Kevin.The.Great/FlickrA bacon-wrapped hot dog cart will go above-ground for a day.San Francisco's Street Food Festival -- sister event to Oakland's Eat Real Festival -- will turn three of the Mission's best-known unlicensed food hawkers legit for a day. As part of the August 22 festival, Crème Brulée Cart, Sexy Soup Lady, and one of the neighborhood's bacon-wrapped hot dog vendors will sell food they've prepped at La Cocina Community Kitchen, the small-business incubator for low-income minorit
At a lunch at La Cocina last week, we spoke with director Caleb Zigas and a handful of the incubator kitchen's clients about the phenomenon of new-wave Mission street-food vendors, and what they might have in common with more traditional food vendors. Much of the conversation focused on the challenges all home-based food businesses face when they try to score the proper permits and business licenses to go legit, a process Zigas calls moving from the "informal" to the "formal" economy.
On
Vendor "Luke" (in glasses) surrounded by police officers Saturday.At the San Francisco Street Food Festival Saturday, police shut down and threatened to cite a street food vendor -- an ironic turn of events for a day devoted in part to educating attendees about the difficulties of becoming a licensed food entrepreneur in this town.
First-time vendor Don't Forget Your Lunch wasn't one of the fest's approved sellers, according to co-proprietor Luke (we've changed his name to protect his id
M. BrodyBig crowds showed up for the Eat Real Festival in Oakland.Some 70,000 people showed up for last weekend's Eat Real Festival, according to the event's communications director. Susan Coss said the busiest day was Saturday, which had the longest program of the three-day dual celebration of street food and sustainable food systems. "Thankfully the space was large enough to accommodate so many people so it didn't feel oppressively crowded," Coss told SFoodie.
The biggest surprise to o
Phillie Casablanca/FlickrWith weekday foot traffic and proximity to the 18th Street food scene, Dolores Park is prime ground for vendors.Yesterday's deadline to submit proposals for mobile food vending in San Francisco parks suggested there's stiff competition for the steep swath of green that's become Ground Zero for street food in the city: Dolores Park.
SFoodie spoke with two major players who bid for Rec and Park contracts to manage pushcarts in Dolores Park: sustainable hot dog comp
kawitting/FlickrPace yourself -- you don't want to wake up looking like this Tuesday morning.On Monday night, explore Day of the Dead, with a splash of Halloween. La Cocina is devising an evening of Yucatecan food by Chaac Mool's Luis Vazques, and there'll be potent mezcal drinks. The mysteries of mescal -- including whether to spell it with an s or a z -- will all be revealed, and chef Vazques is preparing Day of the Dead bread, cochinita pibil, and screaming hot habanero salsa. Mixmaste
stumptownpanda/FlickrDills at the pickle pavilion from last year's Slow Food Nation festival.Want to learn to make your own foodie host or hostess gift, while keeping a steady stash for your own cupboard? The history, science, and health of lacto-fermented foods ranging from sauerkraut to chutney to pickles will be revealed in tasty fashion Wednesday night at La Cocina (2948 Folsom at 25th St.). It's a collaboration with Farmhouse Culture and is for folks 21 and older. You know to wear ki
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