New York ‘Street Meat' Contest Will Pick City's Best Food Vendor

NEW YORK, Aug. 17 -- Five New York City vendors will compete for the title of tastiest purveyor of street food, a contest that celebrity chef Mario Batali has called "the Oscars of the food of the real New Yorker."

The finalists offer dishes that reflect New York's ethnic makeup, including Indian kati rolls, Jamaican jerk chicken and Mexican tacos. None of New York's ubiquitous hot-dog sellers was among the finalists for the Vendy Awards.

"The dirty-water dog is beloved in New York, but it's not a destination," Amy Kantrowitz, a pastry chef who serves as managing director of the awards, said. "People write in because of the food they travel across town to go to."

The Vendy has been given annually since 2005 by the Street Vendor Project, an advocacy group for the 3,000 licensed vendors of what some New Yorkers call "street meat." Finalists are selected from about 1,000 nominations submitted online; the winner is chosen by a panel of judges.

A People's Taste Award will be selected by a vote at the awards' final cook-off, Sept. 26 at the Queens Museum of Art. The award carries no prize money. "It's the glory of the thing," said Kantrowitz, noting that past winners have built on their moment of fame to expand their networks of carts or move into storefront restaurants, she said.

Judges this year include chocolatier Jacques Torres; Pichet Ong, chef at P Ong; and Graffiti chef Jehangir Mehta. Nonprofessional judges include Zach Brooks, founder of the blog Midtown Lunch, Kantrowitz said.