PHILADELPHIA - Saquan Howard, the chef, and owner of Cray Taste Old City, which opened in August of 2021 at 118 Market Street in Philadelphia, is introducing a new burger menu intending to raise money for those affected by Sickle Cell Anemia. The fundraiser will begin on Monday, October 3rd, and runs through the end of October.
The month-long focus – which Howard is calling “Burger Jawn”– will feature six different 6 oz. Beef burger compositions, with proceeds benefiting the Crescent Foundation, whose goal is to transcend sickle cell disease by supporting survivors, families, and communities with evidence-based research while navigating the disease together with transparency, innovation, equity, and community. Learn more at http://
Chef Howard’s burger menu includes:
- -Cray Burger – lettuce, tomato, pepper jack cheese, special Cray sauce
- -Smash Burger – two patties, pickles, cheddar cheese, American cheese
- -Welcome Back Burger – onion marmalade, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese
- -Stuffed Burger – steak topped with fried onions, mushrooms, A1 Sauce, cheddar cheese
- -Old City Burger – bacon, mixed cheese, pickles, Cray Bang sauce
- -Brunch Burger – ½ lb bacon, over-medium egg, crispy home fries, American cheese
All burgers are served with a side of crispy French fries and cost $14 apiece, except the brunch burger, which costs $17. Guests can add ½ lb. of bacon to any of the other offerings for an additional $7.
“My entire team feels that it's very important to give back to the community, and that has been a key part of our business model since 2018 when we opened the first Cray Taste restaurant in North Philly," said Howard. "We started giving away meals and feeding as many people as possible during our second year of operation at that location. At Cray Taste Old City, we want to continue the practice of giving back by supporting a charitable organization. We wanted to support a charity that doesn't get too much attention and one that helps people, and we landed on the Crescent Foundation. We're excited to create these delicious burgers for our customers while doing something really good for the community."
Sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 Americans annually and occurs in about 1 out of every 365 births among African-Americans and 1 out of every 16,300 births among Hispanic-Americans. About 1 in 13 African-American babies are born with the sickle cell trait.
