Vendy Awards Add a Special “Vegan” Category

The 12th Annual Vendy Awards has added a vegan category to this year’s event, which will take place on Governors Island in New York City on Saturday, September 17. Dubbed “The Oscars of street food for real New Yorkers” by superstar chef Mario Batali, the Vendys are America’s first street food competition series. Every year, the event features a cook-off between the best sidewalk chefs working out of food carts and trucks in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. “In addition to making the Vendy Awards a more inclusive event,” said Debra Stein, managing director of the Vendy Awards, “the new ‘vegan’ category is a way to show that street food is also part of important discussions about food choices.” The six vegan vendors who made this year’s NYC finalists’ list are Bamboo Bites, Monks Meat, Jerk Shack, Mysttik Masaala, Vegan Bandwagon, and Yeah Dawg. Tickets entitle attendees to all-you-can-eat street food, bottomless drinks, live entertainment, and a chance to cast a ballot for the People’s Choice Award. Proceeds from the event go to the Street Vender Project, which helps street vendors succeed.