NOT SO LONG AGO, street food in London meant a sloppy burger or a bacon
bap. How things have changed. Now, you'll find innovative, diverse,
great- value food being sold out of trailers, carts, stalls and vintage
vans across the city. It's a trend that's seriously accelerated in the
past few months, with a whole host of options spilling out onto the
pavement.
BIG APPLE HOT DOGS "At the beginning, it was soul destroying,"
admits Abiye Cole, who launched Big Apple Hot Dogs at the end of last
year. "I set this up with the last money I had and for the first weeks I
was selling one or two a day."
Today, Cole struggles to keep up with demand for his incomparably juicy
dogs. His low-key stall has been a Twitter sensation and an army of
regulars he calls BAHD (pronounced "bad") boys and girls have spread the
word far beyond east London. "A friend pushed me to use Twitter and
that changed everything," he says.
As a kid, he watched Kojak and thought hot dogs seemed exotic and cool,
and a year living in New York consolidated his passion. After quitting
his job in Nigeria, he sought to establish London's first New York-style
hot-dog cart. He found a supplier he describes as "a genius who's
totally uncompromising with his sausages" and now Londoners are enjoying
a much-maligned food done brilliantly well.
"I love this job now," he says. "I talk to people all day about everything. I've made lots of genuine friends." ABIYE COLE
WHERE TO FIND HIM…
Outside 239 Old Street, Tues-Fri, 12 noon-6pm.
Follow him on Twitter @BigAppleHotDogs
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