chef josh wolfe tim pawsey photo

Chef Josh Wolfe: street eats with style, Tim Pawsey photo

We can’t get over how easy it is to grab a quick bite on Vancouver streets these days. Heading down to the Wines of Chile trade tasting last week, we realised we’d need some pre-sipping sustenance. The answer? How handy! Almost across the street from the Fairmont Pacific Rim (well, at Hastings & Burrard) you can find Fresh | Local | Wild–the street cart run by gregarious chef Josh Wolfe.

Fresh local wild tuna melt

Tuna melt perfection, ketchup too. Tim Pawsey photo

Wolfe (who moved on from his position as exec. chef at Coast Restaurant to launch his street food business, is a born host). Plus, we should say that his cleverly adapted cart, which even sports its own beautifully crafted red cedar, four seater patio table on the back (almost caboose style), boasts the fanciest street eat seats in town!  You can have a good look at it here–and check out how Wolfe is walking the talk on being the greenest cart around: his generator runs off vegetable oil recycled from the deep fryers. And this winter he’ll be modifying the exhaust to be recycled into the heating system.

You’ll wait a little longer than at some other places for your food, as everything’s prepared from scratch–but it’s well worth it … Our (local, of course, and Ocean Wise) Albacore tuna melt was a molten treat on perfectly bronzed toast, with equally perfect fries to match. Needless to say, we’ll be back. Although we’re probably going to check out Wolfe’s Sausage à Trois cart first, due to return soon to Hastings & Hornby (Waterfront Centre on weekends).

By the way, the best way to stay on top of who’s open when and where, by far, is the Vancouver Street Food free app.

Here’s another tip. Secret supper clubs are all the rage these days. So, if you’re looking for a tasty surprise for your friends, you can book Fresh | Local | Wild to show up just about anywhere at the appointed time.

One of these days they’ll even be licensed.

Sure.

Josh Wolfe 2 Tim Pawsey photo

Street food you can bank on, Tim Pawsey photo