*Food, Farms, & Chefs’ Gene Blum spoke with Chef Bobby Saritsoglou of Stina and Chef Chris Kearse of Forsythia . Then we spoke with the Executive Director & President of Women Against Abuse, Joanne Otero-Cruz as well as Private Chef Tommi Vincent live during the Dish It Up event, which was held at Lincoln Financial Field on May 18th. We start the hour out with two huge names in Philadelphia’s culinary scene, Chef Bobby Saritsoglou of Stina and Chef Chris Kearse of Forsythia. Gene Blum began by discussing both their backgrounds, before learning how both chefs were able to supply their restaurants during the pandemic. Both Chefs are huge advocates of supporting locally-owned farms and purveyors around Pennsylvania, which is where they obtain all the ingredients that go into creating the sought-after menu items. Those same award-winning meals are a product of both their pedigrees within the culinary industry. Having learned from Michelin Star Chefs in the US and across the globe, their words of advice to anyone looking to join the culinary industry hold so much levity in anyone’s lives: Like Chef Kearse saying that, “Be truly authentic and to know the culture of your business,” to advising you, “not to be afraid to reach out to fellow chefs for advice.” No truer words can be spoken for any industry–and we at Food, Farms, & Chefs 100% agree.
And in case you missed their collaborative dinner, hosted by Chef Saritsoglou at his restaurant Stina Pizzeria, you can visit Chef Bobby at his Mediterranean-based restaurant or visit Chef Kearse for one of his delicious meals at Forsythia during their regular hours of operation. And speaking of the multi-course dining event–Chef Chris Kearse’s dinner benefitted Novick Urban Farm, located in Philadelphia, PA. You can find more information about Novick by going to NovickUrbanFarm.org.
After we heard from Chef’s Saritsoglou and Kearse, we wanted to bring you some behind-the-scenes LIVE recordings from Women Against Abuse’s Dish It Up event. First hearing from the Executive Director and President Joanna Otero-Cruz, as she discusses the importance behind the organization, the event, and how Dish It Up and Women Against Abuse offers support–in all ways–for individuals affected by domestic abuse.
Lastly, we hear from one of the Women Against Abuse’s advocates of the year, Private Chef Tommi Vincent. Chef Vincent not only shares her deeply personal reason behind supporting the organization, she discusses how learning to cook was a form of healing for herself. Food is a comfort for everyone, and being able to focus on cooking helped heal Tommi while also nurturing her through the food she created. She and her husband Troy Vincent were both affected by domestic abuse, so joining the organization by becoming the advocates of the year was a way to help others and give a larger voice for Women Against Abuse.
*We apologize for any audio disruption, as this was recorded live and the connections do not always remain stable, and outside noises may also cause interruptions or difficulty hearing what was discussed.