I love the Vendy Awards, and I love Vendy Plaza, where you can meet the best and newest street food vendors in New York City. Come support local food entrepreneurs and eat everything they make on Opening Weekend! I am happy to post the full press release. ~Karen Seiger, Markets of New York City
Coconut Curry lime or Jerk Culantro Roasted Corn from Might Edible at Vendy Plaza (Photo courtesy of Vendy Plaza and Mighty Edible)
Sundays Will Get A Lot More Fun With Famed Outdoor Market Vendy Plaza Returning to East Harlem’s La Marqueta on Sunday, May 1st
For Summer 2016, The Vendy Awards Brings Award-Winning, Local Food Vendors Back to East Harlem’s Historic Open Market
What: Opening Day for Vendy Plaza at East Harlem’s La Marqueta
Who: The Vendy Awards/Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, local East Harlem food vendors and Vendy Award winning food trucks, in partnership with Brooklyn Brewery and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito
When: Sunday, May 1st from 12-6pm.
Vendy Plaza will be open from 12-6pm every Sunday from May 1st– October 2016 (closed for Independence Day weekend)
Where: 1616 Park Ave, between 115th and 116th St., East Harlem
Background: The Vendy Awards, New York City’s premier street food competition from the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, will kick-off the second year of Vendy Plaza at La Marqueta on Sunday, May 1st.
Vendy Plaza brings award-winning street-chefs from across the city to East Harlem’s historic
open-air market space every Sunday from May 1st to October 2016. Featuring about 15 vendors each week serving a curation of Vendy-winning mouth-watering, cuisine, as well as local East Harlem food. Participants will also have the chance to enjoy live music inspired by El Barrio and beer from Brooklyn Brewery.
Vendy Plaza is the latest in a series of events organized in partnership with New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to bring new life to La Marqueta Retona, the thriving, vibrant outdoor market, operated by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, located underneath the elevated tracks of the Metro North railroad at 1590 Park Avenue. The space has been a cultural and commercial center for the residents of East Harlem for nearly 100 years and for decades, it served as a location for residents across the city in search of foods they couldn’t find anywhere else.
ABOUT THE STREET VENDOR PROJECT AT THE URBAN JUSTICE CENTER
The Vendy Awards are an annual event organized by the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, a membership-based organization of more than 1,800 active vendors who are working together to create a vendor’s movement for permanent change. SVP’s famed Vendy Awards have determined New York City’s top street chef for 10 years, and have become one of the most beloved and widely-anticipated food events in New York and across the country.