatives. Now Katherine Sprung with Squish Marshmallows creates marshmallows that are not only homemade and natural, but also feature unique flavors and textures, like tiramisu and lemon meringue pie.
Market Vendor of the Year: YourPanadas
Jon Batista started YourPanadas earlier this summer as a way to bring diverse flavors into the world of classic empanadas (he offers things like mac n cheese and red velvet cake inside the empanadas). While vending weekly at Vendy Plaza, he’s currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to open his own food truck. Help him out and check out his amazing food.
