Belgian waffle. Photo credit: Nenyaki

Vancouver food trucks were recently ranked third best in North America byTravel + Escape. With 15 newly announced Vancouver food trucks set to begin serving the public this month, we’re on our way to number one.

The City of Vancouver has put a lot of thought into planning its street food program since the 2010 launch. As a result of careful permit regulation, food truck expansion has been slow compared to the burgeoning food truck scenes in Portland and Austin.

But the fleet of 15 new Vancouver food trucks (specializing in street eats such as crunchy-outside, pillowy-inside Belgian waffles, extreme mac and cheese, Aussie hand pies, Filipino fusion, innovative salads, specialty coffee, gluten-free snacks, Kosher Israeli and slow-cooked comfort food) may prove that slow and steady wins the race.

Who are the 15 new Vancouver food truck vendors? Where will the new food trucks be located? Get your hands on the full list after the jump:

Reel Mac & Cheese food truck Photo credit: Reel Mac & Cheese

New Vancouver Food Truck and Food Truck Pod Locations

The City’s Street Vending Program received 29 applications for 15 new stationary permits this year. The 15 successful applicants will be in a number of new locations including:

• Olympic Village SkyTrain Station

• Abbott Street near Rogers Arena

• Victory Square, across from Vancouver Community College

• A food truck/cart pod of Seven vendors along Hamilton Street outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Aussie hand pie. Photo credit: Aussie Pie Guy

15 New Vancouver Food Trucks

1) Aussie Pie Guy, 600 Hamilton Street
Sweet and savoury Aussie hand pies.

2) Chou Chou Crepes, 500 Cambie Street
French-ified crepes.

3) Culver City Salads, 400 Cambie Street (may change)
Fresh daily vegan entree salads and brown rice bowls.

4) Dougie Diner, 600 Hamilton Street
Dougie’s famous dogs and burgers.

5) Eat Sexy, 400 Cambie Street
Healthy fusion.

6) Falso Philly Cheese Steaks, 200 West 40th
Philly cheese steaks and bubble tea.

7) Fat Duck Mobile Eatery, 600 Hamilton Street
Slow-cooked comfort foods.

A Culver City salad Photo credit: Culver City Salads

8) JJ’s Trucketeria, Abbott St. at Expo Blvd.

Healthy Filipino fusion.

9) Patisserie Lebeau, 600 Hamilton Street.
Traditional, decadent Belgian waffles.

10) San Juan Family Farm, 1800 Davie
Fruit juices, smoothies, fruit shakes.

11) Reel Mac & Cheese, 600 Hamilton Street   

 Movie-inspired Mac and cheese and deep-fried mac and cheese balls.

12) Stir It Up Bike Cafe, Olympic Village SkyTrain Station
Vancouver’s first pedal-powered food cart with sustainable coffee and gluten-free snacks.

13) The Grill Express, TBA
Kosher Israeli fare.

14) Wan Jai Thai Food, 1300 Pacific Blvd.
Thai food.

15) Yo Quiero Taqueria, 1700 East Broadway
Tacos and fresh house-made salsa.

Vancouver currently has 114 stationary food trucks on Vancouver streets. Use the City’s street food map to find a vendor.

http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2013/05/03/15-new-food-trucks-a-food-truck-pod-are-hitting-vancouver-streets-may-2013/

The city’s fifteen new food trucks will offer everything from Belgian waffles to Filipino fusion to French crepes and pastries on Vancouver’s streets this summer. The new vendors will begin operations this month and once fully-operational, will be among the 114 stationary food trucks on Vancouver’s streets.

“Vancouver’s street food program continues to grow, showcasing some of the best culinary talent in our city,” said Mayor Robertson. “Our street food vendors are gaining international accolades, and this year’s additions are enlivening our streets with even more diverse flavours.”

This year, vendors were also invited to apply to set up in one specific location, along with other vendors. This food truck group or ‘pod’ concept benefits both the public and vendors by offering more choices in one location. Seven of the new vendors will be located along Hamilton Street outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

The City’s Street Vending Program received 29 applications for 15 new stationary permits this year. This year’s applications were reviewed by a four member selection panel with expertise in small business and the food industry, as well as the City’s Engineering Department and Vancouver Coastal Health.

The 15 successful applicants will be in a number of new locations including:

• The Olympic Village
• Abbott Street near Rogers Arena
• Victory Square, across from Vancouver Community College

The City’s street food vendors were recently ranked 3rd best in North America by Travel and Escape Digital Magazine.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/05/new-vancouvers-food-carts-and-food-cart-pods-coming-this-summer/

Dougie Dog owner Dougie Luv will be rolling out his new food truck, serving all-natural gourmet hot dogs and burgers. (HuffPost B.C.)

Brace yourselves: a smorgasbord of new Vancouver food trucks are on their way.

Fifteen new food trucks, including the city’s first pedal-powered coffee cart, will be rolling onto city streets beginning next week.

Vancouver’s new street food offerings will range from Australian hand-size pies, kosher Israeli fare, and Filipino-inspired eats.

The new carts will be parked in under-serviced areas outside the immediate downtown core, Deputy City Manager Sadhu Johnson told media on Thursday. Those areas include Abbott Street and the Olympic Village.

“Where there’s bit of a food desert that can be served by a new oasis of food carts,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.

The new outlets were chosen by a panel who vetted 29 applications for the 15 spots this year. Points were awarded for nutrition and use of local ingredients, diversity, and “jazzy” marketing strategies. The panel members worked independently and points were simply tallied.

REEL Mac and Cheese is a bright orange and yellow truck adorned with large faces of Hollywood stars such as Judy Garland and John Wayne.

“All classics – everything is movie-themed on our truck,” said owner Suzanne Poudrier.

Hungry patrons will be able to tuck into bowls including “The Breakfast Club” – classic mac and cheese topped with a fried egg and caramelized onions – or deep-fried mac and cheese balls aptly named “Run Fat Boy Run.”

For the health conscious, Culver City Salads will be offering gluten-free, vegan meals from a converted 1980s postal truck. Owner Christina Culver and co-founder Jesse Savath had been working on their application since last summer.

“It was intense,” said Savath.

The hard work from the city’s 114 street food operators seems to be paying off.

In April, Vancouver was named to have the third best food truck cuisine in North America by Travel and Escape Digital Magazine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/05/02/new-vancouver-food-trucks_n_3204676.html

Big Dogs Street Hots cart owner Sean Skaalrud wants the City of Vancouver to stop former food vendors from renting their spots at exorbitant rates. He’s paid $30,000 over the last six years to a leaseholder, but city vending permits cost about $1,100. (CARMINE MARINELLI/ 24 HOURS)

When Sean Skaalrud wanted to launch his own Vancouver hot dog stand six years ago, he believed the only way to get his footlong in the door was by renting a space from another vendor.

“We always thought it was wrong, but it was the only way into the program years ago,” he said, adding his Big Dogs Street Hots cart has become a mainstay on the streets of Yaletown.

But the small-business owner fears he’ll never return to sell his organic dishes at Davie Street and Marinaside Crescent after his permit for the spot expired Tuesday.

Although Vancouver charges permit fees of about $1,100 a year, Skaalrud has paid the spot’s owner $30,000 in cash over the last six years.

When his accountant insisted he create a paper trail and start paying rent by cheque, Skaalrud claimed the spot’s owner ceased contact with him.

“We just want to continue our business down at the marina,” he said, adding he hasn’t been able to get any traction at city hall over this issue.

Although Vancouver eliminated the practice of renting spaces during the 2010 expansion of the street food program, merchants operating prior to then were grandfathered in and are still permitted to lease their spots.

Deputy city manager Sadhu Johnston told 24 hours the city is aware of these concerns.

“We’re developing a plan to phase that out,” he said, adding there’s no timeline for the phase-out.

“We want to do it in way that (ensures) vendors that may be leasing a spot don’t go out of business.”

Skaalrud said he got so frustrated with the rental situation at his preferred spot that he went through the proper channels. His stand is now licenced to be at Davie and Seymour.

“That’s close to six blocks away — a difference of 50 feet can make or break your business.”

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2013/05/02/vancouver-eyes-eliminating-food-cart-sublets

Vancouver’s 15 new food carts will be dishing out a mix of delicacies, from Belgian waffles, to Filipino fusion and home-made macaroni and cheese.

The vendors are expected to be open for business later this month and will be among the 114 food trucks operating on Vancouver’s streets.

Many of the carts will have spots along Hamilton Street outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, while the rest will be located outside the downtown core, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson announced Thursday morning.

“As we expand the program, we are looking at what the best spots are… where there is a density of population and not enough food cart options or restaurant options,” Robertson said.

The food sold through Vancouver’s street food vendors are supposed to be “focusing on nutritious foods that represent the cultural diversity of Vancouver,” according to the city’s website.

Trevor Holness will be selling coffee outside of the Olympic Village SkyTrain station later this month.

“I’ll be out there every day rain or shine,” Holness said.

Olivier Lebeau will be making waffles.

“This is actually a good opportunity for us to take the waffles back to the street,” Lebeau said. “Because in Belgium, a waffle is a street food.”

The city says 15 new street food cart permits will be issued in 2014, 2015 and 2016, bringing the total to about 150.

In April, Vancouver was named third-best street food city in North America by Travel + Escape magazine behind Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/05/02/bc-food-carts.html?autoplay=true

(COURTESY VANCOUVER.CA)

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver will soon look a little more like Portland…at least when it comes to food trucks in the city.

This summer will include an outdoor food pod downtown.

Fifteen new vendors will be in operation this summer, they were also invited to apply to set up in one spot outside of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

This food “pod” concept is very popular with tourists.

Trevor Holness operates BikeCaffe the first pedal powered cart around town. He’s excited to take part but admits it’s not always a picnic for him in the rain. “It’s a balance I guess, it’s just part of living in Vancouver…dealing with the weather. It didn’t stop me!”

Olivier Lebeau returns with his Belgium waffle stand Patisserie Lebeau.

“We are bringing out traditional Belgium waffles to the streets but with more North American flavours in mind. Back in Belgium they are very conservative with their flavours. There are only a few varieties,” he describes.

There are currently 114 food trucks in Vancouver dishing out everything from Filipino fusion to French crepes.

http://www.news1130.com/2013/05/02/food-cart-frenzy-continues-in-vancouver/

Trevor Holness operates Stir It Up, a Rasta-themed mobile coffee cart endorsed by music legend Bob Marley’s family, and the city’s first to operate under cycle power.
Photograph by: wayne leidenfrost , Vancouver Sun

Trevor Holness is among the thousands of Vancouver residents who cycle to work each day.

He carries his office with him. All 500-plus pounds of it.

Holness operates Stir It Up, a Rasta-themed mobile coffee cart endorsed by music legend Bob Marley’s family, and the city’s first to operate under cycle power.

The eco-friendly business, which offers “old-school” customized specialty coffee and gluten-free snacks, is one of 15 new street food vendors selected to join Vancouver’s growing collection of food trucks this summer.

The new vendors will offer everything from Filipino fusion and kosher Israeli to urban Fijian, Salvadoran and good old mac and cheese.

“It’s a far cry from where we were just a few years ago,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson of the diverse international flavours on offer on Vancouver’s streets since the program launched in 2010.

The city’s 114 trucks are “really representing the incredible multicultural interests of our city,” Robertson said.

This year marks the first time the stationary food trucks will be found outside the immediate downtown area. New locations include the Olympic Village SkyTrain station, Abbott Street near Roger’s Arena, Victoria Square and Beach Avenue.

Five of the new vendors will be located together along Hamilton Street outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in a new food truck pod.

Vancouver’s street food vendors were recently ranked third best in North America by Travel and Escape Digital Magazine behind Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas.

Click here to view more photos

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Vancouver+street+food+vendors+stirring/8330101/story.html#ixzz2SHtXh9OM

http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Vancouver+food+vendors+stirring/8330101/story.html

This summer, there will be even more choices to tempt hungry pedestrians in Vancouver.

Fifteen new food trucks have been added to the current fleet of 114.

The trucks will be offering everything from Belgian waffles to Filipino fusion to French crepes and pastries.

Seven of the new vendors will be located along Hamilton Street outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Other locations will include Olympic Village Skytrain Station, Abbott Street near Rogers Arena and Victory Square, across from Vancouver Community College.

The new additions are expected to start serving food this month… no reservations required.

Just last week, Vancouver’s street food carts were ranked third best in North America.

http://globalnews.ca/news/530927/fifteen-new-food-trucks-come-to-vancouver-streets/

Photo credit: T. Jerven

The Vancouver street food scene gets better each season and the world is taking notice. Vancouver’s food trucks were recently ranked third in Travel + Escape’s list of “Top 5 North American Cities for Trailer Food.” As one might expect, Portland, which has just about everyone beat with their fleet of 700 food trucks, ranked first. Austin, Texas came in second–again, not a shocker. I make bi-annual pilgrimages down there for good music and cheap, creative eats.

Interestingly, NYC and Toronto, which you might expect to be more competitive than Vancouver, came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

T+E author Shelley Seale mentioned Vancouver’s “nutritious and diverse” offerings. These descriptors are two of the requirements listed on the City of Vancouver’s street food vending page. While they may seem a bit tame, they set Vancouver apart. Fresh, inventive fusion cuisine is more important than grease in Vancouver street fare.

Vancouver currently has 103 licensed food trucks. Another 15 food trucks are in the works for spring 2013. The city plans to put the newcomers in pods like Portland’s outside the downtown core. The locations are TBD.

Photo credit: T. Jerven

Kudos to the Vancouver street food scene for the accolade. It’s a relatively young scene (2010 launch) and it seems like our entrepreneurs’ creativity and talent, along with the thought put into expansion by food truck lovers like city councillor Heather Deal, are paying off. If I had one request for Vancouver street food besides food truck pods, I’d like to see more punning in food truck titles. We can have more fun there, can’t we?

The T+E write-up follows closely on the heels of another coup for Vancouver street food: many Vancouver food carts were recently included in the bestselling Eat St.food truck cookbook.

http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2013/04/29/vancouver-ranked-third-best-street-food-city-in-north-america/

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – After only few years in operation, Vancouver’s food carts have made a top ten list, and an industry in competition with the food trucks is applauding the distinction.

Travel and Escape magazine has listed the city as the third best in North America for food truck options.

Portland and Austin take the first two spots.

President of the Restaurant and Foodservices Association Ian Tostenson says the high ranking isn’t a threat to local restaurants.

“I think it’s pretty public that we had a few conflicts over the expansion of food trucks, over the little while. We’ve talked to city hall and we’ve talked to the mayor’s office and I think what we’ve agreed, you know, where we are right now with the 103 trucks in Vancouver is working and everyone is respecting their territories in terms of encroachment,” he explains.

Tostenson says they are aware of expansion plans for outside the downtown core and says they’re supportive of them because a positive partnership between the association, food trucks and city hall is emerging.

He says the popularity of food carts can actually result in bigger business for restaurants. “You know, we saw Vij’s go into the food cart business, so there was a reversal. We also saw some food carts move into restaurants, so they used food carts as an incubator, if you will.”

Tostenson says he wasn’t surprised to see Portland top the list, but he was shocked to see Austin placed second.

“I was surprised about Austin because I didn’t even know they had a food cart business there. Portland we know quite a bit about and its been very successful. I think what’s really good here is that this program in Vancouver is only three to four years old, so it’s very young. To think it’s having that much of an impact in North America is a real feather in everyone’s caps,” he says.

New York City was placed fourth on the list and Toronto was named fifth best food truck city in North America.

http://www.news1130.com/2013/04/27/vancouver-food-trucks-considered-some-of-the-best/

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