Food : Development News

When Farmer’s Road Drive Thru celebrated its grand opening this past Sunday in Chadds Ford, it was the culmination of one of the region’s most ironic adaptive reuse projects. Housed in a former KFC, the new restaurant will feature familiar comfort foods but with a non-fast food twist: healthy, local and sustainably-sourced ingredients.

Courtney Rozsas, owner of Lotus Farm to Table in Media, is the woman behind the concept. She’s had the idea for a healthy fast casual drive-thru for quite some time.

"I've been looking for the perfect location for three years," explains Rozsas, calling the restaurant's site at the intersection of Routes 1 and 202 in Delaware County "the perfect fit."

Inside, a large mounted chalkboard proclaims, "Know where your food is from" and includes a list of the restaurant's purveyors. More than eighty percent of the produce used will be sourced locally, along with 100 percent of the meat and poultry.
 
Ryan Sulikowski, executive chef of Lotus Farm to Table, is overseeing the kitchen.

"I wanted to create a family-friendly restaurant focusing on familiar comfort foods presented in 'better for you' ways," explains Rozsas. "[Sulikowski] was brought on because he likes to take familiar flavors and add a twist."

Sulikowski's menu will feature upgraded takes on classics such as a Stadium Dog -- an all-natural grassfed beef hotdog, sodium-free sauerkraut and low-sodium yellow mustard on a rye pretzel hotdog bun. More out-of-the-box items include the Apple Sandwich, made with local cheddar, local organic American cheese, Granny Smith apple, raw honey and maple sourdough bread.
 
Other touches include an oatmeal bar at breakfast -- it does double duty as a homemade pickle bar at lunch and dinner -- and a build-your-own healthy bento box for kids. Sulikowski and Rozsas are also offering gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options.

"We're catering to individuals who are conscious of what they put in their body," says Rozsas. "We hope that's everyone!"
 
210 Painters Crossing, Chadds Ford, PA
Monday - Saturday 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sundays 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Source:  Courtney Rozsas, Owner, Farmer's Road Drive Thru
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

What do you get when the the American Institute of Architects Associate Committee fights hunger in Philadelphia? Colossal structures made out of canned goods, of course. Now in its seventh year, the CANstruction Competition asks local designers to create structures out of canned food, taking the idea of a food drive to new heights. Literally.
 
All the food used in the competition is donated to Philabundance, the Delaware Valley's largest hunger relief organization. Last year, the event provided over 87,000 meals to those in need. The 2013 installment looks to improve on that impressive feat -- 14 teams from across the region will display their works in the rotunda of the Shops at Liberty Place (1625 Chestnut Street) April 13 through 21.
 
The building starts on April 12, but teams have been hard at work planning their complex designs. There are certain restrictions: structures can be no larger than 10-by-10 square feet and no taller than eight feet.
 
"From there, it's up to the teams to decide how practical, tall and creative their structures are," explains CANstruction Event Chair Jared Edgar McKnight, an architectural designer.
 
Designs will then be judged on seven different categories.  
 
"We have awards for everything from structural integrity and aesthetic choices, such as best use of labels," says McKnight. "We also have fun awards like Best Meal, which looks at potential meals that could be made from each teams' structure of cans, and People's Choice, which is voted on by the public throughout the weeklong exhibition."
 
The awards will be given out at a reception on April 13 (tickets are still on sale) with all proceeds benefitting Philabundance.
 
"Internationally, this competition puts a spotlight on the issue of hunger in America and around the world," says McKnight. "Locally, the competition allows creative people in the Philadelphia design community the opportunity to make a difference and be catalysts for positive change in our own backyard."
 
Source: Jared Edgar McKnight, CANstruction Event Chair
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Already home to a growing stable of neighborhood favorites, Chelten Avenue recently welcomed another small business to the fold. Founded by Germantown resident and retired Philadelphia police officer Rita Butler, Chocolates by Esonkee is a gourmet chocolate and cupcake company.
 
Butler began making her specialty chocolates in 2005, starting with her signature "naughty nibbles" for bachelor and bachelorette parties (sold in partnership with her daughter’s company Riselng Events, LLC).
 
Over the next couple of years, the nibbles quickly became popular and demand for Butler's recipes increased.
 
"People started asking about her chocolates for other events," explains Risè Gravely, Butler's daughter and head baker at Chocolates by Esonkee. "She expanded to birthdays and celebratory occasions. Eventually, she became certified as a cake decorator and began offering those services as well."
 
In 2012, Butler successfully expanded the business to include themed cupcakes and mini cupcakes. About 6 months ago, Butler and Gravely decided it was time to put some permanence behind their business by opening a storefront.
 
"We scouted several locations along Chelten Avenue," says Gravely. "We wanted to be close to home and in a spot that fed off the high foot traffic along the corridor."
 
Eventually, the mother-daughter duo found their sweet spot, 245 Chelten Avenue -- a bus stop and several neighborhood institutions attract energy and customers. The bakery opened in early March. "It couldn't be a better location," says Gravely. "It’s just big enough and in the heart Germantown."
 
All goods at Chocolates by Esonkee are made with premium ingredients. Gluten and sugar-free sweets are available on request.

"So far, the response and support from the community has been really great," explains Gravely, adding that both she and her mother are particularly proud to add an African-American/women owned enterprise to Germantown’s local business arsenal. 

Source: Risè Gravely, Riselng Events,LLC; Chocolates by Esonkee
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Earlier this month, the Camden City Garden Club (CCGC) received a letter from the State of New Jersey informing them that they planned to turn over 90 percent of the Camden Children’s Garden to Adventure Aquarium operator Herschend Family Entertainment. It's a move that would open up development opportunities for the Aquarium, but, in doing so, render the garden obsolete.

The garden comprises 4.5 acres right on the Camden waterfront. It has become a part of the community fabric, offering educational programming for local children (10,000 residents take advantage of the programming annually).

It’s also become a neighborhood necessity, producing over $2 million in fresh produce a year and helping feed 12 percent of Camden residents in a city considered one of the worst food deserts in the United States.

Once news of the garden’s fate reached the Camden community, a grassroots effort to save it took off. A Facebook group, "Save the Children’s Garden" was quickly created. It has already garnered 6,500 members and 1,500 petition signatures asking to spare the Garden.

Members of the Camden City Garden Club and other grassroots volunteers met Monday night to discuss action going forward, ultimately deciding to march to the City Council meeting this Tuesday at 4 p.m. to protest the decision.

Camden residents are also stepping up individually. Garden users Lindsey and Andrew Markelz are partnering with CCGC through their online business Charity Gift Market, a marketplace for charities that sell products to support their work. They’re asking their customers to support the effort to save the Garden by purchasing the children's book City Green. All proceeds will go into a fund dedicated to saving the Garden.

"Kids need affordable, accessible, safe and inviting places like the Camden Children's Garden," says Lindsey Markelz, CEO and co-founder of Charity Gift Market. "I realize that both sides probably have a case to be made legally, but here's the bottom line for me: The garden is good for Camden. I don't want to see it leave or be moved to a place that inhibits its activities and growth."

Source:  Lindsey Markelz, CEO and Co-Founder of Charity Gift Market
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Friends of the St. Bernard Community Garden let out a collective sigh of relief last month after the city stepped in and saved their garden.

As we reported in mid-December, the parcel of land at 1010 S. St. Bernard Street unexpectedly went up for sheriff’s sale on December 19, opening up the possibility of a developer buying up the property and kicking out the gardeners. Members quickly mobilized and began raising money to buy the land. They also convinced the city—with help from Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell—to bid on the property, ensuring it would remain part of the community garden.

With a few contingency plans in place, garden members were confident of a positive outcome going into the sale. Despite some very tense moments, the sale ended up being a huge victory for the community.

The bidding started at $1,000 and quickly reached $50,000—more than the city was prepared to pay. City officials didn’t seem interested in placing a bid at that price point, but thanks to garden members shouting frantically, the auctioneer put the process on hold and moved on to other parcels. When the property came back on the block, the city quickly put down a $71,500 bid; the sale closed shortly after. The garden members had won their ideal outcome.

But the story doesn’t end there: With the city now in full ownership of the parcel, garden members hope to see the plot transferred to a land trust so it can remain a community green space and asset in perpetuity.

In another wrinkle, the garden’s second parcel (1008 S. Saint Bernard) is owned by a private entity, and still has to be secured. When that property goes up for sale—something expected to happen in the next year or so—garden members will be ready. The money they have raised so far will be saved, and more fundraising efforts will be put together to ensure St. Bernard Community Garden is preserved in its entirety.

Source: Trevor McElroy, St. Bernard Community Garden
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Fifteen years ago, a group of West Philly neighbors banded together and convinced the city to demolish two burnt-out adjacent buildings on their block. The St. Bernard Community Garden sprung up in their place. Located between 49th and 50th Streets, between Springfield and Warrington Avenues, it quickly became a neighborhood institution and gathering place for residents. 

But on December 19, in an unexpected move, the larger of the two lots will be auctioned off at a sheriff's sale. Now, once again, the West Philly community is banding together to protect the fate of their community garden.
 
According to Trevor McElroy, a member of the community garden, he and other members heard the site was going to be auctioned off just a few days before it was to be sold in October. With the assistance of Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, the group was able to postpone the sale and convince the city to bid on the property. 

That is exactly the plan. According to McElroy, the City has pledged to bid the maximum amount it can, roughly $48,000, which is the amount owed in backed taxes.

"Best case scenario is that no one bids against the city and they are awarded the land," explains McElroy. "If that happens, the land would likely be turned over to a neighborhood gardens association and the garden would stay as is."   

The gardeners hope to buy the other parcel outright and have been trying to raise money to do so, holding a fundraiser at Dock Street Brewery this past Saturday.

"The event went well," says McElroy. "We had a good turnout, and we ended up selling almost every item up for bid, but now our focus has turned to the sheriff sale on Wednesday."

McElroy admits that a number of scenarios could still unfold—the future of the garden is very much in limbo. But regardless of what happens, he hopes a positive outcome for the community is in the offing.

"If a developer does end up buying the land, we want open communication with them about what happens with the garden," says McElroy. "We don’t want to get kicked out of the property right away, only to see the land sit vacant for years. We want what’s best for the community." 

Source: Trevor McElroy, St. Bernard Community Garden
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Food ventures officially returned to 310 S. 48th Street in West Philly when the much anticipated Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) had a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday to celebrate the pending opening of their new space - a former grocery store that had sat vacant for over 10 years. 

Backed by local business accelerator The Enterprise Center, CCE is being billed as one of the nation’s premiere commercial kitchen centers.  Essentially, it is a culinary incubator aimed to help jumpstart Philly food entrepreneurs by providing them space, resources and contacts in the industry.  To meet those ends, the space will include four state-of-the-art commercial kitchens for rent to culinary entrepreneurs, an eKitchen Multimedia Learning Center and retail spaces.

Since we last reported on this project, a lot of positive progress has been made.  First off, CCE was able to leverage an initial $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) into millions more in state and local grants, private funding, and corporation funding to really jumpstart the commercial kitchen aspect of the project.

CCE also helped initialize a business incubator program called Philly Food Ventures, where CCE’s entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to receive technical assistance for their culinary endeavors. The center has also developed a key partnership with Bon Appétit at the University of Pennsylvania. The food service management company will purchase roughly $500,000 of products from CCE entrepreneurs each year.
 
Through these successes, attracting entrepreneurs and retailers to the Center has been relatively easy.  According to Delilah Winder,  Director of the Center, 30 clients have officially committed to being part of the Center, with hundreds more expressing interest.  And according to Naked Philly, Desi Kitchen, an Indian/Pakistani restaurant, will occupy one of the retail spaces, with coffee shop Café Injera taking the other.
 
With so many milestones achieved over the past few years, the CCE has begun to receive national acclaim, creating interest from other cities around the country who are interested in starting something similar in their respective cities.      
 
But the work doesn’t stop there -  Winder expects the Center to officially open in the next two weeks.  From there, she expects the incubator to launch or move forward 10 businesses each year.  Additionally, they expect anywhere from 54 to 81 full-time jobs will be created in its first year of operation, and nearly 150 over three years.

Source: Delilah Winder, Director, Center for Culinary Enterprises
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

It’s a sleepy stretch of Bethlehem Pike that winds through Spring House, a small Montgomery County suburb between Ambler and Montgomeryville. A great deal of through traffic forsakes Bethlehem Pike to use the far faster Route 309 bypass, while too few people who do drive the Pike get out of their vehicles. With this in mind, Lower Gwynedd Township has embarked on a new campaign called “I like the Pike” to draw attention to Bethlehem Pike’s potential for redevelopment and build a sense of community among existing businesses.

One goal of “I like the Pike” is to highlight the recent streetscape improvements that are designed to make the Bethlehem Pike-corridor more walkable and green. So far, sidewalks and enhanced lighting have been installed on roughly half of the corridor, as part of a $1.5 million project, says Kathleen Hunsicker, the chairwoman of the Lower Gwynedd Board of Supervisors. Also, “walking paths have been built to connect adjacent residential neighborhoods to the Pike so residents can walk to eat and shop,” says Hunsicker.

Lower Gwynedd is also looking to make the community more sustainable by expanding Veterans Memorial Park, which can be found at the intersection of Bethlehem and Penllyn Pikes. As of now, a stone wall has been constructed that will include a sign welcoming drivers to Lower Gwynedd. Hunsicker adds that benches, a water fountain, flagpoles, and a rain garden will make the park a much more appealing place for those strolling along the Pike. It is expected to be completed by autumn of this year.

While walkability and parkland are important components to improving the corridor, attracting businesses is paramount. The Supervisors are most hopeful that restaurants and service businesses will be interested in moving into Spring House. As it always does, zoning plays an enormous role in the ability to lure commercial facilities. “The Township understands that developers might need some flexibility with zoning to brings projects to life,” says Hunsicker. In support of this idea, an ordinance is currently in front of the township planning commission that would provide some leeway in zoning.

“I like the Pike” also seeks to retain existing businesses that dot Bethlehem Pike, and create a semblance of community among them. Hunsicker says she hopes that a Lower Gwynedd Business Association will be formed as a result of the campaign. The campaign also looks to impel locals and visitors to frequent the businesses, such as Spring House Tavern, The Flower Shop of Spring House, and Born to Run shoes, along the corridor through the website. In other words, the campaign is intended to create “a buzz in the community” that lets everyone know “we are open for business,” Hunsicker says. 


Source: Kathleen Hunsicker, Lower Gwynedd Twp. Supervisors  
Writer: Andy Sharpe

Thanks to the work of Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, Midtown Village is quickly becoming a dining destination. Earlier this year, we told you about their newest restaurant, Jamonera, which is a Spanish-style tapas bar on 13th St., just south of Chestnut. Now, this gastronomical blitz is extending to Locust St. in Midtown, as the casual Italian restaurant Spiga opened this past weekend. Spiga is co-owned by Anthony Masapollo, who is also know for Le Castagne in Rittenhouse and La Famiglia in Old City, and the executive chef is Brian Wilson.

Masapollo is elated to be a part of the Midtown Village community. “We sat outside El Vez, and I thought to myself, ‘this is where I want to be’,” says Masapollo. He adds that he loves the community feeling in Midtown. He made sure to join the Midtown Village Merchants Association last week. The partner is also planning on working with other businesses, such as the 12th St. Gym, to do outreach. Masapollo says that another perk of being in the neighborhood is that it connects Le Castagne and La Famiglia by providing a midpoint. 

Spiga, which translates to stalk or stem, can best be described as a casual Italian restaurant. Chef Wilson’s menu items include pasta, pizza, burgers, and steak, fish, and pork chop from the eatery’s two wood-burning grills. Masapollo is especially proud of the wood-fired grills. “It’s like cooking outdoors,” he says. For those with wheat allergies, gluten-free items are also available. Patrons are encouraged to share menu items. Spiga also has a bar on the premises, which serves up wine and cocktails. 

The restaurant is located at 1305 Locust St., which is convenient to PATCO, the Broad St. Subway, and a parking lot. Before Spiga, the location housed a few LGBT-themed lounges, the last of which was JR’s Lounge. Masapollo says he and his business partners had been looking to create Spiga for quite a while. He says they first set their sights on the Locust St. location last summer. 

Spiga seats 70 people between the main dining room and the bar. They are generally open until 10 PM on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends, although they are closed on Mondays and close early on Sundays. In addition to Masapollo and Wilson, Skip DiMassa and Giuseppe Sena are co-owners. Entrees generally cost between $12 and $30, while some appetizers cost as little as $4. 

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Anthony Masapollo

Photo courtesy of Spiga

Greater Philadelphia is rapidly becoming more of a hub for urban farming and community-supported agriculture (CSA). Just look at the recently expanded Mariposa food co-op on Baltimore Ave., the active Kensington Community Food Co-op, and the Creekside Co-op groundbreaking in Montgomery County. Another organization that hasn’t received as much publicity is West Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Foods, which is transitioning from just an urban farm to a CSA and is teaming up with other local food venders at Rittenhouse Square.

Neighborhood Foods will be using three different sites in West Philadelphia this year to cultivate fresh food. The main site is Polselli Farm, a two-thirds acre lot at 53rd and Wyalusing at which the group has been farming snce 2010, according to Dylan Baird, the business manager. He adds that his organization annexed two smaller farm sites last year, and will be growing from them starting this year. One site is the popular Walnut Hill Farm, which thrives in the shadows of SEPTA's 46th St. El stop. 

Baird is excited to announce that his urban farm will also feature a CSA this year, which he claims is the city’s first urban farm-based CSA. Members of this CSA will enjoy locally-cultivated fruits, vegetables, and grains, with all proceeds being returned to Haddington, Walnut Hill, and other sections of West Philly. According to Baird, the CSA will run for 22 weeks from the middle of May to October, and more include very affordable prices. Neighborhood Foods is currently looking for members.  

The CSA is now working with other local food sellers at the Rittenhouse Square Farmers’ Market every Saturday. "We are broadening beyond just urban farmed produce and we will be incorporating all kinds of Philly produced products," says Baird. Some examples of this include canned goods from South Philly’s Green Aisle Grocery, bread from West Philly’s Four Worlds Bakery, and jellies from Fifth of a Farm Jams. 

Proceeds from the Rittenhouse stand enable Neighborhood Foods to continue to grow and sell fresh food at a steep discount in West Philly. "Our business model is such that we sell our food at a premium around the city so that we can subsidize the price of food at our community farmers market as well as our community programs," says Baird.  

Neighborhood Foods is a product of The Enterprise Center CDC and Urban Tree Connection, and features produce that is grown naturally and without chemicals. Baird says that the urban farm benefits from a large local population of senior citizens, who understand the value of fresh vegetables from their early years in the South. 

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Dylan Baird, Neighborhood Foods

Photo courtesy Neighborhood Foods