In my previous two columns, I discussed a number of ways that the City could launch composting drop-off programs, either on its own or in partnership with private composting companies. A third way forward would be an expansion of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Farm Philly Community Compost Network. Based on a program in Washington, D.C.,
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If you pop into Olde Kensington’s Liberty Kitchen these days, a batch of colorful macarons in a glass display may very well catch your eye. They are from Mac’n! by Mari, a one-woman macaron operation run by Mari Terise, a North Philly resident who hails from New York. “It’s striking how many different flavors she
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Khalil steward first envisioned Philly Farmacy while working on a class project at Delaware Valley University. “I had an idea for a school bus or old ambulance turned into a mobile produce store,” Steward says. The mental image stayed with him, and he made Philly Farmacy a reality in 2019, a year after graduating from
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Thirsty for great local beer? Here’s a six-pack of brews from members of the Brewers for the Delaware Association, all made using water from the Delaware River. Circadian 2SP Brewing Company This New England-style IPA is brewed with oats for a creamy texture and hazy appearance. The addition of rye lends a subtle spice, and
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Christa barfield of Viva Leaf Tea Company is a business owner who isn’t afraid of honest feedback. “I appreciate criticism,” she says. “It’s what makes you better.” It’s a good thing, too, because at an event at Awbury Arboretum in 2019, beekeeper Jeff Eckel of Instar Apiaries had some to offer. “I was sourcing my
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In my February Grid commentary on the glut of single use takeout food containers during the pandemic, I expressed hope that local innovators and entrepreneurs would develop reusable container systems. I’m excited to report that my hopes have been answered—or at least they were for a moment On March 22, 2021 Philadelphia-area Indian food chain
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In 2018 the Triangle Roasters workshop was minimally furnished. It had a sleek black coffee roaster, two cacao grinders, a couple of tables and a handful of green stools ready to be pulled up for an impromptu coffee cupping. Fast forward to 2021, and the space is almost unrecognizable. On a warm spring day the
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Sometime in the mid-1970s, Amira Abdul-Wakeel baked her first cake in her West Oak Lane childhood home. Her sister and a very close girlfriend all pitched in, and they beamed with pride at their pound cake. Then her mom came home, and exclaimed, “That’s the best corn bread I’ve ever had.” Slighted, but not defeated,
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In 2020 sisters Rhonda Saltzman and Mercedes Brooks turned their lockdown restlessness into a blossoming business with their online store, Second Daughter Baking Co. After years of experience in restaurants, bakeries and the hospitality industry, Culinary Institute of America graduate Saltzman had an excellent résumé. But at the beginning of the pandemic she lost her job
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In March 2020 customer sign-ups at Philly Foodworks grew 50 times in just one week. Last year, overall, customer orders and customer sign-ups tripled when compared to 2019. “People were placing $600 fish orders,” Dylan Baird, Philly Foodworks co-founder and CEO, says. Baird credits some of this growth in his online business, which home delivers
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Matthew Rafferty started off in the restaurant industry as a dishwasher. Now—25 years later—he stands behind the window of his own establishment. It is a Sunday and Algorithm’s cobalt blue food truck is parked on the south side of the 1900 block of Washington Avenue. The truck offers an extensive vegan menu using ingredients sourced
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