Inside the underground economy propping up New York City's food carts

When Sharif leaves his home in Flushing, Queens, it’s too early to say goodbye to his wife and three kids. Long before sunrise, he drives 15 minutes to a cold, brightly lit garage in Long Island City that smells of spent fuel, cleaning fluid and food that’s about to turn. There, Sharif, an Afghan native in his mid-40s, stocks the front window of his food cart with muffins and bagels from a wholesale bakery in Queens, sold to him at a markup by the garage’s owners.
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