by Lena Lin, THE PROVINCE
Pretty soon, Katie Rodgers is hoping to sell satisfying yet nutritious fare, like almond smoothies and spicy jerk chicken and mango wraps, to the suits and shoppers that crowd the Granville strip at lunch and after work.
Rodgers and business partner Deanna Embury are one of the lucky 17 to snag a street food vendor spot for the summer. But not only did they beat the odds in a lottery draw, they snagged one of the prime locations on Granville Street, between Dunsmuir and Georgia, near swanky Holt Renfrew and the busy Pacific Centre mall.
"We honestly didn't think there was any chance," said Rodgers, 36. "We marvelled when we found out about it. We're really excited because it's something we looked at doing a couple years ago and when we first investigated and found out really only hotdog stands were available, we were dismayed and thought Vancouver was a little behind. But we have the opportunity now, so that's great."
Rodgers and Embury are the owners of the Licious Living, a gourmet and diet-friendly meal delivery service, whose fans include R&B singer Jully Black. Embury started the business seven years ago, when she was working in the film industry and Hollywood producers and stars filming in the city were routinely requesting diet-friendly home delivery meals, similar to ones found in L.A.
When Embury discovered none were available in the Lower Mainland, she jumped on the chance to fill a market. The company's now expanded its focus to healthy meals in general and have two cafes downtown -- at the newly opened YMCA and the Bentall Centre.
The Licious Living street cart is just the latest in their expansion, as the friends plan to bring some of their bestsellers to the street, including the Thai Curry coconut bowl with brown rice and the "Sunshine salad" with spinach, chicken or tofu, chickpeas, goat cheese and dried cranberries.
Power smoothies, hearty sandwiches and wraps are also expected to make the rotating menu.
"All our meals have lean proteins, good sources of carb. We don't do starchy stuff," says Rodgers.
"We'll probably rotate [our full retail menu] so we might have two salads at a time and probably two hot dishes, like Texas-style chili to grab and go and a homestyle lasagna with spinach, that kind of stuff. We're going to make it easy for people to eat healthy -- that's the goal."
