Education and event spaces for foodies with a plan

Photo by Kate McCann by Alex Jones These businesses double as kitchen and dining room: They provide a clean, certified and inspected space for food entrepreneurs at the production side of the supply chain, and then serve up a delicious final product to excited eaters in a beautiful space.  City KitchenLocation: Center CityYear founded: 2014

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1 min read

Shared commercial kitchens for food entrepreneurs

by Alex Jones Kitchen shares give food entrepreneurs access to low-cost, commercial-scale equipment at a location with flexible hours. So whether you want to be a private chef, a caterer or a producer of a commercial product, these kitchens will help you get a food business going. They can even assist with marketing, networking and

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1 min read

Balboa is the place if you want to show off your cooking chops

Restaurateur for a Night by Alex Jones Itching to try your hand at a big dinner, but don’t have the kitchen facilities or seating you need to host a big night? Balboa is a contemporary, refined space that hides on a residential block in Fishtown—but it hosts some of the city’s most innovative chefs for

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1 min read

Food Underground shines a spotlight on the back of the house

Photo by A Few Fishies Star For a Day by Alex Jones After cooking at top restaurants in Tel Aviv and Philadelphia, chef Ari Miller struck out on his own with Food Underground, a pop-up event and private dinner party service. Book him for your next party, or attend a Cooks’ Canvas dinner, in which

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1 min read

Hands-on learning for life at the Culinary Literacy Center

Photo by Ryan Brandenberg Beyond the Cookbook by Alex Jones Tucked away on the fourth floor of the Free Library’s Parkway Central branch, you won’t find the rare book collection. Instead, hidden behind an unassuming door you’ll discover a gleaming, commercial-grade culinary classroom. It’s a nontraditional space for a library, but library coordinator Suzanna Urminska

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3 mins read

Connecting our region’s trails system is also forging community

Trails Program Closes the Loop by Alex Jones The city of Camden sits adjacent to affluent communities in New Jersey and across the river from its sister city of Philadelphia, but, as one of the poorest cities in the country, it remains a world away. The Circuit Trails network could help change that. Once complete,

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2 mins read

The food we grow is a portrait of our vibrant, resilient city

Photo by Neal Santos The Urban Kitchen Garden by Alex Jones The term “kitchen garden” conjures an image you might see in a history textbook: A woman, probably of Western European descent, harvests something delicious and at the peak of ripeness from a large, bountiful patch of cultivated land mere yards from what is almost

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13 mins read

Building a support system for Philly-based design and manufacturing

On the Make by Alex Jones Janell Wysock designs and makes knitted and woven garments. For most of the year, she’s a one-woman shop, using a combination of machine knitting and by-hand techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces. However, demand from local and regional boutiques outstrips her ability to produce finished garments, and cash flow issues

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4 mins read

R.E.Load Bags aims to make customers happy over the long haul

Built to Last by Alex Jones Since 1988, R.E.Load Bags has produced ultra-sturdy, infinitely customizable messenger bags, cycling accessories and other gear. But the company’s real strategy for sales and sustainability is playing matchmaker: Listening to what customers want, then bringing the bag of their dreams to life—and creating a product that’s meant to last

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2 mins read