CULINARY SHOWCASE
A Dash of Philly
PHILADELPHIA’S BLACK CULINARY COMMUNITY IS READY TO SERVE YOU PHILADELPHIA EDITION 2019
BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK
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CULINARY DIRECTORY
Contents 06
CHASING SUCCESS S a ba Ted la s p eaks s p eaks to t he success o f h er restau ran ts
09
RECLAIMING OUR LAND F. A. R . M .S . is h elp in g b lack farm ers keep th eir lan d
13 PHOTO CREDIT: IG @JOSHEATSPHILLY
10
BLACK FARM LAND LOSS
PERFECT WEEKEND IN PHILADELPHIA V i si t P hilad elp h ia h igh ligh ts the rec ipe fo r a per fect weeken d in Philadelphia
13
PHILADELPHIA CULINARY DIRECTORY B lack Restau ran t W eek 2019 Par ticipan ts
09 GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
19
GROW YOUR CULINARY BUSINESS THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Ce nte r fo r Cu lin ar y En ter p r ises provides s u cces s f u l b u s in es s t ips
19
BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK, LLC FOUNDER
2019 CALENDAR HOUSTON, TX
APRIL 14 – APRIL 28, 2019 WWW.HOUBRW.COM
PHILADELPHIA, PA JUNE 9 – JUNE 23, 2019 WWW.PHILLYBRW.COM
NEW ORLEANS, LA JUNE 28 – JULY 7, 2019 WWW.NOLABRW.COM
INDIANAPOLIS, IN JULY 21 – JULY 28, 2019 WWW.INDYBRW.NET
LOS ANGELES, CA
AUGUST 11 – AUGUST 18, 2019 WWW.LABRW.COM
ATLANTA, GA
SEPTEMBER 1 – SEPTEMBER 15, 2019 WWW.ATLBRW.COM
OAKLAND, CA
SEPTEMBER 29 – OCTOBER 6, 2019 WWW.BAYAREABRW.COM
DALLAS, TX
OCTOBER 13 – OCTOBER 27, 2019 WWW.DFWBRW.COM EMAIL INFO@HOUBRW.COM FOR SPONSORSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES.
WARREN LUCKETT OPERATIONS
FALAYN FERRELL MARKETING
DEREK ROBINSON LEGAL
THE GUESS FIRM, P.L.L.C. PUBLIC RELATIONS
ETCHED COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN
FADE MEDIA STAFF WRITERS
MICHAEL BUTLER JILLIAN HISHAW PHILADELPHIA BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK 2019 SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS VISIT PHILADELPHIA WOODFORD RESERVE CENTER FOR CULINARY ENTERPRISES AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF PA, NJ & DE DREXEL UNIVERSITY OPEN SPACE REDD CARPET GROUP BRANWAR WINES FADE MEDIA
WWW.PHI LLY B RW.COM PHI LLY B R W@G M A I L.COM
EDITORS
LETTER
Uniting the Table Philadelphia, thank you for your support in helping us showcase the flavors of African American, African, and Caribbean cuisine. We are proud to host the largest Black Restaurant Week campaign in the nation, in which we visit 8 cities across the country.
local businesses. We recognize and honor our local support team of Chef Kurt Evans, Britney Elayne, Barry Johnson, Kim Carter, Ben Fileccia, Chef Elijah Milligan, Deitra Redd, and Etched Communications for coordinating the second year campaign.
Four years ago we embarked on a journey to fill a void in the culinary industry. As we travel across the nation we are humbled by the opportunity to present so many talented culinary professionals and businesses to the community.
This journey is also a testament to the dedication and work of countless others that have believed in our vision. We are extremely grateful for the support of our sponsors and community partners, Visit Philadelphia, Woodford Reserve, The Enterprise Center, African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ & DE, and Drexel University.
Food helps us unite culture and heritage around the table. This project is a example of how strong we are as a community when we work together to help small businesses flourish. We have heard countless stories of how Black Restaurant Week has supported growth in businesses, provided motivation, and inspired chefs and entrepreneurs to live out their dreams. Behind every successful venture are people who work behind the scenes to support the vision. There aren’t enough words to express our gratitude to those who have helped us coordinate our second year in Philadelphia. We send a special thank you to Visit Philadelphia for partnering with us to support and showcase
In closing, we express our heartfelt love for our families and friends who have supported us as we worked countless hours to make this vision a reality. We give the biggest thank you of all to God, for trusting us with his vision and walking by our side on this journey. As you Follow Your Fork this year, remember to make a special toast to: “Food, Family, and Friends!” Cheers, Warren Luckett , Falayn Ferrell, Derek Robinson
“We’re not chasing awards, we’re chasing quality, consistency and a great business model that allows us to thrive.” - SABA TEDLA SABA TEDLA SPEAKS OF HER EXPRIENCES AND SUCCESS AS A RESTAURANTUER IN PHILADELPHIA BY: MICHAEL BUTLER Those words from restaurateur Saba Tedla succinctly express the philosophy that has made her restaurants Aksum and Booker’s successful. After nine years of serving the Baltimore Avenue corridor with the Mediterranean flavors of Aksum, one of Open Table’s 2017 Best Restaurants For Brunch, Tedla opened Booker’s, a restaurant and bar specializing in American fare with a Southern influence. Tedla took some time out of her busy schedule to discuss her passion for West Philly, creating menus of tasty and healthy food and the importance of representing her community.
How has being a Philadelphia transplant shaped your approach to owning restaurants here? I’m from another area of the country and now Philly is home. Philly has been a great area to open up a business. The entry to the market as a business owner is 6
really good and reasonable. That’s the attractive aspect of it. I’ve gotten a lot of support and I tell people that understanding the business model of what we developed here in this specific neighborhood in West Philly, being a resident of the neighborhood and part of the Baltimore Avenue corridor, I understood who we are as a community. Proofing a business concept was easy and also doing a focus group understanding what everybody wants in the neighborhood [helped]. Because ultimately you have your own desires but you have to see if there is a need for the service that you are trying to provide so you have a successful business. We did that and it paid off, especially with Aksum having been around for nine years. It’s been a good journey and I’m not complaining. Booker’s is a different animal in itself. Having a liquor license and the size of the restaurant is bigger, but we’ve learned a lot in our nine years [with Aksum] so we’re able to execute more with a bigger restaurant and have the mechanics down pat at this point.
How has Aksum become a fixture in the Baltimore Avenue corridor’s diverse community? Aksum is Middle Eastern. I feel like Mediterranean food is healthy, easy to make, whereas Ethiopian and Eritrean food is very saucy and takes a lot of lingering in its cooking and can be very labor intensive. Having had a background with my family that owns restaurants, I definitely didn’t want to do Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine because of that. Also being health conscious, the thing I like about Middle Eastern and North African food is it doesn’t have a lot of exposure in terms of venues that have more mainstream dishes. Being able to really modernize the flavor and texture and bringing this [cuisine] to a more modern eating style [is important]. For example, with farro, people are starting to figure out what farro is but nine years ago people were like, ‘Farro?’ But now it’s more known. Introducing things that people don’t have in their normal diet like cumin [is special], while adding some spices that you know like cinnamon, which we use in our soup but some people never use except for dessert. Being able to enrich the flavor of the food and introduce it to people here was exciting with Aksum. On Baltimore Avenue, you have a lot of the Ethiopian and Eritrean community reflected in restaurants like Dahlak and Queen of Sheba. I didn’t want to replicate the same old thing and wanted to distinguish our self and differentiate our self by having our own cuisine. There are some things that are part of our culture but not really, but the point of the name kind of covered the region by way of the Aksumite history, though the food is more of an Northern African and Middle Eastern influence.
How has operating Booker’s differed from your experience with Aksum? When we opened Booker’s, we were like, “Let’s see what the community wants.” I think we did more of the community input than we did with Aksum. Aksum was a no-brainer because the venue was smaller and the focus was really broad. I think our success was achieved by the fact that the venue was nice. We have a spot that is very cozy and appealing but there are a lot of international restaurants in the neighborhood already. With Booker’s, the neighbors were like, “Can you give us an American restaurant?” When we surveyed people, people were like,
Booker’s is a West Philadelphia favorite serving dishes with Southern influences. Pictured below: Crawfish Tartlet
“I’d like to have meatloaf.” I was like, “Meatloaf? I don’t eat meatloaf.” We realized having to be on 50th & Baltimore, which is the end of the Baltimore Avenue side, we felt like we needed to be a segue between 52nd Street and University City because we felt like there is a gap between culture and people. We felt that the way Booker’s could play a role in a changing community would be to represent something that was American but style-wise of an African American/ Southern influence. So we capture flavors in dishes like our jambalaya. Although it’s vegan, you can also do jambalaya with shrimp, but being able to capture the modern way of people’s dietary needs but also having a southern flair. We try to minimize how much food we fry, so in the winter time we have our fish and chips and do have catfish that we fry but we prefer it blackened. We’re very conscientious of presenting dietary, healthy and zesty aspects so that people understand that I don’t want to feed into people’s diet problems. I think people like having options [matters] and that they don’t always have to go to a Black restaurant and have fried [food]. That was easy to fulfill and an upselling point for us because nowadays people are very conscientious of their diet but they want rich flavor and texture, so our focus has been to have chefs that are seasoned in the industry that can display the type of cuisine and flavor that we want to present our self with. We actually tell our staff when our chef makes certain dishes, that we’ve got to see our ratio of fried vs. non-fried foods and we try to keep the ratio low. 7
Can you talk about the creative skills and expertise of the culinary artists in your restaurants? That’s something actually very challenging because in this industry because you need a big support system as chefs and culinary are artists. In the business world you have non emotional people in your field whereas in the culinary world, there is an art to it and part of the art has to do with people who are extremely passionate or not at all where they fell into a career because of economic grievance. I like it when I find people who are still passionate about the food and the food speaks to me because the people are care about the food. The challenge of owner is finding people who are still passionate about that art. People look at food as a necessity of living, but when I whiff a smell of food, certain foods capture the aura of the meaning of food for me. When I’m working with a chef that has that kind of passion, that makes it exciting for me as an owner. When I was a kid, I loved pineapple upside down cake, and I don’t know why I was crazy about it but I really loved it. One of the bartenders the other day made a pineapple upside down martini. I could not believe it! He captured every flavor of that cake in a drink. It was really magical. I tell people, either I’m crazy, but with food and drink, some people can bring it very alive. Over the years, I never thought about the chemical element of food, but there’s
Aksum menu has influences of the Mediterranean and African region. The Shakshouka dish pictured below originates from Tunisia.
so much depth into cooking. I feel like chef’s positions are so undervalued. For many years, people didn’t value those positions. I’m glad to see the restaurant industry has grown tremendously in the last ten years. There are a lot of restaurants that thriving in this industry and it’s good for our community to look at this industry and see where there opportunities for us as business owners or entrepreneurs. One of the things I personally feel is that the culinary world has always been dominated in the past in the 20th century by Black men and now that the industry is making money the award winners are white people, I don’t mind saying what the reality is. We’re at a disadvantage because it’s rare that they feature Black cuisine that has made the mainstream, is lively and healthy but that’s what I feel we’re doing. You have to have depth. You can’t wing it. Just like a surgeon conducting surgery, you have to have technique and expertise to be good at your position. I feel like some of the guys I work with are amazingly talented. In the last nine years, I knew a guy who was a dog walker who ended up being a sous chef because he was so devoted. People that may come from different walks of life are able to come in this industry because they can master elements of the chemistry of food. They have to infuse a precision when they make certain things.
How has establishing a presence in the West Philly community helped Aksum and Booker’s become successful? Everyone has their own perception of what makes someone successful and for us it’s been knowing the community that we’re serving and having that understanding. People tend to focus on what’s hip but disconnect themselves from the community, whether that’s in a price point or offering. In West Philly we have a very diverse community and a large vegan community. Being able to really hone in on what we want to provide and being able to hear our guests’ feedback and being able to adjust. I think that helped our success. We’re listening to what people tell us they want. We are a neighborhood restaurant and we love that. It actually makes us being more powerful than being a transient [place] where people won’t care because they’re never going to come back so it’s important that we have a reputation that we can uphold for a long time because we’re going to be serving the same population.
8
RECLAIMING OUR LAND
Black Restaurant Week is supporting F.A.R.M.S. efforts to help Black farmers save their land against illegal and discriminatory practices. SOURCE: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE
USDA Census Statistics on Black Farm Loss There has been a decrease in Black farm ownership since the 2012. With African-Americans owning less than 2% of agriculture land in the US, this is a alarming call to help save black owned farms.
BLACK OWNED FARMS
2012
2017
34, 758 32,910
TOP 5 STATES OF BLACK FARMERS LAND LOSS These are the top 5 states with the highest number of Black farmers. With the exception of Alabama, states suffered a significant loss of Black owned farmers.
Texas 8,758 8,132
Mississippi 5,129 4,909 2,830 2,945
-5.3%
+115
Louisiana 2,419
-10%
-1,848
-220
Alabama
2,198
US BLACK FARM LOSS
-629
Pennsylvania has lost 10% of its Black Owned Farms since 2012
-221
Georgia 2,061 1,970
-91
Perfect Philly Weekend The Recipe
for the
Here’s a delicious agenda for the ultimate weekend in Philly.
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BEFORE YOU GO:
At sunset, City Hall looks magical. So do the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the President’s House and the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP). AAMP’s core exhibit, Audacious Freedom, tells the story of the country’s earliest, most influential Africans. Its art exhibits and monthly Friday night performances are legendary. 701 Arch Street, (215) 574-0380, aampmuseum.org
FRIDAY NIGHT: DOWNTOWN
For dinner, hit SOUTH Kitchen & Jazz Bar for great Lowcountry food — and some of the city’s best live jazz. 600 N. Broad Street, (215) 600-0220, southrestaurant.net
Make a reservation to stay at Akwaaba Philadelphia. At Monique Greenwood’s bed and breakfast in an 1880s mansion in charming Powelton Village, each suite is dedicated to a Philly hitmakers: The Roots, Jill Scott, Patti LaBelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin or Musiq Soulchild. 3709 Baring Street, (866) 466-3855, akwaaba.com Center City is an easy Uber from West Philly to City Hall (Broad and Market streets) and the Historic District (between 7th and Front and Walnut and Vine streets).
SATURDAY: STAY LOCAL. GET CULTURAL.
For brunch: Aksum. Saba Tedla, who owns nearby Booker’s, runs this Mediterranean BYOB known for laid-back weekend meals of sweet corn griddle cakes, shakshuka and Monte Cristo sandwiches. 4630 Baltimore Avenue, (267) 275-8195, aksumcafe.com For culture, head to the Penn Museum, a massive archaeology and anthropology destination with the largest sphinx in the Western Hemisphere and an exhibit of Egyptian mummies where you can watch the curators do their work. South Street, 3260 South Street, (215) 898-4000, penn.museum For cutting-edge art, it’s the free Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), whose 2019/2020 season is all about “interrogating key issues of our time.” 118 S. 36th Street, (215) 898-7108, icaphila.org Rather move around? Book a walking, biking or riding Mural Arts tour to discover stories behind some of the thousands of works that transform Philly into a very public art gallery. muralarts.org/tours NOW SHOP:
Hakim’s, one of the country’s oldest Blackowned bookstores, is a must-visit. Welcoming, old-school and on point, Hakim’s stocks new releases, secondhand finds and one-of-a-kind home accessories. 210 S. 52nd Street, (215) 474-9495, hakimsbookstore.com SATURDAY NIGHT IN WEST PHILLY:
You’ve got choices: Ethiopian stews soaked up with spongy injera bread at Abyssinia (229 S. 45th Street, (215) 387-2424) followed by whiskey drinks at secret upstairs bar Fiume); Caribbean and American fusion at 48th Street Grille (310 S. 48th Street, (267) 244-4776, 48thstreetgrille.com); trendy cocktails served alongside wings, seafood pasta, candied yams and 7Up cake at stylish Tasties. 1212 N. 52nd Street, (215) 447-0281, tastiesoulfood.com
Marsh + Mane SUNDAY FUNDAY IN THE 7TH WARD:
But first: Church. Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, founded in 1787, occupies the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans. Sunday service starts at 9:30 a.m. 419 S. 6th Street, facebook.com/MotherBethel One block south, the mural Mapping Courage memorializes W.E.B. Du Bois’ time in this historically Black neighborhood. Coffee: At nearby Bower Cafe, owner Thane Wright serves it with great pastry, and housecured meats. 263 S. 10th Street, (267) 758-5535 Also nearby: Marsh + Mane, a sanctuary-like boutique specializing in natural products for Black hair and skin (529 S. 4th Street, marshandmane.com); Yowie, a Black-owned gallery and shelter store that’s ultra Instagrammable (716 S. 4th Street, shopyowie.com); Ms. Tootsie’s Restaurant, Bar & Lounge, for great soul food inspired by a great Philly mom (1312 South Street, (215) 731-9045, kevenparker.net); and, because it wouldn’t be right to be in this part of town not to have a cheesesteak, the original Ishkabibble’s, where you can wash it down with a Gremlin (half grape juice, half lemonade) (337 South Street, (215) 923-4337, philacheesesteak.com). On the second Sunday in June, the west end of South Street hosts the East Coast’s largest African American street festival. Odunde celebrates the Yoruba New Year and African heritage with live music, dance and handmade crafts and great food for sale and draws 500,000 people. 23rd & South streets, odundefestival.org
Want more Philly? Go to visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com.
Abyssinia
11 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION BY VISIT PHILADELPHIA
WWW.FADEMEDIA.NET | INFO@FADEMEDIA.NET
THE OFFICIAL MARKETING FIRM OF BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK, LLC
PHILADELPHIA
CULINARY DIRECTORY BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK 2019 PARTICIPANTS COMPILED BY: FALAYN FERRELL
CELEBRATING THE FLAVORS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN, AFRICAN, AND CARIBBEAN CUISINE. 13
48TH STREET GRILLE
310 S 48TH STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19143 (267) 244-4764 WWW.48THSTREETGRILLE.COM ABOUT:
48th Street Grille is a full-service restaurant and catering business located in the heart of West Philadelphia. We use fresh, locally sourced ingredients that best represent a true taste of the Caribbean. Recently, we’ve been recognized by Visit Philly as one of Philadelphia’s Top Cajun & Caribbean Restaurants!
CUISINE: CARIBBEAN
AKSUM MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN 4630 BALTIMORE AVENUE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19143 (267) 275-8195 ABOUT:
On Baltimore Avenue in vibrant and diverse University City, Aksum features a bright Mediterranean menu that focuses on simple and fresh ingredients, with accents from Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Aksum is one of Philadelphia’s favorite BYOB restaurants, serving dinner 7 nights a week, and an award winning brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
CUISINE: MEDITERRANEAN
BISTRO 870 RESTAURANT & LOUNGE 6100 HAVERFORD AVE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19151 (215) 921-4346 ABOUT:
Bistro 870 where every Dish is a unique collaboration! Please call for reservations
CUISINE: AMERICAN, SOUL
BLU DIAMOND JUICERY
5144 WALNUT ST PHILADELPHIA, PA 19139 (215) 796-9618 WWW.BLUDIAMONDJUICERY.COM ABOUT: Blu Diamond Juicery offers 14+ varieties of fresh juices and smoothies to help start your day off right. Their gourmet vegan wraps and salads will keep you coming back for more. Blu Diamond only uses the finest ingredients to make their famous sauces and dressings.
CUISINE: SMOOTHIES, VEGAN 14
BOOKER’S RESTAURANT & BAR
5021 BALTIMORE AVE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19143 (215) 883-0960 WWW.BOOKERSRESTAURANTANDBAR.COM ABOUT:
Booker’s Restaurant & Bar at 5021 Baltimore a restaurant-thought of by Saba Tedla, current owner of Aksum Café. Serving a menu of New American comfort food with southern flair in a refined yet laid-back atmosphere, Booker’s carefully crafts expertly prepared dishes for omnivores, vegans, kids & adults.
CUISINE: AMERICAN, BAR
COCO’S CHICKEN & WAFFLES 1437 SOUTH STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19146 (215) 454-6372 ABOUT:
Coco’s Chicken & Waffles offers a variety of delicious waffles and chicken to fit your cravings.
CUISINE: AMERICAN, BRUNCH
HAUTE RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
1420 LOCUST STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19102 (267) 388-1150 WWW.HAUTERESTAURANTLOUNGE.COM ABOUT:
Haute Restaurant & Lounge is an upscale Restaurant & Lounge located in the heart of center city Philadelphia. You can expect great service, better food, exceptional drinks and the best vibe in Philadelphia.
CUISINE: AMERICAN, BAR, LOUNGE
JUST TO SERVE YOU
5622 W GIRARD AVE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19131 (267) 570-9890 WWW.JUST2SERVEYOU.COM ABOUT:
When you visit Just To Serve You you’re in for quite a treat. Experience our scrumptious soul food and fresh seafood. Our dishes are made fresh daily. Exceptionally mouthwatering, plentiful servings make us the perfect destination for your next night out.
CUISINE: SOUL FOOD
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RHYTHM & BRUNCH CAFE 6517 ELMWOOD AVE PHILADELPHIA, PA 19142 (484) 751-3661 ABOUT:
Rhythm and Brunch Café is a small 35 seat restaurant located at 6517 Elmwood. Our motto is simple “Never Sacrifice Integrity for Growth”. We only use the freshest seafood, poultry and dairy! Whether you want something sweet or savory or a combination of two we will accommodate.
CUISINE: AMERICAN, BRUNCH
ROSE PETALS CAFE
8120 OLD YORK RD PHILADELPHIA, PA 19027 (267) 388-1150 WWW.ROSEPETALSCAFE.COM ABOUT:
Rose Petals Cafe is a flirt between breakfast and fine dining. Specializing in waffles, we offer array of sweet and savory options. Filling out our menu we have pancakes, french toast, smoothies and fish n grits.
CUISINE: AMERICAN, BREAKFAST, BRUNCH
STAR FUSION RESTAURANT
2013 N. 63RD ST PHILADELPHIA, PA 19151 (215) 879-1108 WWW.STARFUSIONRESTAURANT.COM ABOUT:
A diverse restaurant just like the city we serve Philadelphia. Our offering of cuisine is very eclectic from Modern American, Caribbean, Soups and Salads to Wings and Spring rolls.We pride our self on the excellence and outstanding taste of our food with our superb quality of service.
CUISINE: AMERICAN
TASTIES RESTAURANT 1212 N.52NDST PHILADELPHIA, PA 19131 (215) 558-0700 ABOUT:
We are a Soul food fine dining restaurant with a twist of other delicious dishes. Tasties has been serving the Philadelphia community for over 6yrs.
CUISINE: SOUL FOOD
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Foodie Forum
Curious about the Center for Culinary Enterprises? Come to our Foodie Forums!
What You Will Learn: How to access the commercial kitchen space at the Center for Culinary Enterprises, along with the additional business services provided by The Enterprise Center. When is it?
Mon. Jan. 07 at 4:00 PM Mon. Feb 11th 4:00 PM Mon. Mar. 11th at 4:00 PM Mon. Apr. 8th at 4:00 PM Mon. May 13th at 4:00 PM Mon. Jun. 10th at 4:00 PM Mon. Jul. 8th at 4:00 PM
Wed. Jan. 23rd at 5:00 PM Thu. Feb. 28nd at 5:00 PM Thu. Mar . 28th at 5:00 PM Tue. Apr. 30th at 5:00 PM Wed. May. 29th at 4:00 PM Thu. Jun. 27th at 5:00 PM Thu. Jul. 24th at 4:00 PM
Where is it? The Center for Culinary Enterprises 310 South 48th Street (rear)
Please register at: http://theenterprisecenter.com/business/cce/ 18
Join us, and take the first step towards starting your new food business!
Questions? Please contact: Val Cadet 215-895-4050
vcadet@theenterprisecenter.com
@westphillyfoods #westphillyfoods #CCE
GROW YOUR
CULINARY BUSINESS THROUGH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Kim Carter, Vice President of Partnerships for The Enterprise Center provides advice for challenges entrepreneurs face when growing the scale of their culinary business.
KIM CARTER
Center for Culinary Enterprises
The Center for Culinary Enterprises falls under the Community Development Corporation of The Enterprise Center and is a full service commercial culinary incubator space for food entrepreneurs. What sets our commissary apart from other commissaries are the access to procurement opportunities we create for our members. Since we are located in the city of Philadelphia, which is full of educational and medical institutions and we are situated only miles away for these institutions, we have taken full advantage of cultivating existing relationship and creating new relationships that have led to profitable procurement opportunities for our members. These relationships are a great stream of revenue for our members and an additional stream of revenue for our organization. The opportunities have opened the door for local food entrepreneurs to work with large institutions and for institutions to support the local economy. Our process begins with the food entrepreneurs who are members of
our culinary center. A few times a year, we host food tastings and invite procurement personnel from large institutions, as well as the executive team and buyers from the food service companies that contract with the institutions. During the tasting, buyers can meet the food entrepreneurs, sample their product and ask any questions about wholesale and retail pricing, packaging and scalability. If the entrepreneur can meet the buyer’s specifications, follow-up discussions ensue, which include cost, delivery, number of items, frequency of items, retail or dining, consistency, scalability, reliability, visual appeal, taste and other variables. Throughout the process, our team in the commissary is working to ensure the entrepreneur can meet all those requirements and providing any necessary support to make sure the entrepreneur can succeed at the opportunity. Our support may include business technical assistance, capital, food costing, ingredient sourcing, recipe scaling, workflow, time management, labor management and most
importantly, a final consistent product that can be delivered on time that meets customer expectations. When this process works perfectly it can be very profitable for the entrepreneur and lead to other opportunities internally and other institutions where the food service companies have contracts. It can be a great win/ win for the entrepreneur, as well as the institutions. When it doesn’t work perfectly, its back to the drawing board for the entrepreneur to find the flaws in their process. In our experience, the entrepreneurs normally struggle in three areas: consistency, understanding how to scale and financials. Fortunately, we have more entrepreneurs who succeed in this process than fail. Lastly, when we begin working with any entrepreneur, we always begin by saying “Think like McDonalds” meaning that you can go anywhere in the world and order a McDonald’s cheeseburger and it will look, taste and you will receive it in minutes after ordering. So, thinking like McDonalds is a great starting point. 19