Unless you’re talking about Calcutta or Hanoi, ‘street food’ usually conjures up images of sodium-laden hotdogs plastered with greasy onions.
But no more. The most exciting food in New York, San Francisco and London isn’t happening in restaurants with Michelin stars, but on the streets. Independent producers fueled by both the economic recession and rise of local, artisan foods have started producing exciting morsels to sell on the streets and at festivals.
Whether inspired by the food of their childhood – like Urvesh Parvais, who, with his mother Lalita Patel, developed Gujarati Rasoi to sell ‘traditional wholesome Indian food’ at three London street markets – or a love of a particular cuisine, you now can find everything from Vietnamese bánh mì to Mexican burritos during a stroll through your neighbourhood.
The young, educated and out-of-work seem to be the majority of vendors at Greenpoint Food Market, which is held on monthly Saturday mornings in Brooklyn’s Church of the Messiah. Each vendor pays $25 to $50 for a table, which goes to the church and the organiser. Any profit made on Korean dumplings or cupcakes is the vendor’s to keep.
Some products have already been snapped up by large retailers like Whole Foods. For dedicated food producers on a limited budget, this means they can develop a viable business without having to partner with a commercial food company which may not share their food values.
Petra Barran of Choc Star, which sells chocolate treats from a converted Scottish ice cream van, set up the website Eat.St as an online hub for those who already run, or want to start up their own mobile food business.
And while the movement is still in it’s early days, London is already about to host its second annual street food awards (10 – 12 September) judged by prominent British chefs like Mark Hix, Thomasina Miers and Marco Pierre White. New York’s ‘Vendy Awards’ have been going strong since 2005.
With street food enabling young entrepreneurs to start a profitable, ethical venture and provide consumers diverse, delicious and affordable food, the movement is one where everyone wins. Except the greasy hot dog vendors.
Useful websites:
Gujarati Rasoi – www.gujarotirasoi.com
Choc Star – www.chocstar.co.uk
Eat.St – www.eat.st
Gourmet magazine’s street food guide – www.gourmet.com/food/street-food-guide
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
