With just a five days until the big event, we here at Turnstile Tours are celebrating the Vendy Awards and spotlighting our favorite Vendy nominees, past and present, with our Lunch Rush Tours. This year marks the event’s 10th anniversary, so these tours are a chance to get acquainted with some of the honored street food vendors of years past, as well as the 2014 class of nominees.
Each tour will feature three mini-meals, and give participants the opportunity to not only discover the great street food on their block, but also learn about the industry and the great work of the organization behind the Vendys, the Street Vendor Project. This week’s tours will be led by Cindy VandenBosch and Andrew Gustafson, both of whom are experienced street food guides and have been involved with Vendy Awards planning and street vendor advocacy efforts.
Sneak Previews of featured vendors for this week!
On Monday, September 8, we will feature award-winning vendors along Sixth Avenue in Midtown, including The Cinnamon Snail, which has been wowing its customers with its vegan dishes for five years. The truck has been nominated for the Vendys five years in a row, winning the People’s Choice (2012) and the Maker’s Mark Challenge (2011) – this may be their year to breakthrough and win the coveted Vendy Cup.
On Tuesday, our tour explores Park Avenue and features Korilla BBQ, which won the Vendy Rookie of the Year in 2011 by using traditional Korean flavors in new ways, including wraps, burritos, and rice bowls. You can discuss with them the proper pronunciation of their trucks name (think about it – Mexican-Korean fusion food – and it will come to you).
Finally on Wednesday, we’ll explore the Vendy winners of the Financial District including Souvlaki GR, another multi-Vendys winner, taking ROY in 2010 and People’s Choice in 2011. After you try their perfectly charcoal-grilled souvlaki, you’ll know why.
So, what are you waiting for? If you work in Midtown or the Financial District, this is a great way to
For more info & last-minute tickets, click here. And to get tickets to the Vendy Awards on Saturday, September 13 on Governor’s Island (they will sell out), click here.