02 | Aug | 11

Richard Johnson

The Streets Of San Francisco

It’s a shame, but my abiding of San Francisco is a three-line menu entry. Those lines still remind me of what can go wrong in high-end restaurants – which is why I wrote them down. Word for word. Under the subheading Mains, the entry read, simply, “Rosemary Basted Loin of Venison, Maple Glazed Endive, Vanilla Spiced Sweet Potato Purée, Pickled Cranberries and Chocolate Venison Jus” – it remains the most ridiculous, baroque menu entry I’ve ever read. But, thankfully, times change…..

The city of Saint Francis is now one of the shining lights in the street food movement, where menus are simple and straightforward, and this year La Cocina hosts the 3rd Annual San Francisco Street Food Festival; where all of the best food from the Bay Area can be found in a single block in a single day. For the second year running, La Cocina will also host the National Street Food Conference on August 21-22 at the Fort Mason Center.

I’ve been invited to talk to the Conference about Street Food Revolution, and the British scene. I’ll be among experts on the culture, economics and policy of street food who will be taking a look at small business incubation nationally. It is intended to be an open forum for ideas, an exchange between vendors, consumers, regulators and dreamers, and, hopefully, a place where changes can be set in motion to create more viable options for low-income vendors. Do Ryanair fly to San Franciso?

Tickets can be purchased at www.sfstreetfoodfest.com.