Cartopia: Portland's Food Cart Revolution

by Kelly Rodgers, Kelley Roy

Portland's Food Cart Revolution documents — through stories and photography — how the perfect storm of Portland's independent culture, artisan economy, and "foodie" scene created the food cart revolution. Portland has over 500 food carts, some clustered into "pods" in parking lots and others staking their solitary claim on the sidewalk. Artisanal, quirky, independent, and an exceptional value, these food carts are the perfect symbol of what Portland is all about. As authors Kelly Rodgers and Kelley Roy explore the factors that have placed Portland in the street-food spotlight, they also document the personality and character of the Portland carts, and by extension, Portland itself. Portland has over 500 food carts, some clustered into "pods" in parking lots and others staking their solitary claim on the sidewalk. Artisanal, quirky, independent, and an exceptional value, these food carts are the perfect symbol of what Portland is all about. As authors Kelly Rodgers and Kelley Roy explore the factors that have placed Portland in the street food spotlight, they also document the personality and character of the Portland carts, and by extension, Portland itself. With photography by Andrew Burdick, Cartopia is a visual feast and celebration of food, architecture, creative entrepreneurship, and civic spirit. "There are, of course, lots of … factors fertilizing Portland's food cart flowering," says Randy Gragg, Editor-in-Chief of Portland Monthly magazine. "And in their book Portland's Food Cart Revolution, Kelley Roy and Kelly Rodgers have discovered just about all of them, from the rise of Portland's increasingly internationally-renowned food movement to the normally rule-happy city regulators' surprising ambivalence about the carts. But the beauty of this book… is that they not only explain the 'why' of food carts, but, indirectly, the larger 'why' of Portland."

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Kelly Rodgers is intrigued and delighted by cities. Since moving to Portland, Oregon in 1995, she has worked in a variety of areas to support the development of a sustainable city - neighborhood planning, green infrastructure, community design, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation. In other words, she has been working to create cities where people know their neighbors, where resources are used efficiently, where people don't have to get in cars to meet their basic needs, and where it's possible to work collaboratively on creative energy, food, and housing solutions.

Kelly currently works as the Program Manager for the Sustainable Transportation Council, which is developing an evaluation tool and rating system for transportation plans and projects called STARS.

Reviews

[Carye Bye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really had no idea how much I would enjoy on many levels this beautifully photographed and designed book on Portland's Food Carts. I'd seen the book around but just thought it was a coffee table type book with food cart pictures. I met Kelly Rodgers at a Portland Author event that I was also participating in and picked up a copy for the Hidden Portland Library because the book price direct was too good to pass up. What I didn't realize is this book is about city planning, having a small business, creativity, and entrepreneurship and also the why Portland became a food cart Mecca. I also learned this book is entirely self published. The photography and layout are very good and the whole book is full of surprises and gems I did not expect. I love when books go way and beyond in quality in subject.

[Allison Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives great information on the history of the food carts, as well as financial and cultural reasoning for their existence in Portland. The book tries to really hit things home, and as such it can be a little repetitive. In addition, all though the book is filled with pictures, they are not always of the best quality and are not always clearly explained. However, it's a great reference book for anyone interested in the food cart phenomenon in Portland, Oregon.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't very impressed. The photos were artsy but not inviting; the layout was too busy; and the text not inviting. No real insights on what to eat either.