And The Winners Of The 2016 Vendy Awards Are…

Making Monks Meats Vegan Sliders at the 2016 Vendy Awards

New York, NY – The results are in, and NYC has crowned 2016’s Top Street Chef. More than 2,000 foodies flocked to Governors Island to cast their votes at the 12th annual Vendy Awards, where Tacos el Rancho took home the top prize: the coveted Vendy Cup.

The winners in all six categories are:

The Vendy Cup: Tacos el Rancho!
People’s Choice: Cachapas on Wheels
Rookie of the Year: Mr. Bing
Best Market Vendor: Big Mozz
Best Dessert Vendor: The Good Batch
Best Vegan Vendor: Mysttik Masaala
People’s Choice Vegan Vendor: Monk’s Meat

Los Viajeros Taco Truck At the 2016 Vendy Awards And On A Corner Near You

“Congratulations to this year’s Vendy Awards winners and finalists! We are proud to work with so many street vendors who are expanding the food landscape and making New York City a more exciting and flavorful place,” said Sean Basinski, Director, Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center.

“Every year, our winners and finalists represent the diverse community of street vendors in this city, and we hope to see more opportunities for people who want to start street-based small businesses through our campaign to lift the caps on vending permits. We look forward to next year’s Vendy Awards, and continuing to create a space to celebrate the hard work of these vendors. Here’s to taco trucks on every corner!” said Basinski.

The all-star panel of judges included:

Julia Moskin: New York Times Dinning Reporter
Helen Hollyman: Editor-in-Chief of MUNCHIES, VICE’s food website
Chitra Agrawal: Founder of Brooklyn Delhi, an award-winning Indian condiments company
Daniel Holzman: Chef and owner of The Meatball Shop
Nicole A. Taylor: Host of Hot Grease, a food culture podcast, and is the author of The UpSouth Cookbook: Chasing Dixie in a Brooklyn Kitchen
Chef Chloe Coscarell, special guest judge for Vegan Category: Chef and owner of “By Chloe” restaurants and first vegan winner of the Food Network’s reality-competition series “Cupcake Wars”
Chef Adam Sobel, special guest judge for Vegan Category: Chef and owner of the 4-time Vendy award-winning Cinnamon Snail food truck

This year’s awards also honored a former Vendy’s finalist and now restaurant empire, The Halal Guys, with the “Hero Award” for their philanthropic efforts. Earlier this year, the owners gave a $30,000 donation to LaGuardia Community College in Queens to provide scholarships to students. Mohamed Abouelenein, President and co-founder of The Halal Guys, has three children who studied at LaGuardia Community College, and The Halal Guys continue to operate a cart outside the college.

The Vendy Awards 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 nearly 2,000 vendor members. The Vendys’ modest beginnings took place in 2005 in an East Village garage; today, the nation’s first street food event has expanded across the country to include events in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

[All photos by James Wesolowski for MarketsOfNewYork.com)

ABOUT THE STREET VENDOR PROJECT AT THE URBAN JUSTICE CENTER

The Vendy Awards, the first and largest street food event series in the country, are an annual event organized by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, a membership-based organization of more than 1,800 active vendors who are working together to create a vendor movement for permanent change. SVP’s famed Vendy Awards have determined New York City’s top street chef for eleven years, and have become one of the most beloved and widely-anticipated food events in New York and across the country. The money raised by the events supports the non-profit Street Vendor Project in its advocacy work to promote street food and the people who sell it.

The Street Vendor Project is part of the Urban Justice Center, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation and advocacy to various marginalized groups of New Yorkers. Follow the Street Vendor Project on Twitter at @VendorPower.