Randy ShanerThe red shale soil sloping down to the Manatawny Creek in Berks County is ideally suited for grassland, and even in Pennsylvania, grassland means cattle. Here Randy Shaner, his father, Bob Shaner, and his cousin, Chad Hoffman, raise grass-based, grain-finished 100 percent Angus cattle on 900 acres at the Peterson & Shaner Farms in
MorePaul and Ember CrivellaroEmber Crivellaro speaks affectionately about the city’s most highly regarded chefs as though they’re the neighborhood kids with a lemonade stand. Ember, and her husband, Paul, are some of the preemminent porcine professionals of Philadelphia. Country Time Farm’s customers include Le Virtu, South Philly Tap Room, American Sardine Bar, Southwark and the
More2 mins read
Ben Wenk, the youngest generation of Wenk family fruit farmers.Fruit farmer Ben Wenk has the unusual distinction of living on a street named after his family. Three Springs Fruit Farm on Bendersville Wenksville Road in Aspers, Pennsylvania, has been in operation since 1818 and there, with his father and uncle, Wenk grows apples, cherries, peaches
More3 mins read
A few years ago, I moved to Italy to study gastronomy, and it was there that I confronted my food-hoarding habit. I lived in a charming Parma flat with a former advertising executive from Australia by way of Singapore, and, on weekends, her Columbian fiancée. Collectively, we had a problem. We were powerless as consumers
More3 mins read
As cold and flu season drags on, it’s prudent to shore up one’s immune system. Some swear by zinc, some opt for Echinacea, and others grab Jin+Ja.
More1 min read
Andrew and Kristin Wood, chef-owners of RussetThis time of year, the word “russet” calls to mind potatoes and perhaps their dusty, tuberous and root vegetable brethren. Fortunately for Philadelphia locavores, Russet is also the name of the rustic, elegant Rittenhouse BYOB operated by chef-owners Andrew and Kristin Wood. At the height of summer, it may
More2 mins read
Many people think that they have great ideas while drinking, but the founders of Manatawny Still Works, a new craft distillery in Montgomery County’s Pottstown, may have actually been onto something. The group of friends, including John Giannopoulos, one of the managing partners of Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery, was drinking last winter and someone
More1 min read
Blue moon acres farm has built loyalty among Philadelphia’s chefs with their vegetables and microgreens, which chefs use to add color and flavor to restaurant dishes. Now, they’re rebuilding their farm with Winter Market Dollars, a customer loyalty program. Jim and Kathy Lyons opened a retail market on their farm in Pennington, New Jersey, during
More1 min read
Brewer's Plate, March 9, 2014 at the Kimmel Center; General Admission $55 and up, VIP tickets starting at $115.Philadelphia foodies and beer buffs can join like-minded others and head to the Brewer’s Plate, a Fair Food fundraiser that showcases pairings from local brewers and chefs. The event, which will be held March 9, began 10
More2 mins read
Bull Gervasi, Mariposa's expansion project manager, at the new co-op location.Food co-ops are hardwired to work with others—other co-ops, other businesses, their neighbors. It’s part of their founding principles, their bylaws and their DNA. When Mariposa Co-op expanded to a nearby location after 40 years in business at 4726 Baltimore Ave., they quintupled in square
More7 mins read