Yesterday the Sun reported that City Hall is poised to expand Vancouver’s street food menu by launching a pilot project this summer that will allow mobile kitchens on wheels to operate alongside our existing hotdog and chestnut carts.
The move will likely expand the menu available on city sidewalks from pre-cooked packaged foods such as hotdogs to more freshly prepared fare. The city soon will issue a call for expressions of interest seeking vendors who want to offer streetside food service, according to the acting manager of streets administration…
…Vending trucks are governed by national standards, the same standards that apply to mobile catering, according to health protection manager Angelo Kouris of Vancouver Coastal Health. [Vancouver Sun]
I posted this link on Twitter and received the following responses from my readers:
From @Vancouver: What do u want to see? Minidonuts? Tacos?
From @doublePinc: Bring on the street tacos!
From @TravizBonez: Can’t wait, bring on the food! Yum!
From @jpiwowar: This should be awesome
From @Hez: Foot-dragging suits should buy us all lunch 4 makin us wait
From @ littlemisskelli: That’s fantastic news! I’m always jealous when I read about other cities’ mobile treats. There’s even a dim sum truck in LA!
Having spent this past week in New York I can say that there sure is no shortage of roadside munchies here; from falafel and warm pretzels to the flame-grilled shish kabob and soft-serve ice cream trucks.
In downtown Vancouver we have lineups out the door at two types of places: Babylon Cafe (with shawarma, gyros, falafel etc.) and anywhere that serves ramen.
I’m expecting to see those types of foods take to the streets or anything fusion given the success of Japadog. The pilot project will launch in July.
Update August 2010 With the project now launched, the following is a map of the 17 vendor locations around Vancouver.
East Side of 200 Howe St – 100 metres North of W Cordova St
Wong, To Choi – Chinese Dim Sum
South Side of 400 W Georgia St – 12 metres East of Richards St
Lee, Yong Sook – Korean food with meat and vegetarian options
North Side of 700 W Cordova St – 14 metres East of Howe St
Revuelta Cue, Arturo – Burritos, whole wheat, rice, beans, sauces, fillings
East Side of 700 Homer St – 20 metres South of W Georgia St
Yong, Ming Cheak – chicken salad with lettuce, tomato. Fruit cup with melon, kiwi and mixed fruit.
East Side of 700 Hornby St – 22 metres South of W Georgia St
Kaisaris, Michael – Southern BBQ, Rice, Veggies
South Side of 700 W Georgia St – 20 metres West of Granville St
Li, Hongyu – Traditional Chinese and Japanese Cuisine
South Side of 900 W Hastings St – 24 metres East of Burrard St
Fang, Emily – Skewers of beef and pork
West Side of 1100 Burrard St – 28 metres South of Helmcken St
Samaei Motlag, Babak – Greek Donair
West Side of 1100 Burrard St – 25 metres North of Davie St
Yeo, Allan – Modern Satay Barbeque
South Side of 2000 Beach Av – 30 metres West of Chilco St
Zhao, Mei Liing – Fresh squeezed Lemonade
East Side of 600 Granville St – 50 metres North of W Georgia St
Ip, Derek – Fresh Bakery
West Side of 600 Granville St – 95 metres North of W Georgia St
Rodgers, Katie – Healthy meals & snacks, roll ups, sandwiches
East Side of 6400 Cambie St – 20 metres North of W 49th Ave
Yien, Alan – speciality noodles
East Side of 1300 Main St – 12 metres North of Terminal Ave
St. Denis, Jean Francois – Falafel
West Side of 1100 Station St, or West Side of 400 Burrard St
Morra, Giorgio – Authentic Italian stone ground pizza
West Side of 1200-1300 Arbutus St, or North Side of 1000 W Georgia St
Duprey, David – Fresh & frozen fruits, chocolate dipped fruits
West Side of 1400 NW Marine Dr, or East Side of 800 Hornby St
Kosmowski, Roman – Central European foods from Poland, Russia, using local organic products, borscht, schnitzel, kosher
Vancouver’s first Cupcake Challenge is taking over the Roundhouse in Yaletown on Sunday June 20th, filling it with sprinkles, frosting, and some healthy competition.
What Vancouver’s 1st Cupcake Challenge Who Various cupcakes bakers and businesses in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland Where Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown When June 20th, 2010 from 11:00am – 3:30pm
The event is free for the public, $50 for vendors table before June 4th ($75 following June 4th, 2010). Vendors must have an operating business license and be able to provide samples for judging. Contact Nicole[at]NicoleMarieEvents.ca for more information.
Vancouver’s the perfect town for a cupcake competition as a) there are plenty of foodies around b) we’ve kept Cupcakes in business, and now they have their own reality series c) we’ve hosted CupcakeCamp.
The competition itself will have a panel of judges who will decide the Best Exhibitor Cupcake and there will also be a People’s Choice Award for the Best Cupcake. Each will have two categories for both chain and non-chain cupcake vendors.
Cupcake bakers from across the Lower Mainland are invited to take part by showcasing their creations, services, products and other promotional material.
It will combine a bake-off with a tradeshow for all things cupcake. Pass this along to someone you know someone in the cupcake or baking business and be sure to stop by for the challenge on the 20th.
Update June 17, 2010 As confirmed by one of the organizers in the comments below, there will be cupcake samples to purchase at the event on Sunday.
John introduced me to LCD Soundsystem a few years ago and their songs are the perfect addition to anyone’s iTunes playlist (and always a treat when they come up mid-shuffle).
The idea is to register yourself, your workplace or your friends and raise funds while wearing your loudest, wackiest, craziest shirt possible. Think Jeans Day but for another cause and with crazy prints.
The Jessie Awards (for theatre achievements in Vancouver) will take place June 21st, 2010. Tonight in a special ceremony the nominees for the 28th annual event were announced.
Ryan Beil has been nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (Large Theatre) for his performances in Billy Bishop (Arts Club) and The Comedy of Errors (Bard on the Beach). He is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role (Small Theatre) for American Buffalo (Main Street Theatre Equity Co-op).
Outstanding Production (Large Theatre) nominees:
Beyond Eden, Playhouse Theatre Company (co-production with Theatre Calgary)
Billy Bishop Goes to War, Arts Club Theatre Company (co- production with Persephone Theatre)
Les Miserables, Arts Club Theatre Company
The Comedy of Errors, Bard on the Beach
The Miracle Worker, Playhouse Theatre Company
Outstanding Production (Small Theatre) nominees:
after homelessness (Headlines Theatre)
American Buffalo (Main Street Theatre Equity Co-op)
Palace of the End (Touchstone Theatre/Felix Culpa/Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre)
The Edward Curtis Project (Presentation House Theatre)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Blackbird Theatre)
In the Large Theatre category, the Vancouver Playhouse leads the pack with 20 nominations in total thanks to Beyond Eden with 8 alone. The Arts club as 18 total nominations with Les Miserables with 7 of those. Bard on the Beach has 15 total nominations with Comedy of Errors bringing in 5 of those. For Small Theatre, Blackbird Theatre has 6 nominations for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Tickets for theJessies ceremony are available for $26.75 from Ticketmaster and will be held at the Commodore Ballroom.
