If you are normally hungry on Saturday, July 9 (between 3 – 7 pm) the Piazza at Schmidt’s is exactly the place you will want to be. For the first year, hopefully of many to come, the famed Vendy Awards will be making its way down to Philly. Since its inception in 2005, the Vendy Awards has been an annual event in New York City whose goal was to determine the best street chef in the city. Restaurateur and TV personality Mario Batali has described the Vendy Awards as “the Oscars of food for the real New York” (Event Brite). Well, after six years in New York, Philadelphia will now get its first opportunity to showcase its talent.

In addition to celebrating the services provided by this city’s street chefs, the Vendy Awards will also aim to raise funds for The Food Trust, a program that seeks to ensure access to “affordable, nutritious food” for everyone. The Vendy Awards will only be as successful as the community that supports them. And in the spirit of that, public nominations (accepted through June 10 here) will ultimately determine the 10 or so lucky vendors who will be competing in this year’s event for the Vendy Cup, as determined by a panel of esteemed judges. Buy a ticket here; admission is limited and tickets are less expensive if pre-ordered (admittance for children under 8 is free). —-Alex Graziano