FYI Philly visits 6 LGBTQ+ businesses to support during Pride, Longwood Gardens' magical summer
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- TaRhonda Thomas and Alicia Vitarelli host FYI Philly with 6 LGBTQ+ businesses to support for Pride and a magical summer at Longwood Gardens.
Marc Vetri's pays homage to his dad Sal with new Pizzeria Salvy
Pizzeria Salvy is the newest culinary venture from Chef Marc Vetri, with Philly style slices at lunch and 12-inch pies.
He makes classics like pepperoni and South Philly Margherita.
But he also added some of his own inventions to the menu, like a sweet onion crepe pizza.
He promises his original creations are like nothing you've ever had.
The star of the pizza show is the dough, a thin crust that is "light and airy and flavorful."
For Pizzeria Salvy, Vetri brought back Sal's famous meatballs, which are a staple from Vetri's early restaurant career and a nostalgic family favorite.
Vetri's dad, Sal, says it was his mother's recipe and meatballs were always on the table for Sunday dinners in South Philadelphia.
Growing up, the meatballs were part of Sal's life lessons to his children-always make meatballs with veal, pork and beef.
Tuesday-Friday, lunch & dinner
Comcast Technology Center
1800 Arch Street, Lower Level, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
Norma's serves authentic Mediterranean eats for over 30 years
Norma Bitar is the matriarch of her family and the namesake behind Norma's Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine.
For more than 30 years, she has been at the helm of this South Jersey staple, with the help of her eldest son, chef Elias.
They curate a gourmet grocery next door, with both establishments specializing in traditional items and dishes from the Middle East.
From falafel and tabouli, to baked goods and entrees, the menu is extensive, and fresh produce is procured from Lawnside's Free Haven Farms.
Norma's Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine | Facebook | Instagram
145 Barclay Farms Shopping Center
Route 70 East, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
856-795-1373
open daily 11am-9pm, later on weekends
6 LGBTQIA+-owned businesses you can support year-round
At LesbiVeggies in Audubon, New Jersey, the name says it all.
Owner Brennah Lambert has created a brunch and dinner menu of scratch-made, plant-based, gluten-free fare.
The jackfruit based birria taco is the number one seller for dinner. The blackened Cajun cauliflower sandwich is also a big hit.
Lambert personally designed the place with a vibe of positivity and she wants it to be a place where everyone feels welcome.
LesbiVeggies | Facebook | Instagram
112 W Merchant St, Audubon, NJ 08106
856-323-8458
In Mt. Airy, Avenues Cafe is designed to be a place where people connect.
Or, as owner Lee Locklear calls it, "Delicious coffee with a side of community."
Locklear is African American and Native American and dedicates a section of the café to Native American art.
The cafe serves traditional Italian espresso along with pastries, breakfast and brunch, and they host all kinds of creative workshops, "everything from poetry, to pottery making, to spoken word."
Avenues Cafe | Facebook | Instagram
7201 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. 19119
Head to Fat Lady Brewing on Main Street in Manayunk and it's like a night under the Big Top.
The neighborhood bar is owner Jane Lipton's homage to the circus and carnival life.
And she is the real-life inspiration behind the bar's cartoon character, a turn-of-the 20th-century circus performer named Janie Jones.
Stories about Jones' journey to the circus are on the back of every can of beer they create.
There are 12 taps, half featuring Fat Lady Brews and half highlighting hyper-local beers.
It's a place where Pride is celebrated year-round and the circus theme has a deeper meaning.
"Everyone was welcome at the circus," Lipton says. "And everybody is welcome at Fat Lady Brewing."
Fat Lady Brewing | Facebook | Instagram
4323 Main Street, Manayunk, Pa. 19127
Esadiva Maven is the creative force behind E's Tees and More.
She started the business out of her Brewerytown home and sells her upcycled works of wearable art online.
The thick thighs and pride vibes messaging is her top seller.
There's a t-shirt that celebrates allies and what she calls the gay update hat, for those who aren't so supportive.
E's Tees & More | FacebookInstagram
For a piece of history, Giovanni's Room is a must-stop. It's the oldest LGBTQ+ and feminist bookstore in the United States.
The store was established by four friends in 1973, and it was a revolutionary idea at the time-an openly gay bookstore when a lot of gay clubs and gay spaces were still hidden.
The bookstore carries everything from new releases, like Elliott Page's new memoir to classics.
Giovanni's Room came under the nonprofit Philly AIDS thrift about a decade ago.
So you'll find vintage clothing among the stacks of books and movies.
And co-manager Katharine Milon proudly notes Giovanni's Room has been voted the No. 1 LGBTQ+ bookstore in the country by Yelp users.
Philly AIDS Thrift@Giovanni's Room | Facebook.com | Instagram
345 S 12th St, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107
215-923-2960
In South Philadelphia, V Marks the Shop is Philadelphia's only all-vegan convenience store.
You'll find everything from snacks to a wall of hot sauces and a variety of vegan meats and cheeses.
Carlo Giardina says the cheese is the store's best seller "a lot of folks will say, 'Hey, I can't give up the cheese until they try this stuff.'"
Carlo and his partner, Carmela, curate products from around the world but put a special focus on supporting local, especially he says, "if it's folks of color, queer folks, women-owned businesses.
V Marks the Shop | Facebook | Instagram
1515 McKean Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19145
484-843-1834
Vegan pop-up | Instagram
July 13, 6-10 p.m.
Tattooed Mom
530 South Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19147
Food & cultural renaissance on Chester's historic Avenue of the States
The Penn Cafe is the newest addition to downtown Chester's historic Avenue of the States.
It opened at the end of April serving La Colombe coffee, pastries from a Lancaster baker and an ever-expanding menu of smoothies and flatbreads and dishes like chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits.
The cafe is housed in a gorgeously renovated 1889 former bank building that co-owner Fiona Hew-Wing says had been vacant for 30 years.
Hew-Wing is also the CEO of Penn Home Health Care right across the street and came up with the idea for the cafe when her employees complained about needing to leave the community to get breakfast or lunch.
Developer Ron Starr, owner of Penn Home Health Care, bought the old bank building along with a half dozen other historic properties on the block and says Chester is "begging for a comeback," pointing to its history as the birthplace of Pennsylvania, the place where Penn actually landed in 1682.
Hew-Wing and Starr are part of a broader community effort to buy, restore and open businesses along the historic downtown strip.
Roland Taylor and his wife, Lucia, opened Duo Tacos and Bowls last spring. It is, Taylor says, known as the home of the chicken birria, but they also make birria ramen bowls along with burritos, quesadillas and Mexican street corn.
On Taco Tuesdays they offer free margaritas in a festive picnic area tucked under the Amtrak train tracks.
Taylor says the goal is to create a food scene that will make Chester a destination. He has two other food concepts and a social club in the works.
Avenue of the States also has a number of galleries and artist, designer and developer L Ward says the revitalization starts with art. He owns Indigo Mills, a giant warehouse that's home to all kinds of artists and makers.
Ward also built the giant wooden bar in the Penn Cafe, crafted from a 100 year old tree donated by a Chester developer.
"The whole community is really behind this project," says Hew-Wing.
Phase two for Hew-Wing and Starr is the redevelopment of the buildings neighboring The Penn Cafe, including the old courthouse- the oldest courthouse in the United States.
It's a project Starr calls Penn Square and he hopes to add a steakhouse, a bowling alley and 10 luxury apartments. "It will be the Rittenhouse Square of Delaware County," Starr promises.
Penn Cafe | Facebook | Instagram
420 Avenue of the States, Chester, Pa. 19013
484-357-1013
Duo Tacos & Bowls | Instagram
540 Avenue of the States, Chester, Pa. 19013
484-483-7425
North Star Café is a pay-what-you-can coffee shop serving Kensington
The North Star Coffee Shop in Kensington hopes to change lives of those in the neighborhood on both sides of counter, one cup at a time.
Against the backdrop of the neighborhood's opioid epidemic, the cafe will help people get their first real job experience, while also serving as a spot for community meetings and a safe haven for city youth amid ongoing gun violence.
The cafe is also working with IMPACT, a group across the street that works to help those re-enter the workforce after incarceration.
Cantina de Martina makes James Beard-worthy eats
At Cantina La Martina chef Dionicio Jimenez's Mexican cuisine made him a James Beard finalist.
The Kensington restaurant opened in February 2022, quickly earning a reputation for authentic dishes.
While Jimenez handles the kitchen, his wife Mariangeli manages the outdoor retreat.
There is a tented area for dining and a garden setting for relaxing.
The space was a collaboration with the neighborhood and provides a respite from the city setting.
Cantina La Martina | | Instagram
2800 D St., Philadelphia, PA 19134
Longwood Gardens set for summer of music in special season of shows
At Longwood Gardens, summer is one of the best times of year to take in the floral scenery of the gardens, and the cascading waters of the fountains.
This year, the Festival of Fountains will include musical backdrops for shows - including songs from artists like Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Bon Jovi, plus many classical selections.
The summer beer garden also has live music on weekends, and concerts are scheduled throughout the summer season as well - artists include Bela Fleck, Sutton Foster, and jazz artists for the Wine and Jazz Festival.
Longwood Gardens | Facebook | Instagram
1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348
610-388-1000
Festival of Fountains runs through Sept. 23
Applied Mechanics' 'Other Orbits' alien show headed to Standby Stages
You can go beyond our universe and explore Other Orbits, the latest immersive experience from Applied Mechanics.
MK Tuomanen, one of the co-creators, describes it as a really sci-fi world.
Tuomanen says that because you walk through the play, it enables you to observe all these different stories happening simultaneously.
The team of co-creators started working on the alien species during the pandemic.
The installation is premiering at Standby Stages in Kensington.
The setting of the piece is a planet named Dthlorp, which Tuomanen says is "a failed human colony," but now the inhabitants are all gonna try to get along.
There are interesting characters, like Tuomanen's part, which they describe as "a flirty bacteria."
There are also puppets, one of which is voiced by Anthony Martinez-Briggs, one of the co-creators of Other Orbits.
Elizabeth Atkinson is another one of the co-creators and a composer for Other Orbits.
She says some of the sounds for Mic R. Phone are a lot beat-driven, but the different species on the planet all have different tastes in music.
Martinez-Briggs says this planet they've created is a big experiment and that these beings are seeking understanding of one another and of themselves.
Tuomanen says they're asking the question, "How do we take such different people and make a world that's going to be equitable for everybody -- where everybody feels seen?"
"This is an opportunity for us to imagine what a world can look like, a world that we want to live in," says Martinez-Briggs.
Applied Mechanics' Other Orbits runs July 9-22 at Standby Stages in Philadelphia.
Applied Mechanics' Other Orbits | Tickets
Standby Stages
2033 E. Silver Street, Philadelphia, PA 19134
