Foodie podcast highlights curbside cuisine

Food trucks such as Kogi Korean BBQ and Coolhaus have been claiming an increasing proportion of our virtual ink lately, fueled not just by their use of social media like Twitter but also no doubt by economic conditions, which clearly favour low-cost fare. Now aiming to review, highlight and uncover the best of such curbside cuisine nationwide comes VendrTV, a video podcast that profiles a different street vendor each week. Hosted by twenty-something foodie Daniel Delaney, VendrTV consists of episodes seven to 10 minutes long, each highlighting an individual vendor along with its food and locale. The premiere episode covered the Treats Truck in New York City, for example—a name regular Springwise readers may remember; others have included The Magic Carpet in Philadelphia, Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco and The Brunch Box in Portland, Oregon. Each episode airs on Wednesday, viewable both online and as an iTunes podcast. Ad-supported VendrTV also maintains a Facebook community and a presence on Twitter. Coming soon, according to the site, is an online “schwag shop” with apparel and “gear to help you eat the street.” VendrTV also recently signed a deal with Next New Networks, which will distribute episodes beginning later this year. Between curbside cuisine and “anti-restaurants” such as BookOfCooks and Charlie’s Burgers, there’s clearly growing demand for lower-priced (and more unusual) alternatives to the traditional, sit-down, full-service meal. Now it’s time for the reviews, guides and profiles such as those that have been bringing transparency (and new patrons) to restaurants for years. VendrTV is ambitious to include the whole nation in its domain; one to adapt or emulate with a localized or niche approach?