Philadelphia, PA (October 15, 2020) — Celebrated Chef Omar Tate and Fine-Drawn Hospitality’s Walnut Street Café are coming together in an effort to propel their shared value of nourishing the West Philadelphia community. Taking place on Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14 will be a two-day experiential fundraiser benefiting the development of Honeysuckle Community Center’s future brick-and-mortar outpost.
Famed for curated and elevated experiences empowering and celebrating Blackness by way of food and art, Honeysuckle — helmed by Chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate — has taken a two-pronged approach for this pop-up to ensure accessibility for all.
Friday, November 13 will bring an intimate and experiential dinner gala to Walnut Street Cafe boasting a six-course dinner with wine and live auction comprising artwork created by Tate and other local artists, as well as experiences and specialty items. Tate, who speaks between each course explaining the inspiration and history behind every dish, and how it ties into the Black existence, will highlight Honeysuckle's signature dishes served at every pop-up — like the all-natural Kool-Aid and Honeysuckle Ice Cream. Also on the menu will be dishes representative of his personal and family experiences as well as the history of Philadelphia. Guests will see this in menu items including Candlewood Path (An Egg Drop for John and Alice), a vegetarian dish paying homage to Philadelphia-rooted John Contrane and his wife, Alice, who’s music is integral to the foundation of Honeysuckle, and the Smoked Turkey Necks in 1980’s Philadelphia, a dish acknowledging the West Philadelphia community affected by the 1985 MOVE bombing. Thoughtful beverage pairings, spanning beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic options, will accompany the meal.
On Saturday, Honeysuckle will bring a lively and welcoming three-course brunch and auction as a takeover of Walnut Street Café’s regularly scheduled Jazz Brunch. A playful array of Haitian-inspired cocktails will accompany the menu comprised of an abundant Morning Spread (herring pattie, toasted hard dough, My Mom’s Banana Bread, souse in a tin and turmeric Egg), Rice Grits with fried whiting, hot sauce, cultured butter and an egg any style rounded out with Honeysuckle Donuts Pwa with coffee sugar and sweat bean custard. Honeysuckle will also be taking over Walnut Street Cafe’s outdoor market, Walnut Street Market, showcasing some of the ready-made products that will be available at the forthcoming Honeysuckle Community Center Market.
The joint mission of Walnut Street Café and Honeysuckle will be further highlighted with the unveiling of Walnut Street Café’s partnership with Mama-Tee’s Community Fridge, women of color-led organization striving to combat food insecurity and deserts by providing free and nourishing fresh produce to underserved communities. In partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust, Walnut Street Café will host and manage the Yellow Fridge offering free food to anyone in need. The fridge unveiling will feature a live artist painting the fridge and celebration of the second community fridge in West Philadelphia.
Art, which is synonymous with Omar Tate and Honeysuckle, will be a major throughline for the two-day pop-up experience. Available in many forms, ranging from Omar Tate’s zine’s boasting his poetry and art prints to larger, multi-piece works by Tate and even a massive outdoor installation made specifically for the Walnut Street Café pop-up will be available for purchase. Additionally, items and experiences created by other local makers, purveyors, and businesses will be auctioned both days.
The dinner gala taking place on Friday, November 13 taking place from 6 to 9:30 PM, will be priced at $225 per person. Reservations must be made ahead of time here. Similarly, reservations for the $35 brunch, spanning 10 AM to 3:30 PM, must be made ahead of time here. Donations can be made directly to Honeysuckle via their GoFundMe page
