Street Vendor Project adds street drink category to Vendy Awards

Street vendors who hawk lemonade, bubble tea and arroz con leche will finallyhave a chance for glory at this September’s Vendy Awards.

The 11th Annual street food competition is Sept. 12 on Governor’s Island. The $100 general admission ticket lets visitors see the cooking showdown, taste the delicacies and support the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, an advocacy group.

“Vendors that focus only on street drinks have never been able to compete at the Vendys because it didn’t make sense for them,” Zeina Muna, managing director of the Vendy Awards, told Metro.

“In talking to many people and fans about how they consume street food and interact with their favorite vendors we found a lot of people love a particular drink that they get on the way to work, or have a great relationship with their coffee cart vendor across the street from the office.”

The five finalists competing in the street drinks category are Tea+Milk, Renegade Lemonade, Catalina’s Champurrado, CoCo & Co, and Best Juice Uptown.