Feastival Brings Philly Chefs Together to Support FringeArts

The Citizen Recommends: Feastival

The premiere foodie effect is more than than a great political party; it'due south also a sign that dining out has become a socio-political movement

Sep. 26, 2016

On Thursday night, when an eclectic mix of Philadelphians—artists and hipsters, politicians and techies, young and former—assemble at FringeArts to eat the food of our city's best chefs in support of the Fringe Festival, information technology will exist a helluva party. But it will also be the latest proof positive that a generation of restaurateurs are no longer waiting for the aforementioned-sometime, same-sometime crowd of elected officials to attempt and brand Philadelphia all it can exist.

In one case upon a time, dining out in Philadelphia was strictly a commonsensical affair. Even during the city'southward first eating house renaissance, in the 1970s, and as recently as the early aughts, diners were seeking a repast, not a communal experience, while restaurateurs were by and large engaged strictly in commerce. Who could blame them? Their business is really, really hard; a popular axiom is that viii of every 10 ultimately fail.

In recent years, though, something has changed. Now, equally tried and truthful institutions of customs accept fizzled and frayed, (Organized faith? Newspapers? Bowling leagues?), restaurants have go our meeting places—and restaurateurs have joined the ranks of our borough leaders.

Await no further than Feastival, which is the coming together of some 80 kick-ass chefs in the cause of helping to make Philly world class. For the 7th consecutive yr, it will benefit the Fringe, whose chairman, Richard Vague, one time proclaimed that "the better the arts, the amend the city."

Simply Feastival is just the latest example of restaurateurs stepping up every bit citizens. Stephen Starr has donated to Philadelphia schools and raised funds from his patrons for the crusade. Rob Wasserman, owner of Rouge, has sponsored the annual Burger Brawl in support of literacy programs. Marc Vetri and his partner Jeff Benjamin are well on their manner to making the hair-netted luncheon lady obsolete by bringing fine dining culinary principles to school cafeterias.  Before long, we'll have the long-awaited Rooster Soup, the Michael Solomonov, Steve Melt and Reverend Bill Golderer joint that will steer its profits to Wide Street Ministry'due south Hospitality Collaborative, Golderer's erstwhile venture that services the homeless population with the aforementioned blazon of hospitality equally at aristocracy restaurants. "What if you could aid someone who really needed it, but by eating lunch?" is their simple merely provocative tagline.  And, hither as elsewhere, in that location are the experiments in no-tipping restaurants that pay a living wage, like Girard Brasserie & Bruncherie and William Street Common.

In recent years, something has inverse. At present, as tried and true institutions of community accept fizzled and frayed, (Organized religion? Newspapers? Bowling leagues?), restaurants accept go our coming together places—and restaurateurs have joined the ranks of our borough leaders.

Feastival is the female parent of all foodie borough ventures, and information technology's grown largely thank you to the commitment of Audrey Claire Taichman, owner of Twenty Manning and Audrey Claire'south in Rittenhouse Square. I defenseless up with her last week to ask: What changed? What energized the restaurateur community to and then collectively widen the aperture of its lens and take action on so many pet causes?

"Oh my God, how can y'all not?" she responded. "I mean, if you're a proficient person and yous're successful, how can you not help? How can you lot non requite dorsum?"

Back during the sexual revolution, it became popular to proclaim that "the personal is the political." Well, over the final decade, what we consume has become the political, as what we eat, and how we produce what we consume, has taken on deep meaning throughout America. Spurred by authors like Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, chefs like Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver, and, beginning in 2009, the focus of  Michelle Obama, the food movement took off. Taichman says it's no surprise that the politicization of food defenseless on in kitchens throughout the state.

"Chefs are such artists," she says. "The whole organic motion gave them access to absurd stuff to show off as an fine art form. And we all know that artists want to change the world."

That'southward what Feastival is actually nearly—this idea that change doesn't necessarily come top downwards from politicians anymore, that artists in chef whites can make food for us while making their communities amend.

Go Feastival tickets here.

Header photograph via Feastival

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/feastival-2016-supports-fringearts/

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