Every industry has their major annual award show; TV has the Emmys, film has the Oscars, twerkers have the VMAs. Food trucks? We have the Vendys. So far the Vendy’s are city-based, and they are coming to Chicago for the first time this October! 
On October 5 around 1pm, flocks of food trucks and food truck freaks will descend upon Kendall College to enjoy bevvies of food and drink.
What Are The Vendys?
According to their website, the Vendy’s say we can expect:
- A grill-to-grill cook-off where 12-15 of the best street food vendors in
hicago are invited to compete against each other for street food glory. At the event, we’ll have a team of distinguished judges score the finalists and decide who get the coveted Vendy Cup
- General public can also buy tickets to the event; admission includes food from all the participating finalists and UNLIMITED beer from BROOKLYN BREWERY
- Music
- A short ceremony naming the award winners
- Each ticket is also a tax-deductible donation.
Side Dish of Social Good
The Vendys website says some proceeds from the event will go to Slow Food Chicago & Asociación de Vendedores Ambulantes (AVA), which means Association of Mobile Vendors; they’re the group that advocates for the street vendors in areas like Little Village. If any of you were at the IJ Clinic Meeting at U of C (in 2011?, I forget the date, but it was so long ago that Gaztro Wagon was still around and in the food truck politics game) you’ll remember when a group of 20-30 people arrived together, most of whom didn’t speak English but came with their AVA translator who advocated for them during this meeting and helped them to learn the latest information pertinent to their businesses. We were told AVA picked them each up and transported them to the meeting. Incredible social service for these business owners who told stories of marginalization and discrimination.
How To Join
We’ve got our tickets! See you there!
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