Annual Food Championship Returns to L.A. on June 28 with a Taco Twist  

This year’s Los Angeles Vendy Awards are joining forces with L.A. Weekly’s Tacolandia, which will feature tacos from more than 40 of Southern California and Mexico’s most talented vendors on Saturday, June 28 at El Pueblo de Los Angeles in downtown L.A. The taco purveyors at the event will go head to head for the highly coveted Vendy Cup, or title for best street taco.

“Los Angeles is an area that’s incredibly rich in culture, so we are excited to use this event to tap into that,” said Zeina Muna, managing director of the Vendy Awards. “A good taco, maybe even a great taco, is easy to find in L.A., but we’re definitely looking forward to this competition bringing us the BEST taco that this city has to offer.”

The Vendy Awards are an annual event organized by Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center, or SVP, a membership-based organization of more than 1,800 vendors. SVP’s famed Vendy Awards have honored New York City’s top street chef for nine years, and have become one of the most beloved and widely anticipated food events in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

“I am delighted that the Vendy Awards will be honoring the Best Street Taco at L.A. Weekly’s Tacolandia,” said Bill Esparza, curator of Tacolandia and one of the inaugural Vendy Award judges in Los Angeles. “It gives hard-working street food vendors a chance to be recognized for their talents.”

The Vendy’s “Best Street Taco” award is one of several honors to be given at this year’s Tacolandia. The awards will be chosen by a panel of judges and announced at the end of the event.

Tickets to the event can be purchased here.

Follow The Vendy Awards and Tacolandia on Twitter for the latest news and announcements at @vendyawards.

The Vendy Awards are an annual benefit event for the non-profit the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. The Street Vendor Project is a membership-based project with more than 1,800 active vendor members who are working together to create a vendors’ movement for permanent change. The Street Vendor Project is part of the Urban Justice Center, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation and advocacy to various marginalized groups of New Yorkers. Join their list of supporters.