06/10/2026
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to give you all a very upsetting update. This weekend we attended the foodeefest in Philadelphia. It started out as a fun time, meeting many different people from different walks of life. We enjoyed foods from different cultures and vendors from all over the east coast. Saturday, everything changed.
Saturday evening there was a quick storm coming through, so we prepared, laid items down, canopies lowered, put our printer,computers and press into the trailer. All the typical stuff for a vendor when some rains coming through. My kids were on their way back to our spot when the storm hit. Winds, rain and panic. This is my views and remembrance of the incident: The storm was much stronger than anticipated. My kids weren’t quite back yet so I started to panic as things started flying around. We had our canopies weighted down but that wasn’t enough. Everyone jumped at a canopy leg, many other canopies flew across the parking lot, hitting people and knocking them down. One woman was hit by one and fell to the ground and busted her head open and was bleeding. My kids made it back. Dennis rushed to try to help her, people calling for ambulances. Yelling for help was useless as everyone was doing their best to stay safe and keep those around them safe. I yelled as a canopy came fast towards my dad as he stepped out of the way in time. I kept my eyes on my 2 children who were hanging onto canopy legs that were slowly being lifted off the ground. I yelled at my grandmother(who was holding a leg to the canopy) to move over as close to the food truck away from the canopy as my hands were slipping on my pole as the tent was pulling me onto my tip toes. If I let go it could have flipped her way. I told my kids to just hold on and don’t let go unless I say to. The legs were lifting them off the ground too. We couldn’t get the canopy tops off, we started cutting them off with pocket knives to stop it from pulling upwards. It was already destroyed, poles broke, tent ripped.
In those moments I was scared for our lives. We were crying, and trying to deal with it moment by moment. It was quick but it went on forever. The amount of things laying around after we’re heart breaking for not only us but everyone there.
Thank you to many of the other vendors and bystanders who jumped in, grabbed my kids and the canopies and other family members to help us try to keep our canopies from flying and hurting anyone.
As a result from this storm, I lost almost everything. Canopies-broken and gone. Displays-broken, supplies- broken or blew away, product- so much of it that I am still trying to gather my losses. Most of my crystals-broken, scratched or lost. Cups may be scratched, I have to evaluate them yet. Extra lids, straws and other small items, either unsanitary from being on the ground or blown away or broken.
It was just a terrible experience, in general. Very traumatic.
The good from all this: we’re all safe, physically. I don’t know how long it will take the mental images of my business falling apart, my kids terrified and crying and seeing and feeling the panic coming from every direction around us. But we are ok, alive and not hurt.
I will attach photos and videos from this event in the comments.
