Vietnamese Coffee, Gelato, and Other Women-Made Artisan Goods to Stock Up on Now
These are the Philly foods that will light up your next dinner party.
Philly artisanal foods from women-run companies. Photograph by Michael Persico
This article is one part of our look at how women are reshaping Philly’s food scene. Read more here.
1. Lumache by Pasta Lab
Gina Rubinetti and co-founder Chris Wright specialize in restaurant-quality pasta made from local grains freshly milled in Kensington. Try as you might, your homemade linguine can’t hold a candle to Pasta Lab’s offerings, so why even bother? Available at various farmers’ markets.
2. Hand-painted chocolates by Aurora Grace
Aurora Wold learned to make chocolate in the kitchens of the best restaurants in the country (she was a pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park, Jean-Georges and the Musket Room in New York), then returned home to Philly to grace us with her artistic confections. 517 South 5th Street, Society Hill.
3. Ice-cream sandwiches by Weckerly’s
Weckerly’s may be known for chef collabs and wacky seasonal flavors, but it’s Jen Satinsky’s (and her partner/husband Andy’s) commitment to local dairies and farms that makes Weckerly’s ice cream so beloved in the community. 9 West Girard Avenue, Fishtown.
4. Fougasse by Ursa Bakery
Claire McWilliams, Vetri’s head baker and miller extraordinaire, launched a one-woman bread operation using only Pennsylvania-grown wheat for a mostly sourdough lineup of loaves. The fougasse is like an olive-and-rosemary-studded baguette shaped like an alien pretzel, and you’ll want to eat one a day till you die. Ursabakery.com.
5. Gelato by Flow State CoffeeBar
Melanie Diamond-Manlusoc brought her gelato-making talents from Michelin-starred Spiaggia in Chicago to Flow State CoffeeBar, a cafe/bakery/gelateria that’s managed to fully mend our broken Capogiro hearts. 2413 Frankford Avenue, Kensington.
6. Tehina by Soom
Sisters Amy, Shelby and Jackie Zitelman’s luxurious toasted-sesame puree (made in North Philly) is the backbone of Michael Solomonov’s hummus empire. But they’ve got equally excellent date syrup and chocolate tehina halvah spread (like sesame Nutella). Available at SoomFoods.com, Whole Foods and Di Bruno Bros.
7. Vietnamese coffee by Càphê Roasters
Out of a new roastery in Kensington, Thu Pham shines a spotlight on Vietnamese coffee — not Vietnamese-style coffee (you know, brewed with those special filters and sweetened with condensed milk), but literal single-origin coffee made from beans sourced directly from producers in the highlands of Vietnam. Capheroasters.com.
Published as part of the “Women Are the Future of Philly’s Food Scene” feature in the January 2020 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
