The Fry Guy - closed

From AJC.com:

“An enforcer with the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness made the rounds of Poncey-Highland’s burgeoning street-food corridor today and shut down all vendors serving hot food in the middle of their lunch rush.

“We were told we could serve our food as long as we weren’t preparing it on the street,” said Leslie Santiago, who runs the weekends-only El Burro Pollo burrito stand with her husband, Hector.  “But today they told us we needed to have a license, even on private property.”

The Santiagos, who also operate a morning French toast stand, quickly moved the operation inside to their Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop across the street.

Also shut down was the Atlanta Fry Guy, one block away. The King of Pops, an ice pop push cart, stayed open.

Santiago named a supervisor at the Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness whom she was told had ordered the shutdown. Calls to the health department went unanswered, as the offices are closed on Saturday.

According to the department’s website, it is simultaneously a county agency and a district in the state public health system. Fulton is the only county that has this distinction.”

Way to go Atlanta.  Keeping things in the Dark Ages.  Will somebody please talk some sense into these people!

King of Pops - open

Lechonera La Unica - New Haven

Authorities in New Haven are revoking the vending permits of two food trucks after one vendor pulled a knife on another, who promptly responded by pulling out a gun.  Gives the term “food fight” a whole new meaning. [New Haven Independent]

Nobody was injured in the fight, but if they were, we’re sure they would have wanted to be taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, which has a thriving international food cart scene right outside.

A few of the many Yale New Haven Hospital food vendors

(more…)

We recently told you about the Atlanta Street Food Coalition, who are trying to get restrictive city and state laws changed to “help jump start a thriving urban street food scene that brings casual, affordable, delicious food options to our streets and promote the city itself as a food culture destination.”  Here are two of the potential food trucks working towards this goal.

One of the food trucks hoping to be open this spring or summer are Sheik Burritos n Kabobs, a brick-and-mortar restaurant that fuses Persian and Southwestern cuisine inside a burrito.   The Sheik is interested in rolling out a mobile unit as part of his concept.  The Sheik’s mission statement says it all. – “No longer will the kind people of the south struggle to find a decent meal at an indecent hour! No longer will fast-food be synonymous with unhealthy dog-food! No longer will gourmet food take hours of your time, max out your credit card, or require you to wear a shirt and tie!”  You can tell he’s really into it.

Another hopeful food trucker is Hayley Richardson, one of the driving forces behind the coalition, who is looking to launch the Artichoke Bliss cart with regionally-sourced, farm fresh and seasonal products.  

Artichoke Bliss cart

If you would like to help, you can sign their petition here.  New York Street Food signed this petition a few weeks ago, and you should too if you love street food.  You don’t have to be from Atlanta.

Help Legalize Street Food in Atlanta!

A petition has been circulating around Atlanta calling on the Mayor, City Council and Georgia State Representatives to revise the restrictive vending laws in order to allow street food to be sold in a “food cart zone” in downtown Atlanta.

A coalition of vendors, businesspeople, and street food enthusiasts are behind the drive to “help jump start a thriving urban street food scene that brings casual, affordable, delicious food options to our streets and promote the city itself as a food culture destination.

The petition is aiming to gather 1,000 signatures, and so far has over 550 signatures.  The petition can be viewed and signed here.  I was signer #417.

Sonoran hot dog (bacon-wrapped with black beans, cucumber cole slaw, queso and lime mayo)

If you’re interested in the flavors and tastes of street food but want a restaurant experience, a new place has opened in the Roswell section of Atlanta called Autentico Inc Street Food.  The open kitchen looks like a street cart, and the menu starts with hot dogs, tacos, tamales, pupusas and other food from the streets and takes them to another level.

This restaurant won’t please street food purists, but we assume your date would prefer to sit in an air-conditioned restaurant and be served than eat outside standing up.  Save that for going out with your friends. [Metromix Atlanta]

Pork tamales with guajilo salsa and crema fresca

For another take on pupusas, here’s an older post, including instructions and a recipe from Rafael Soler, founder of Soler Dominican, a 2008 Vendy Award Finalist.  He was on Martha Stewart last year and showed her how to make his award-winning pupusas. [New York Street Food]

Pupusas