
The mobile food season opener used to have more impact when carts closed around Thanksgiving and reappeared with the daffodils. These days, more carts are vending through the winter. For vendors who are shuttered for deep winter but like to get an early start, it’s been a challenging spring.

The wildly popular Isthmus a la Carts, a celebration of the Madison-area street food scene, once again pulls up to Olin Park, on the shores of beautiful Lake Monona, on Friday, May 10.

The issue has garnered coverage in the campus media in addition to a social media campaign launched by Fried & Fabulous food cart owner Steve Lawrence, who has been running an online petition to garner support for the vendors.

Madison street-vending coordinator Warren Hansen reports that the Mad City’s food-cart culture is about to get its day in the sun.