Like the last two years, there’s lots going on with La Cocina’s ~SAN FRANCISCO STREET FOOD FESTIVAL~ coming up August 20th, including the Vote Your Vendor Contest that’s already underway. Now ‘til July 29th, you can vote for your favorite street food vendor, cart, truck, restaurant, or home cook, and the top four will get to participate in the festival for free. Eaters, vote here by July 29th. Potential vendors, the shared booth space is valued at $500, so register here if you want a chance to feed the 50,000 attendees expected at this year’s festival. Winners also receive prep time in La Cocina’s kitchen, and small business training and technical assistance from Wells Fargo and La Cocina. Winners will be announced July 29th at the Media Dinner.
As for the Street Food Festival itself, they’re packing in “all the best food in the Bay Area on one street,” meaning over 30 La Cocina micro-vendors, 25 Bay Area owner-operated restaurants, 5 formerly informal entrepreneurs, at least 10 of the best local food trucks, and, as special guests, 6 mobile vendors hand-picked from across the country. The event is scheduled for August 20th from 11am-7pm on Folsom St. from 22nd to 26th Streets, with communal seating on adjacent streets. It’s free for the public to attend, and all food will be under $8—half will be under $3. TIP: make sure you go with at least a couple people so you can share bites and taste more dishes.
Participants include Lucero Muñoz (bacon-wrapped hot dogs), Chaac Mool, El Buen Comer, Alicia’s Tamales, Estrellita’s Snacks, Sweets Collection (jello shots), and restaurants like Flour + Water and The Slanted Door. The six out-of-town mobile vendors, who are donating all profits to La Cocina, are Big-Ass Sandwiches (Portland), Skillet Street Food (Seattle), Global Soul (Los Angeles), Schnitzel and Things (New York), Ingrid’s Lunch Box (Madison), and Along Came a Slider (Austin). Plus Rye on the Road will be pouring Amstel Lights and Skyy drinks.
Passports for the Street Food Festival range from $50-$250, purchased online. Each passport comes with a souvenir Street Food journal, secret treats for passport holders, and you’ll save some dough, but all vendors accept cash too.
The festival benefits La Cocina, the business incubator helping low-income food entrepreneurs create successful and sustainable small businesses. La Cocina will also host the National Street Food Conference August 21st-August 22nd at Fort Mason Center, focusing on the culture, economics, and policy of street food with an extended look at small business incubation nationally. It all starts with brunch hosted by Top Chef Masters contestant Suvir Saran, and will continue with panels and breakout sessions on everything from writing about street food to marketing your own food truck. Guests include Gilt Taste editor Francis Lam, and Pulitzer Prize-winning LA Weekly critic Jonathan Gold.
Marcia Gagliardi is a freelance food writer in San Francisco. She writes a weekly column, Foodie 411 for the SFCVB on their “Taste” site; a monthly gossip column, “The Tablehopper” for The Northside; and regular features for Edible San Francisco. Her first book came out in March 2010: The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion.
