[Eug]

Street food revolution housed in shipping containers

I haven't tried this yet, but I will soon. Let's just hope that the City of Toronto doesn't bureaucratize this to death. The good news is that it seems that it is so far so good in terms of city approval:

There’s a street food revolution happening at Dundas and Bathurst outside the Scadding Court Community Centre.

Eight food and two nonfood vendors have set up stalls inside refurbished shipping containers on the extra-wide Dundas St. sidewalk.

They’re selling everything from hot Indian sandwiches and Korean pancakes to grilled cheese sandwiches, bubble tea, crêpes, ethical meat and freshly fried mini doughnuts.

“It has come to light that there’s a whole market in Toronto for different kinds of street food and also food that is accessible and available and not run-of-the-mill food,” says Scadding Court’s executive director Kevin Lee.

The Live Local Marketplace — which runs roughly from Tuesday to Sunday between noon and 7 p.m. — has the city’s blessing.

http://photogallery.thestar.com/1038063

 

[jaycola]

It looks like a bit of heaven for street food lovers.
Unique designs, bright colours, fresh cooked food and place to sit.

I'd let vendors set up on the street in municipal street parking spots dotted throughout the city.

Time for a street food revolution in Toronto.

A whole lot more appealing than the A La Carte dreck they gave us.

Image from Spacing

 

[Hipster Duck]

I haven't tried it out, but I will soon.

It's true that Rob Ford makes David Miller look like the greatest mayor of all time, but I don't think that Ford could royally screw up street food as badly as Miller did with his incredibly nanny state-meddling Toronto a la Cart.

Toronto's greatest appeal to me - as a city lover - was that it was always a great place for DIY, low-budget experimentalism. This was evident in the rest of our city's culture, and was part of our DNA in the way that Italians are stylish and Germans are great engineers. The fact that we couldn't get a food cart program - which is the epitome of being experimental and low budget with food - off the ground in Toronto would be like if the Milanese started wearing Crocs or if Porsche had to recall a car with an exploding gas tank.

 

[ladyscraper]

Thanks for the heads up! This looks a million times better than that "Toronto a la Cart" farce.

 

[Eug]

One of them is an a la Cart vendor actually, but yeah, overall that was a complete disgrace. That cart just keeps reminding me of this:

 

[ShonTron]

I saw the converted shipping containers riding the 505 yesterday morning (I've been biking lately to/from work, spurning the streetcar). They look much closer to the Portland food shacks that do a great job for what they do. Scadfing Court is a bit out of the way for the weekday lunch crowd (except the TWH crowd). I'd love to see this expanded to places like the Queen/Soho lot; anywhere where we have an underutilized public space or surface lots.

 

[Torontovibe]

The Distillery is going to have a street food truck festival on Aug. 20th. (11 am to 3 pm)

 

[Admiral Beez]

Apologies for adding to an old post, but I think there's something amiss with Toronto's street food biz. In most countries, street food is provided by low income entrepreneurs using available means to prepare and cook food. In Toronto, street food is provided by near wealthy folks who can afford tens of thousands of dollars for a truck, and thousands $ more for permits. Should these folks be pushed to simply open a bricks and mortar restaurant?

As for the true street food vendor, perhaps we can find a way to focus on the low income entrepreneur, while still ensuring a sufficient (but not exhaustive) level of hygiene and safety.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Very good point Adm Beez - perhaps it's something the Y can help with - standardizing the equipment and training for low-income participants. Maybe even a microloan program as well.

AoD

 

[Eug]

Apologies for adding to an old post, but I think there's something amiss with Toronto's street food biz. In most countries, street food is provided by low income entrepreneurs using available means to prepare and cook food. In Toronto, street food is provided by near wealthy folks who can afford tens of thousands of dollars for a truck, and thousands $ more for permits. Should these folks be pushed to simply open a bricks and mortar restaurant?

As for the true street food vendor, perhaps we can find a way to focus on the low income entrepreneur, while still ensuring a sufficient (but not exhaustive) level of hygiene and safety.

Yes, I agree. The Toronto street food scene generally a joke, and no, hot dog stands don't count. That said, if you go overseas and eat a lot of street food on vacation, you're bound to get sick.

Other cities have a more balanced approach, which allow the street vendors their space, but also inspect the trucks/stands for health and safety.

 

[diminutive]

Apologies for adding to an old post, but I think there's something amiss with Toronto's street food biz. In most countries, street food is provided by low income entrepreneurs using available means to prepare and cook food. In Toronto, street food is provided by near wealthy folks who can afford tens of thousands of dollars for a truck, and thousands $ more for permits. Should these folks be pushed to simply open a bricks and mortar restaurant?

As for the true street food vendor, perhaps we can find a way to focus on the low income entrepreneur, while still ensuring a sufficient (but not exhaustive) level of hygiene and safety.

It's all relative. The startup costs of a food-truck versus a sidewalk hawker in Hanoi are exorbitant, but they're probably a third of the cost of setting up a full fledged brick-and-mortar place in Toronto.

Comparing Toronto with the street food seen in Saigon or Mumbai is... difficult. In Toronto you can't find someone to ladle out pho for a few dollars a day, so there's a pressure to focus on higher markup foods ('gourmet' tacos for 3$/each). I assume similar dynamics are at play in decisions to 'up-market' soo many mall foodcourts.

The foodtrucks in Toronto have found their own niche which isn't exactly comparable to streetfood vendors in other parts of the world.

Given Toronto's climate and lack of public space, I think Hawker centers like in Singapore may be a better idea. A stall in a foodcourt could offer lower startup costs than a brick-n-mortar restaurant or even a foodtruck. It could be climate controlled.

 

[Thanos]

Apologies for adding to an old post, but I think there's something amiss with Toronto's street food biz. In most countries, street food is provided by low income entrepreneurs using available means to prepare and cook food. In Toronto, street food is provided by near wealthy folks who can afford tens of thousands of dollars for a truck, and thousands $ more for permits. Should these folks be pushed to simply open a bricks and mortar restaurant?

This is the same pretty much everywhere in NA. You're kidding yourself if you think street food trucks are owned by low income entrepreneurs in LA, Portland or anywhere else in the States or even in Canada.

 

[christiesplits]

Last month I was in Paris and took some snaps of a good kilometer long trail of shipping containers converted into coffee shops, brasseries and shops along the Seine. Take note Toronto, it doesn't take much to breathe life into a waterfront!

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Perfect for that temporary cultural campus spot at the Harbourfront between Ontario and Canada Squares.

AoD

 

[Admiral Beez]

You're kidding yourself if you think street food trucks are owned by low income entrepreneurs in LA, Portland or anywhere else in the States or even in Canada.

I don't think anyone has suggested otherwise.

My thinking is that the truck isn't needed. And I'm not suggesting we have a third world street food market. On the other hand, if you go to Europe you'll see street food sold by poorer folk - which IMO is the point of street food. If I want higher end ethnic or POWP food on the go I'll go to a restaurant for take out.