Anthony Bourdain, the renowned chef, author, TV host and street food enthusiast has recorded a short video statement supporting the campaign to create more permits for New York City street vendors. In the video, Bourdain calls for more permits because “there is nothing more vital to a city and a city’s health then good street food and more of it.”
For many generations New Yorkers have used street vending as a flexible means for self-employment. From the classic hot dog and pretzel carts to the now popular Falafel carts, street food vendors have become a symbol of NYC. Unfortunately, a 30-year-old cap on city vendor permits has created an exploitative and expensive black market in vending permits and has forced many to work illegally, risking arrest and confiscation of their pushcarts and even the possibility of deportation.
The Street Vendor Project has been working to lift the permit cap and has sponsored the #LiftTheCaps campaign to get vendors out from the shadows and bring thousands of good jobs to the city. Below is a link to a video, and a statement from The Street Vendor Project. Let me know if this is something you would be interested in highlighting, we can put you in contact with advocates and vendors at SVP.
“It’s time that New York stops ignoring its vibrant and growing street food industry. For too long, food vendors have been exploited and stifled by an arbitrary and outdated permit cap. We applaud the internationally renowned chef and street food enthusiast, Anthony Bourdain for joining us in our call to lift the permit cap and allow for more permits that would legitimize thousands of vendors and create great new jobs,” Sean Basinski, Director of the Street Vendor Project at The Urban Justice Center.
