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

Little Baby’s Ice Cream is already developing a flair for the dramatic. The artisan ice cream maker announced last-minute that it will open its anticipated Cedar Park location at 4903 Catharine St. at 2 p.m. tomorrow in what will be a busy Saturday in the neighborhood.

Here’s who will be at Little Baby’s:

Play on Philly Youth Orchestra
Sky Sisters Face Painting
Urban Nutrition Initiative’s
Rebel Granola Bars
Yumtown USA Food Truck
Art in the Age Spirits
Philly Roller Girls

The shop will be open until 11 p.m. tomorrow and “every day thereafter,” according to an e-mail.

While you’re on the 4900 block of Catharine, you might want to cross Baltimore Avenue to The Marvelous! for National Record Store Day. The day includes special music releases and, sometimes, live performances at record shops around the country. Here’s what The Marvelous is bringing in for the day (all on vinyl):

Scientist “Scientific Dub” 3×10″ on color vinyl
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, “Animal X” 7″
Rough Guide to Psychedelic Brazil
Aloha, “Here Comes Everyone”
Tame Impala debut EP
Cut Copy, “Bright Like Neon Love”
Can’s “Ege Bamyasi” played by Stephen Malkmus & Friends
Rough Guide to African Disco
Nick Drake comp
Brian Eno / Nicolas Jaar / Grizzly Bear
Grateful Dead, “Rare Cuts & Oddities 1966”
Trashmen, “Mean Woman Blues b/w Big Boss Man 7”
Notorious B.I.G., “Ready to Die” ltd. ed. white vinyl

This, of course, is in addition to the Go West! Craft Fest (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and the Uhuru Flea Market (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at Clark Park.

The Porch, a public space at the 30th Street Station, debuts its 2013 season’s Beer Garden this week, on Thursday and Friday, from 3 to 8 p.m. The Bridgewater’s Pub will serve German and craft beers and the food offerings will include Korean tacos and chicken parm sandwiches. In addition to the food and beer enjoy live music by hottest Philly musicians – Perseverance Jazz Band and Evan Cory Levine and Co. For more information go here.

The Porch will host only two more Beer Gardens this spring and summer – May 16 & 17 and June 6 & 7.

The state has finally signed a lease and now the “premium” Wine and Spirits Shop proposed for the strip mall at 43rd and Chestnut that sparked some controversy in the Spruce Hill neighborhood last year is about three months away from opening.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) approved the project last June, but many residents began wondering if the 5,000-square-foot shop would ever become a reality. Barry Grossbach, who heads up zoning for the Spruce Hill Community Association, said renovation has begun on the end units – formerly a check cashing spot and Risque, an adult video store (pictured) – and will take about 45 days. State officials say it will take another 45 days to get the store stocked and ready to open.

Several residents who live near the proposed location, including Muslim residents from the nearby Masjid al-Jamia mosque, opposed the store. Their opposition was met with support from scores of other residents, which made for a contentious ZBA hearing last summer.

The Wine and Spirits Store at 4301 Chestnut St. will be a a “premium collection” store similar to the ones near 12th and Chestnut and 19th and Chestnut, which feature a broader selection of products than other stores and do not sell small package items such as pints and half pints. This will be the first premium store in West Philadelphia.

The new location will take some pressure off the store near 50th and Baltimore, where lines have swelled since the closing of the shop near 41st and Market in January 2012.

– Mike Lyons

On Sunday, April 7, Dock Street Brewery (50th and Baltimore) will become a venue for two great events – a fundraiser for Cedar Park Neighbors scholarships and a pop-up shop featuring local artists and merchants.

The 6th Annual Scholarship Fundraiser which supports local youths’ pursuit of higher education will take place from 4-6 p.m. and will include beer and pizza, a silent auction, and live music by local band Big Tusk. Tickets are $40 and are available at the door or online. To buy tickets online click here.

Dock Street’s first pop-up shop will begin at 1 p.m. and go on until 8 p.m., so you if you’re participating in the fundraiser you can definitely check out this event, too. Here’s a list of participants:

Pinups For Pitbulls

Recycled Lovers -Vintage clothing and accessories

El Vivimor -Vintage clothing and accessories

Terra Luna – herbal vinegars

Wicked Apothecary – all natural soaps and skin care products

Adelina Mictlan Jewelry – occult style jewelry

Thrillhaus – tees, painted skulls and prints

Cut & Paste Photo Booth

As the Crow Flies & Co. -re-purposed heirloom jewelry & retro style kids clothes

Bitten Sweets – handmade chocolates, crafted into devilish shapes

For more information on the vendors and the event visit: shopdockstreet.wordpress.com.

There will be a raffle to benefit Pinups For Pitbulls, a non-profit organization comprised of animal lovers, advocates and educators. A few of the vendors and local businesses are donating things to raffle off. Dock Street will have pizza slices and will be serving all six taps and new beer cocktails, such as Dude’s Manhattan, Rye Bloody Maria, Pilsner Brew-driver, and a few more.

Have you been missing those one dollar samosas, mini burgers, pizza slices, craft beer, cupcakes, yoga certificates, theater tickets and other items that Baltimore Avenue Dollar Strolls bring to the neighborhood every summer? We have some good and bad news. Let’s start with good – this hugely popular event is coming back this summer and will again include tons of great $1 deals on Baltimore Avenue from 42nd to 50th Streets, from a growing number of participating local businesses.

The somewhat sad news is that there will be only two strolls this summer, down from four strolls in 2011. We hear that it’s a great effort and expenses to put this event together (the attendance grew to 20,000 visitors in 2012), with little revenue for participants, so the organizers had to make the decision to cut the number of the strolls for this year.

This year, the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Strolls are scheduled for June 13 and September 12, to ring in and close out the summer season. We’ll let you know more later about who will take part in these events and what they will offer.