The other day, I wrote about a fellow hot dogger named Corey Hanks. He runs a cart called Fenway Sausage Works in New Bedford, MA. Or at least he did. The City of New Bedford shut him down on Easter eve. On an ironic note, the cop who shut him down had the last name "Jesus." The city said he wasn't approved for a fixed location. Of course, no one told him he couldn't operate at his location until after they collected $480 in permitting fees from him. So the guy is out all that money, and he needs to find a new location.
Corey reached out to me and asked if I could help him some way, so I wrote a rather scathing, un-objective, one-sided article and sent emails to the mayor, the health inspector, and all the City Councilors. I spoke with two councilors who are sympathetic to Mr. Hanks' situation and they are going to propose a new ordinance that allows mobile food vendors to operate with less restriction in the city.
These things usually take some time to pass as the political process moves at its own pace, but Mr. Hanks and I are both optimistic it will get done. The councilors I spoke with seem enthusiastic about a new ordinance.
I had also planned to write a newspaper article about this and send it out on the wires, but I live nearly 60 miles from New Bedford, so I'm not what you'd call a "local," even though Hot Dog Nation knows no boundaries. I contacted the New Bedford Standard Times and they decided to run with the story! They are sending a reporter out to see Corey this weekend.
While it is too soon to say whether all this will have a happy ending or not, through a little (not so subtle) media pressure, both Mr. hanks and I were able to get his cause, and the cause of all mobile vendors in New Bedford, "out there," and that's a good thing. Corey also tells me he has found a new location in a neighboring community, so that's good too.
I just hope he's set up in time for National Hot Dog Month!
Update on New Bedford Hot Dog Man
Greenway Mobile Food Fest
Info: Free Admission. Rosekennedygreenway.org. (617-292-0020) MBTA: Red Line to South Station.
Sample Boston’s best street food! More than a dozen food trucks gather on the Greenway to celebrate the tastes of the fall harvest. Picnic in the park, and watch as local VIPS and well-known chefs judge each truck’s special pumpkin-themed dish!
Participating food vendors (as of 9/23) include: Kick*ss Cupcakes, Clover Food Lab, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, BBQ Smith, Bon Me, Lefty’s Silver Cart, Staff Meal, Mobile Home, Grilled Cheese Nation, The Dining Car, Equal Exchange Free Range Cafe, Boston Frosty, Ben & Jerry’s, Boston Speeds, and Spoon Truck.
Boston Area Food Trucks Form an Official Association
I opened my Hot Dog Truck in 2004- far ahead of the current food truck wave that is sweeping the nation. Boston is getting into the street food scene with dozens of mobile food vendors gracing the city streets. It appears food trucks are organizing. Here's a press release I received in my email yesterday:
Boston, MA -- Most people love to eat. In fact, here’s a statistic that probably won’t surprise anyone: Almost everyone loves food trucks, the newest trend in “eating out”! According to a survey by Technomic, 91% of those polled say they think food trucks are here to stay, 80% say they’ve bought food from a food truck – and, says Technomic, most people think that the increase in what’s known as “mobile food vehicles”(MFV’s) has only just begun!
Which explains why, in Boston, which has launched a comprehensive, rotating program for food trucks at key locations throughout the city – part of the “Boston Streets” program -- , MFV’s have now formed the Boston Area Food Truck Association, representing most of the Boston-area food truck menus, from gourmet grilled cheese to vegetarian Vietnamese to American burgers and all sorts of desserts, especially cupcakes and fro-yo. Representing over 30 menus – and growing every week—the new Food Truck Association includes most of the food truck vendors in the Boston area.
The Food Truck Association was formed because, throughout the country, in almost every major city, people are welcoming the new era of food trucks with gusto. Finally, says Association president Ron Sarni, “Folks in the Boston area can enjoy the new food truck trend with confidence. We want our organization to be the `Food Truck Stamp of Approval’ for consumers. If you see our Boston Area Food Truck Association logo on a food truck, you can trust that the food you’ll be buying and eating is of the highest quality since we’ve followed all the permitting rules and regulations.”
Where are the food trucks in Boston and how can you find them? The City of Boston has dedicated 15 locations with signage specifically for food trucks in public locations around Boston and on the Rose Kennedy Greenway near the waterfront. Consumers can check the following sites as to who’s where and when:
What delicious eats can you get from food trucks that are participating in the new “Boston Streets” program? Here’s a sampling:
What delicious eats can you get from food trucks that are participating in the new “Boston Streets” program? Here’s a sampling:
· Clover | |
· Lefty’s Silver Cart | |
· Roxy’s Grilled Cheese | |
· The Dining Car | |
· Savory Food Truck |
Generally, here’s where you can find food trucks throughout Boston, seven days a week:
· Boylston Street, in front of Library
· 140 Fenway/end of Forsyth Street
· Clarendon Street (between Newbury & Boylston)
· Back Bay/Pru –Belvidere Street
· Columbus Avenue @ Park Square
· BU/Comm Ave – Morse Aud.
· Stuart Street/Trinity Place
· BU/Comm Ave – near BU Bridge
· Columbus Avenue @ Berlkley Street
· Museum of Fine Arts parking lot
· 1313 Washington Street/Peter’s Park
· Harrison Avenue, across from BMC
· Dorchester, near Ashmont Station
· Washington Street – near Cathedral
· Marine Industrial Park (Dock #3)
· Charlestown Navy Yard
And, if you still have any doubts about food trucks, consider the following:
· Food from a food truck is easy to hold—and eat – seated or standing!
· Everyone’s trying to save a buck or two these days – a meal, snack and/or beverage from a food truck will be about half the price you’d pay at a full-service restaurant.
· Food trucks in Boston are required to keep a distance of 100 yards from a bricks-and-mortar restaurant – so both types of eateries co-exist peacefully.
· Food trucks offer up-and-coming chefs low-cost, entry-level opportunities to start their own businesses.
· Thanks to social media, you can find your favorite food truck anytime, any place.
A trend whose time has come – finally – to Boston. Bon appétit!!
Top 20 College Campus Food Trucks
Veggyhead just graduated high school last week. Now all she has to do is work at J.P.Licks all summer and wait for the fall to roll around-she'll be attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Did I mention she's PRE-MED! A father couldn't be more proud.
She had been considering the Sargent School at Boston University. I was hoping she would go there to be closer to home, but she knows what she's doing. The cool thing about BU would have been her proximity to the Campus Trolley, a funky food cart we visited for Hot Dog Stories last fall.
