NEW YORK, NY – The 9th annual Vendy Awards, New York City’s premier street food competition, today announced the finalists who will compete in four of this year’s seven major categories: Rookie of the Year, Best Market Vendor, Best Dessert, and the Best of New Jersey. Chosen from thousands of vendors nominated by everyday customers, the finalists will face off in an intense grill-to-grill cook-off on Saturday, September 7th being held for the first time at Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Only one vendor will come out on top in each category.
Rookie of the Year
- Mamak
- Mysttik Masaala
- Neapolitan Express
- Nuchas
- Sweet Chili
- Toum
Best Market Vendor
- Bon Chovie
- Brooklyn Cured
- Lonestar Taco
- Khao Man Gai NY
- Porchetta
Best Dessert
- Del’s NYC
- Carpe Donut NYC
- Itizy
- Liddabit Sweets
- OddFellows Ice Cream Co.
- Popitbaby
- Cholita Cuencana
Best of New Jersey
- The French Quarter
- Hunger Construction
- Molly’s Milk Truck
- Home by the Range
- Tony Boloney’s Moustache Mobile
Bios and background on each of the category finalists can be found here: https://streetvendor.org/vendys/finalists/
As the event gets closer, the Vendy Awards will announce the finalists in the remaining three categories: the coveted Vendy Cup (the top prize awarded by a panel of esteemed judges), The People’s Taste Award (voted on by the crowd at this year’s awards), as well as the winner of this year’s Most Heroic Vendor Award (an inspirational vendor who has gone above and beyond for the community).
This year, the Vendys have included new perks for early ticket buyers. For those who purchase tickets before midnight on Friday, July 26th:
- You will be entered to win a spot as the citizen judge! One judge will be selected.
- You will win a chance to be upgraded to Early Entry VIP level! 5 buyers will get upgrades for all tickets in their order.
- If you buy VIP tickets, you will be entered to win free tickets! 5 VIP ticket buyers will get their orders doubled (meaning if you buy 4 tickets, you will get 4 additional tickets).
In addition, a limited number of Early Entry VIP tickets are available. For street food lovers who want to access the Vendy Awards an hour early, VIP tickets ensure the ultimate street eating experience, with shorter lines and access to a whole lot more. Exclusive perks will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets are available at: https://nycvendys2013-eorg.eventbrite.com/
This year, in partnership with Brooklyn Brewery and national sponsor Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, the widely popular food truck competition migrates to the exciting waterfront business and creative hub Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, a site with an incredible history of transforming Brooklyn into a major seaport destination.
The Vendys, the first and largest street food event series in the country, is an annual event to benefit the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, a membership-based organization that provides advocacy and legal services for more than 1,500 vendor members. The 2012 Vendy Awards drew a crowd of more than 2,000 people to the intense grill-to-grill cook-off to determine New York’s top street chef. The Vendy Awards, which have been New York City’s most beloved street food competition for nine years, recently announced a major national expansion to include events in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Chicago.
Follow the Vendy Awards on Twitter for the latest news and announcements at @vendyawards, or find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/VendyAwards.
