After a stunning debut, the Vendy Awards are returning to Philadelphia. On July 28th, at The Lot @39^th and Market, we’ll determine the best street food vendor in Philadelphia while raising money for The Food Trust.

THE VENDYS ARE:

• An intense cook-off between the best sidewalks chefs in the city.
• A festival of respect and gratitude for all vendors and everything they provide us–from your morning coffee (half-and-half, two sugars) to the $2 umbrella when you get caught in the thunderstorm.
• A fundraiser for The Food Trust, a non-profit organization that strives to make healthy food available to all.

This Year’s Finalists:

TACOS DON MEMO

Chef/Owner: Leo Saavedra
Where are you from: Guerrero, MX
What kind of food do you serve?: authentic Mexican
Specialties: tacos and burritos, al pastor
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know:I came to the USA in 1998 with my father and went to culinary school in New York. In 2000 I came to Philadelphia to work at a Japanese restaurant. In 2007 I opened my cart-it was hard, but right away the people came because they loved the food. I have built a following; I have customers who eat my food 3 times a week.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: The food I make is different –it is authentic, it isn’t tex-mex–I create the same flavors that I grew up with and share them with Philadelphia. My food is delicious, fresh, and full of flavor.

LIL DAN’S GOURMET

Owners/Chef: Laura Owens & Dan Pennachietti/Nate Pennachietti 
Where are you from: Philadelphia
What kind of food do you serve?: Italian and American
Specialties:
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know:we opened the Business in memory of Our son (Lil Dan) after he passed away September 21st 2005
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: We are dedicated to making our customers happy! Nothing else.

VERNALICIOUS

Owners: Verna Swerdlow/ David Jurkofsky
Where are you from: We are both from Philadelphia suburbs
What kind of food do you serve?: Eclectic comfort foods
Specialties: Pulled pork grilled cheese- Banh mi
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: We should win the Vendy Award based on the whole package. We have great food, great customer service, and we are team players with our compadres. Ultimately we are not competitive with others, only with ourselves. We have a goal of providing fresh & classic comfort foods, with a smile. I’m also thinking that we are the only mobile food vendors in Philly that can get our fans to sing, dance, do stupid human tricks and deliver jokes on cue.

THE SMOKE TRUCK

Chef/Owners: Mark A Coates, Chef/Co-owner; Chris Martino, Co-owner
Where are you from: Central Mississippi
What kind of food do you serve: Traditional Southern BBQ and soul food
Specialties: Carolina Chopped Pork BBQ
What I want the world to know: That they can get world class BBQ right off a truck in Philadelphia, PA!!
Why should we win the Vendy Award:Because we are the best…..

DELICIAS

Chef/Owner(s): Siu-Lien Fung/ Carlos Perez
Where are you from: Venezuela
What kind of food do you serve?: Arepas and Venezuelan food
Specialties: Arepas: Corn flour patty split and filled with deliciousness and Choripan: Spicy Chorizo sandwich with sweet platains and caramelized onions.
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know:We love Venezuelan food and we want everyone to love it as well. Our arepas are gluten free and we offer a wide variety of fillings including vegetarian.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award? Because we love what we do. Our food is healthy, unique and delicious.

THE KING OF FALAFEL

Chef/Owners: Nabil & Hined Akkeh
Where are you from: Syria
What kind of food do you serve?: Middle Eastern Food
Specialties: Falafel.
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know:We were both electrical engineers back in Syria.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: We helped introduce Philadelphia to Middle Eastern food. When we started we were one of the very few serving this kind of food, now it is everywhere—on the streets and in restaurants—but our customers keep coming back to us. They come back because we serve healthy and affordable food made from good ingredients. We soak and grind our chickpeas to make our falafel and hummus—we don’t use mixes or pre-made food, everything is made by us from high quality, fresh ingredients—that is our tradition and you can taste the difference.

FOO TRUCK

Chef/Owners: George Pan
Where are you from: Philadelphia
What kind of food do you serve?: Asian Inspired hand-held creations called Foowiches
Specialties: Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai,
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: Foo Truck is changing the way Asian foods (Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Thai) are consumed. From our Vietnamese-inspired Lemongrass Chicken to our Thai-inspired Green Curry Quinoa, no chopsticks or plastic forks required! Our Asian Inspired Hand-Held creations have modified traditional Asian foods into true Philly “STREET FOO.”

YUMTOWN

Chef/Owner(s): Elaine Belmont & Andrew Tantisunthorn
Where are you from: Elaine is from Huntsville, Alabama and Andrew is from Washington, D.C.
What kind of food do you serve?: We serve a locally sourced seasonal menu influenced by Southern, Mexican and
Asian cuisines.
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know: The art of cooking is our means of connecting to the community. Our food enables a conversation between the growers and crafts people who supply our ingredients and the customers who enjoy them.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: Our menu is small but our skills and our ideas are broad and exciting. we offer enticing meals and coupled with our commitment to fair food and farming, we help create a new normal for what people can expect from a food truck.

DESSERT FINALISTS

LIL POP SHOP

Chef/Owners: Jeanne Chang, Chef & owner and Vince Tseng, owner
Where are you from: Jeanne comes to Philadelphia via California and Durham. Vince currently lives in London and is also from California.
What kind of food do you serve?: Delicious Popsicles
Specialties: Popsicles featuring the best local produce and dairy from the Philadelphia area in unique flavor combinations. Currently on our menu: Cantaloupe Rose, Goat Cheese with Black Raspberries and Honey, Chocolate with Salted Caramel Brownie. In the works: Creamy Corn with Creme Fraiche, Creamy Plum with Lavender and Honey, White Nectarine and Ginger, Mango with Lemon Verbena and Curry, and Blue cheese with Spodee soaked figs.
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know: Lil’ Pop Shop is bringing popsicles back from the dark side. No artificial dyes or syrups are used. Our pops are made with seasonal local produce and hormone free local dairy. Our flavors change weekly with the farmers’ market bounty.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendys? We believe that popsicles can be better and strive to make the best popsicle for all to enjoy. Whether you are a child and want something more straight forward like Raspberry Yogurt, a health enthusiast searching for a cool healthy treat, or a foodie thrill seeker, we have a flavor waiting for you. Regardless of your palate’s preferences, your popsicle will be hand made using only the best ingredients.

SUGAR PHILLY

Chef/Owners: John Suh, Franklin Shen, Dan Tang (chef)
Where are you from: Philadelphia
What kind of food do you serve?: Desserts (“Gourmet”)
Specialties: French Macarons
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know:Our food truck Sheila was once a mail postal truck outside the World Trade Center
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: French Macarons, enough said.

LITTLE BABY’S ICE CREAM

Chef/Owner: Pete Angevine, Martin Brown, Jeffrey Ziga
Name of business: Little Baby’s Ice Cream
Years in business: 1
Where are you from: East Kensington, Philadelphia
What kind of food do you serve?: Small-Batch, Hand-Made, Super-Premium Ice Cream & Non-Dairy Frozen Desserts!
Specialties: Imagination! Humor! Craft!
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know: Ice Cream is a Feeling.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: Little Baby’s recognizes Ice Cream as a universal catalyst for joyful diversion and a stoked local community. We are happy to connect with the rich Ice Cream history in Philadelphia and link it with our unique vision for the future. This is a special time.

SWEET BOX

Chef/Owners: Gretchen Fantini
Name of business: Sweet Box
Where are you from: Philadelphia
What kind of food do you serve?: Premium ingredient cupcakes…and more.
Specialties: Every single cupcake is special because they truly are Made with Love, but the favorite is my Southern Red Velvet. It is a cocoa buttermilk cake made with a Madagascar bourbon vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Tell us something about you or your business that you want the world to know: Before starting my sweets-to-the-streets business, my previous profession was in the legal field. Don’t wait any longer, follow your heart and make it a reality.
Why do you deserve to win the Vendy Award?: I might not be able to win us the Super Bowl but I can make Philadelphians happy by creating modern desserts that not only look good but taste just as good. I am committed to bring that high standard that they look for in every single dessert that I make.