Photo from West Philly Food Swap’s Facebook page.

If you’re a good cook/canner/baker or grow your own food read on. On Sunday, June 9, 2-4 p.m., the Chester Avenue Community Garden (4715 Chester Ave) and local produce buyers for Reading Terminal Market’s farm food stands Alexandra Jones and Jessica Bickis are hosting West Philly’s first Food Swap.

Here’s how it works: Bring your own creations, such as jars of jam, tubs of hummus, loaves of bread, bunches of herbs, or eggs from the chicken coop to share with others. The only rules are that items must be homemade or homegrown and should be individually portioned or packaged. Participants lay out their items on tables or blankets, and everyone browses the items and signs up on a “swap card” with an offer of what they want to trade and for what items brought by others.

The event is free and spots are limited so interested swappers are asked to RSVP at foodswapwestphilly@gmail.com.

To learn more about this event please check the West Philly Food Swap’s Facebook page. You can also check out these food swapping tips from a local food fermentation expert and swapper.

Photo courtesy of Taco Angelenearlyo/Facebook

When Vanessa Jerolmack first moved to West Philly from Los Angeles six years ago, she was a fish out of water. The 32-year-old California native and owner of the local Mexican food truck, Taco Angeleno, admittedly had no friends in the city—but worse, “didn’t have any Mexican food to eat.”

So, to remedy the situation, Jerolmack, who comes from a Mexican family that ate “lots of Mexican food,” started to cook a vegan version of the cuisine for her and her husband. That then morphed into a weekly Sunday brunch, which she used as a way to get to know her neighbors by handing out invitations to random people she met.

“This is how I definitely made friends,” she said. “It started with eight of us, and then it would turn into 12, and then sometimes be 20 of us. Every Sunday, I would just cook this huge brunch. Everyone’s favorite started to be all the Mexican stuff I made.”

While it was “just regular Mexican food” to Jerolmack, her friends were amazed by its deliciousness—to them, she said, it was a bar above what was already offered in West Philly. It was an encouraging reaction for someone who already wanted to open a café of sorts.

That dream of opening her own joint, though, didn’t cement itself until last year. When she and her husband first bought the vacant lot behind her house two years ago, it was just transformed into her personal garden. But she began to think about what Los Angeles had that West Philly lacked, and how she could turn the lot into something more than just a horticultural space. So after an accidental trip to the Memphis Taproom, a light bulb went off: why not turn her swath of land into an outdoor restaurant?

Thus, Taco Angeleno was born. With help from the Center for Culinary Enterprises and a nine-month stint as a cook at Fishtown’s Loco Pez, Jerolmack was able to garner the resources and knowledge needed to develop her Mexican bistro, which she hopes to open on the lot at 5019 Baltimore Avenue this July (she debuted the truck at this year’s Go West Craft Fest, and held a preview picnic at the space on May 17). Much like the Taproom’s beer garden, Taco Angeleno will serve as a take-out outdoor eatery, complete with a food truck, four to six 6-foot picnic style tables, and an upbeat, friendly atmosphere to match Jerolmack’s personality.

Once launched, Taco Angeleno will offer an all taco menu with three meat (chicken, beef, and pork) and three vegan-based (seitan, a soy version of chorizo a.k.a “soyrizo,” and soy-free) options that can also be made into burritos. (While Jerolmack is no longer vegan, she wants to make sure her menu is evenly split so her vegan friends can also enjoy the food.) The menu will also feature a rotating daily platter special, like enchiladas, taquitos, and tamales, that will come with a side of rice and beans. It will operate from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and only during the warm seasons (possibly April to the end of October.)

As for the future, Jerolmack would like to build a shack that’ll house a full kitchen and some counter seating, depending on the success of the first two years. But she said she has no plans of taking Taco Angeleno beyond the neighborhood because “for this whole vision I have, it’s all about this block because it’s right behind my house. It’s my neighborhood. It’s my friends and that’s what makes me so happy.”

– Annamarya Scaccia

Ed. Note: An earlier version of this article listed “soyrizo” as “soy miso”.

Come late summer, West Philly will be home to two new diverse and palate-pleasing restaurants located in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises at 310 S. 48th Street.

For those who love Caribbean-American fusion cuisine, 48th Street Grille will provide a taste of the islands with a focus on seasonal fresh and local ingredients. Owned by Chef Carl Lewis of Catering by Carl Lewis, LLC, 48th Street Grille will serve fresh seafood, pasta, meat, poultry, curry dishes, burgers, salads, soup, vegetarian dishes and sandwiches, and non-alcohol beverages, as well as signature fare from the South and Jamaica, once it opens late summer. The 65-seat dining space will also offer sidewalk dining, take-out service, and full-service catering. It will be open Tuesday – Sundays for lunch and dinner, with mid-week breakfast available through Saturdays. Chef Lewis also plans to host special events for New Year’s Eve, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Mother’s Day, as well as host midweek Family Dining Nights.

Area vegans and vegetarians craving more chow options in West Philly will find potential in Planet Vegan Café, a sit-down vegan juice bar and eatery opening in late July/early August. The vision of Dorinda Hampton, owner of vegan food company Really Fresh Vegan, Planet Vegan is a reinvention and enhanced version of the restaurant Hampton developed as part of her stint on Food Network’s 24 Hour Restaurant Battle in 2010. The 25-person capacity space will feature a full juice bar with all organic juice and smoothies, as well as serve hot and cold sandwiches, hot vegan and veggie dishes, soups, and salads using all healthy, organic, non-GMO products. It will also offer juice cleansing, in which six 16 oz. bottles of fresh-made juice are given for the amount of time needed.

“We want to have a really cool place where people can come, socialize and enjoy people’s company,” said Hampton, who also owns Sprout Vegan Eatery and Juice Bar, located at 909 E. Baltimore Pike in Kennett Square. “I want to [also] give people a new way of thinking about healthy eating. You don’t have to compromise texture or taste. It can be tasty as well as beneficial to your health.”

Planet Vegan will be open Mondays – Sundays (hours are yet to be determined), with takeout and delivery options available. Hampton plans to host local entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, and hold screenings of wellness, health and nutrition documentaries on Sundays.

Opened in September, the Center for Culinary Enterprises was designed to assist start-up and established food enterprises by providing commercial kitchen and food storage space for rent, as well as affordable food business development services. The 13,000+ sq. ft. facility, which is open 24 hours a day, includes four state-of-the-art commercial kitchens, the eKitchen Multimedia Learning Center (a demo kitchen and classroom), and retail space. A third restaurant may open in the space but it could not be confirmed.

–Annamarya Scaccia
 

This Wednesday, May 8, there’s a chance to support a local art program and try delicious Mediterranean dishes prepared by Aksum Cafe (4630 Baltimore Ave). From 5 – 10 p.m. Aksum is hosting “Dining for the Arts” – a benefit for the artists and communities served by the Center For Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA). The specially-prepared three-course, pre fixe dinner will include Aksum favorites and vegan options ($45 per person, BYOB.) 40 percent of the evening’s proceeds will benefit CFEVA. To make your reservation call 267.275.8195.

The Center For Emerging Visual Artists, formerly Creative Artists Network, was founded in 1983 by Felicity R. “Bebe” Benoliel and serves emerging artists who live and work within 100 miles of Philadelphia.
 

The parklets, those cool little curbside outdoor seating spots, are branching out. There is now one in front of Fu-Wah Mini Market and Deli, home to the best tofu hoagie in the city, near 47th and Baltimore.

The parklet is also back at the Green Line Café at 43rd and Baltimore. Others will return soon in front of Honest Tom’s Taco Shop/Lil’ Pop Shop on the 200 block of S. 44th Street and Ramen Bar at 4040 Locust St.

A reminder that the parklets are public, so no purchase is required to sit at them. Three new parklet locations, including Fu-Wah, are slated for this year. Parklets are cooperative effort between the city and the University City District. More details on the others coming soon.

Enjoying a banh mi from Fu-Wah at the new parklet. (Photo by our Twitter follower @deviantollam).

One of the Fresh Food Hub’s staff members, Mecca, showing off some brussel sprouts. (Courtesy of West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub)

West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub, a non-profit mobile market dedicated to improving nutritional education and access to affordable healthy, locally-grown food, will return to Powelton Village for its second season starting April 30.

At the Fresh Food Hub, West Philly residents will be able to purchase locally-grown and seasonal organic fruits and vegetables, as well as conventional produce, milk, local free range eggs, bread, healthy snacks, and fruit salad. Developed in collaboration between Preston’s Paradise and Greensgrow Farms, the market will operate between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at its regular 37th Street and Lancaster Avenue location and will travel to three local senior centers on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. It accepts cash, credit cards, EBT/SNAP, and FMNP senior coupons.

“Local and organic foods are crucial components to a sustainable food system,” said Julia Dougherty, food access coordinator for the AmeriCorps VISTA program at Drexel University, one of the Fresh Food Hub’s partners, “but it is most important for the Fresh Food Hub to increase overall fruit and vegetable consumption in its target neighborhoods to ensure that the customers’ basic nutritional needs are being met.”

The market will also serve as the pickup location for three CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs: Greensgrow CSA, which offers locally-grown vegetables, fruit, dairy, protein, and specialty items such as beer, honey, and pierogi; Neighborhood Foods CSA, which is focused on urban-grown produce, and offers local fruit, value-added products, honey, and flowers; and Greensgrow’s LIFE Box CSA, a low-cost option only available to customers receiving SNAP benefits.

“Traditionally, the large up-front deposits required by most CSAs prohibit low-income shoppers from enjoying the benefits of joining a CSA,” said Dougherty, whose role is to support the Fresh Food Hub through community outreach and partnership efforts. When enrolled in a CSA, clients pay dues at the start of the farming season in order to receive a weekly or bi-weekly box of local harvest. “But there are farms and organizations—such as Greensgrow and Greener Partners in Media/Collegeville—which are working to remove that financial barrier because they recognize the importance of incorporating educational components in food access work.”

According to Dougherty, profits from the Fresh Food Hub will go towards educational programming in the neighborhood, including cooking classes, nutrition education, and garden demonstrations at Drexel’s recently established Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, located on 35th and Spring Garden Streets.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/WPFoodHub.

Here is the complete 2013 Fresh Food Hub schedule as of this point:

Tuesdays – Fridays
2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
37th and Lancaster (regular location)

Wednesdays
11 a.m.
Sunshine Senior Center
58th Street and Walnut Street

Thursdays
11 a.m.
St. Ignatius Senior Homes
44th Street and Fairmount Avenue

Fridays
11 a.m.
West Philadelphia Senior Community Center
41st Street and Poplar Street

Saturdays
Available to travel to special events in the community

– Annamarya Scaccia