The Official release from City of Vancouver…

photo by Wai Lam, www.604food.com

International flavours offered for Vancouver streets
Close to 800 applications and food offerings representing an estimated 21 countries and cultural backgrounds have resulted in new and exciting food choices for the 17 new locations under the City’s expanded street food pilot program.

“The enthusiasm of Vancouver’s small businesses and the public interest in the expanded street-food program has been overwhelming,” Mayor Gregor Robertson said. “The popularity of this is a clear indication that people want to see a wide range of food on our streets and they want the offerings to reflect the cuisine of our culturally diverse city. “We’ve got a world-class city and people want a world-class street food scene to match.”

Countries represented by applicants and menus include Afghani, Chinese, Cambodian, French, Greek, Indian, Iranian/Persian, Italian, Jamaican/Caribbean, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese, Malaysian, Mexican, Polish, Taiwanese, Thai, Tibetan, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. The proposed offerings also include regional West Coast food including local fruit and salmon.

During a lottery draw Friday morning, applicants were selected for 17 new food-vending locations. An alternate vendor was also selected for each space in the event a business is unable to launch their cart service.

Under the plan, successful vendors should be prepared to begin operations by July 31, menu offerings should be nutritional and healthy, and vendors should have a plan to manage waste. Vancouver Coastal Health must approve food handling practices for all food-vending carts.

“As we head into the heart of the summer season and welcome visitors to Vancouver, our city will be more alive and inviting with the new foods vendors will bring to our streets,” Mayor Robertson added. “Given the amount of interest we’ve had for this initial launch, we’ll definitely be looking at ways to expand food cart options across Vancouver even more.” A number of existing food vendors have also expressed an interest in varying their menus to add to the diversification of the city’s street-food menu.

City staff called on the expertise of colleagues at Vancouver Coastal Health to conduct a nutritional screening of food offerings proposed by applicants. Vancouver Coastal Health professionals will continue to work with City staff to maximize the nutritional value of the products offered by the vendors selected for the 17 locations.

The expanded food vending pilot program is part of a long-term plan to expand street food options in Vancouver and add more carts to City and private property. The first phase, now underway, only includes City sidewalks and curbside locations.

Food Cart 2010 Lottery Backgrounder

Winners marked with a W, Alternates marked with an A

DT54 – East Side of 200 Howe St – 100 metres North of W Cordova St
(W) Wong, To Choi – Chinese Dim Sum
(A) Simkin, Karen

DT55 – South Side of 400 W Georgia St – 12 metres East of Richards St
(W) Lee, Yong Sook – Korean food with meat and vegetarian options
(A) Emmott, Jenny

DT57 – North Side of 700 W Cordova St – 14 metres East of Howe St
(W) Revuelta Cue, Arturo – Burritos, whole wheat, rice, beans, sauces, fillings
(A) Dhanoa, Bobby

DT58 – East Side of 700 Homer St – 20 metres South of W Georgia St
(W) Yong, Ming Cheak – chicken salad with lettuce, tomato. Fruit cup with melon, kiwi and mixed fruit.
(A) Liu, Hang

DT59 – East Side of 700 Hornby St – 22 metres South of W Georgia St
(W) Kaisaris, Michael – Southern BBQ, Rice, Veggies
(A) Te, Richard

DT60 – South Side of 700 W Georgia St – 20 metres West of Granville St
(W) Li, Hongyu – Traditional Chinese and Japanese Cuisine
(A) Te, Maria

DT61 – South Side of 900 W Hastings St – 24 metres East of Burrard St
(W) Fang, Emily – Skewers of beef and pork
(A) Chow, Benson

DT62 – West Side of 1100 Burrard St – 28 metres South of Helmcken St
(W) Samaei Motlag, Babak – Greek Donair
(A) Jalalzada, Mohammad

DT63 – West Side of 1100 Burrard St – 25 metres North of Davie St
(W) Yeo, Allan – Modern Satay Barbeque
(A) Thomas, Regina

EB03 – South Side of 2000 Beach Av – 30 metres West of Chilco St
(W) Zhao, Mei Liing – Fresh squeezed Lemonade
(A) Rowles, Sharon

GM20 – East Side of 600 Granville St – 50 metres North of W Georgia St
(W) Ip, Derek – Fresh Bakery
(A) Horsley, Melissa

GM21 – West Side of 600 Granville St – 95 metres North of W Georgia St
(W) Rodgers, Katie – Healthy meals & snacks, roll ups, sandwiches
(A) Kirpik, Berkan

OD16 – East Side of 6400 Cambie St – 20 metres North of W 49th Ave
(W) Yien, Alan – speciality noodles
(A), Rieche, Fraser

OD19 – East Side of 1300 Main St – 12 metres North of Terminal Ave
(W) St. Denis, Jean Francois – Falafel
(A) Lurtz, Cedric

C1 – West Side of 1100 Station St, or West Side of 400 Burrard St
(W) Morra, Giorgio – Authentic Italian stone ground pizza
(A) Charach, Michael

C2 – West Side of 1200-1300 Arbutus St, or North Side of 1000 W Georgia St
(W) Duprey, David – Fresh & frozen fruits, chocolate dipped fruits
(A) Chan, Calvin

C3 – West Side of 1400 NW Marine Dr, or East Side of 800 Hornby St
(W) Kosmowski, Roman – Central European foods from Poland, Russia, using local organic products, borscht, schnitzel, kosher
(A) Edra, Imee