From shared kitchens to the
2008 impact of Kogi BBQ on the food truck revolution to the twitter trucks of
today, social media has been a huge game changer.
Trying to get the outdated
vendor laws changed in Chicago is a balance of policy and politics. Just ask
Alderman Willie Cochran from the 20th ward who is an advocate for
mobile food truck reform.
The history and assessment of
the food climate in both New York and LA made you appreciate what community
builders local street vendors are. Sean Basinski backed that up as founder and
director of the Street Food Project and a street vendor himself, having sold
burritos from a push cart at the corner of 52nd and Park in NYC.
Dr. John Garger, a national
expert on the economic impact of the street vendor, brought a lot of great
insights to the discussion and I will continue to follow his work. Someone that
I thought would simply rattle off statistics was actually really exciting to
listen to.
Also great input from Justine
Large, chef de cuisine at Big Star, Greg Kettles, Deputy Council for Los
Angeles and founder of Open Air Market Network, Samm Patrichos, operator of
Spice Smart Mobile Foods, Gabriel Wiesen, who founded Chicago’s first mobile
gourmet food truck and Heather Shouse, author of Trucks: Dispatched and Recipes
from the Best Kitchen on Wheels, Senior Food and Drink correspondent for Time
Out Chicago and Chicago reporter for Food and Wine Magazine.
Everyone brought an interesting
dynamic to the program and there was not a lightweight in the bunch.
My love affair with street food
goes back to Guadalajara when I was in my early twenties. I began eating off
the street for two reasons- I discovered that the food was good but also very cheap
– a critical issue for a student.
The stands I ate at cooked
everything fresh so the food experience was always high-quality. They were also
super clean. Soon, I discovered a string of 7 food carts – one for each day of
the week.
The thing I loved most
about the street vendors is that they taught me how to cook. Every day I got a free
lesson on how to prepare Mexican food. I studied their techniques and to this
day some of the best Mexican food I make came from lessons I learned in the street.
I support street vendors
because they make an enormous contribution to the cultural and economic fabric
of a city. Just look at Maxwell Street Market.
I went down again this
morning just to remind myself that some of the most authentic and delicious
Mexican comes from the food vendors at this market.
The market bears out the
deep connection that Mexican families have when going from church to the market
every Sunday. The social aspect of the market is by far the most significant
element of all along with the food.
My relationship with the
vendors at the Maxwell Street Market was casual at best until recently. Now
that they have seen my photos and videos and realize that I am just trying to
tell their story, they have let me in.
I am also a frequent diner
at XOCO and Frontera Grill. The bean-to-cup
chocolate is genius and cannot be
duplicated anywhere. The Jicama
Street Snack: Jicama, cucumber, pineapple, fresh lime, and
crushed guajillo chile is a recipe I have tried to make at home but just
doesn’t taste the same.
Whenever I need a fix, I
head to one restaurant or the other depending on my appetite that day. Rick
Bayless has established his brand as the best there is when it comes to classic
Mexican and I buy in because of the quality of his food.
I’ve never thought of
Maxwell Street as being competition for XOCO or Frontera Grill and I am sure
that Bayless doesn’t either. It’s just a different type of food experience. It really
gets down to how much I am willing to spend that day and what I’m in the mood
to eat.
So
what’s the City of Chicago’s position on changing what apparently are the worst
street food laws in the country?
Mayor Emanuel says he is committed to reform so all
eyes on him.
I
would hate to have to book a flight to LA just to get the experience. Have you
seen the cost of flights these days?
Stay
tuned and Bon Appetit!