The Red Hook Latin food vendors offered up a tasty gracias to Councilwoman Sara González last week.
González was among the elected officials who lobbied to have the vendors remain at their location at Bay and Clinton Streets.
The lawmaker and her family were invited by the vendors to stop by last weekend to sample the unique fare.
Last year, the vendors’ livelihood was threatened when the Department of Parks and Recreation told them that if they wanted to remain at their current location, they would have to submit a bid for the right — just like vendors across the city.
Bolstered by support from local elected officials and devoted customers, the vendors applied for a permanent license in the fall, which was granted in March. After retrofitting their carts to meet stringent health requirements, the vendors returned to work amid great fanfare last month.
The councilwoman said she wasn’t prepared for the outpouring of appreciation she received as one by one, each of the vendors approached her table bringing small samples from their family-run, immigrant-owned operations — along with large helpings of “love and sincere gratitude.”
Cesar Fuentes, Executive Director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park, said González “was with us every step of the way.”
The local lawmaker helped bring the vendors together with commissioners and officials from the Parks Department and the Health Department, devising resolutions that would keep the vendors in Red Hook.
“She chose not to attend the media circus that accompanied our official reopening, but came instead to celebrate privately with us now that the last four vendors have returned,” Fuentes added.
González added, “I believed too much publicity would ultimately not serve the vendors’ best interests. Now, I can only say that I share in the delight of the vendors, the community and the many visitors who were all so concerned that these food offerings might be lost to us forever.”
