Like many small traders, Nancy, a single mother of five, saw her business come to a halt during the pandemic.
She ran her catering business, Nan's Van, serving food in converted horse boxes for two-and-a-half years, mainly attending weddings and festivals, until the coronavirus crisis forced it to cancel. Ta.
Nancy Koteka with street food from Nan's Van.
But now she has found a new way to sell food to customers from her driveway in Fulford.
Nancy sets up a van outside her front door and sells street food to an ever-growing number of happy customers twice a week.
Services run every Friday and Sunday from 5.30pm to 7pm, with each week's theme and menu posted on her Facebook page (facebook.com/nansvan.co.uk).
For her ingenuity and determination, Nancy was named Trader of the Week. If you would like to nominate yourself or a local trader for this title, please click here and fill out the online form.
Nancy, who operates from 13 Grants Avenue, off Heslington Lane, says she has a reputation for adventurous cooking. This week's theme is Malaysia. The menu includes a Malaysian mixed starter box (£5) with prawn fritters, spring rolls, curry puff pastry and Asian coleslaw. A variety of soups and main dishes are also available, including vegetable laksa, beef randang, Malaysian yellow chicken curry and vegetable options, all for £6 with rice. There is also a wide selection of side dishes such as French fries and halloumi fries. Vegan and veggie options are always available.
One of the Malaysian dishes made by Nancy
Nancy said her driveway takeaway became a financial lifeline during lockdown.
“If I hadn't started selling in my driveway, I would have been ruined,” she said, adding that she would not have been eligible for furloughs or other financial aid from the government.
Nancy, who ran a nursery school in Leeds before switching to catering, cooks all her meals in a working kitchen in an extension to her Fulford home.
She was looking forward to taking her nan's van to the York Festival, which was due to be held in June.
she said. “I was one of 15 street food traders chosen for it. There were supposed to be 22,000 customers. I was on the verge of retiring!”
Read more: Farmers market and takeout begins at York's Saddle Inn
If anything, 2020 was a tough year for many in the events industry.
She said: “As a new and unsuccessful mobile operator, I am not eligible for subsidies or other support schemes.
“My only option is to open my van and start serving the community.”
“From my driveway I met and chatted with a lot of my neighbors, and they met other people that they probably wouldn’t have met, all while maintaining social distancing, of course. I was there.”
“Everything is Covid compliant and socially distanced. My van has a Perspex screen fitted to the hatch and I have completed a Covid food safety training course. I am.”
Nancy also decorates the van according to the season and the type of food served.
Nan's van dressed up for Halloween
She said: “Each week I adjust the menu by referring to different world cuisines. During the summer, I created a street food tasting box with a combination of hot food and salads. Now it's autumn, We make stews and curries from places like Jamaica.'' In India and Malaysia, everything is made from scratch.
“I try to decorate the van to match the style of food I serve, and sometimes I play traditional music from different countries. I decorate the van for Christmas, with lots of fairy lights and other festive decorations. We're going to build some sort of cave around the van if we feel like it.'' Neighbors want to have some socially distanced carol singing. ”
Nancy encourages customers to order via Nan's Van's Facebook page via message and receive a pick-up time slot.
Don't forget to submit your nomination for the next Trader of the Week. Click here to fill out the online form.
