Vernick alum helming a new eatery | Inquirer Lower Merion

Hi, Lower Merion! 👋

Two longtime friends are opening a live-fire cooking restaurant nearby this fall. Here’s what to know. Also this week, we look at how effective the red-light enforcement cameras have been so far, Kylie Kelce made a guest appearance on Ilona Maher’s new show, plus we peek inside a more-than-century-old Bryn Mawr home that’s for sale.

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

Harriton alums team up to launch restaurant Old Friend in Wayne

A pair of Harriton High School alums who first met in 1984 when they were students at Welsh Valley Middle School are teaming up to launch a new restaurant — complete with a nod to their longtime friendship.

Larry Kagan and Chas McFeely plan to open Old Friend this fall in the ground floor of the newly built Apartments at Wayne Station on Lancaster Avenue. The menu will focus on contemporary American cuisine, complete with live-fire cooking. Their mix of dishes will include shareable larger-format proteins.

It’s the first restaurant venture for the friends, who have tapped Fork and Vernick Food & Drink alum Sam Henzy — who also did a stint at Copenhagen’s famed Noma — to helm the kitchen, as well as Stove & Co. chef-owner Joe Monnich as a consultant.

The Inquirer’s Michael Klein has the details.

💡 Community News

• It’s been just over a month since ticketing for the township’s automated red-light enforcement cameras went into effect, resulting in 663 citations.
• A “soulful” century-old stone home in Bryn Mawr with four bedrooms and original hardwood floors recently hit the market with an asking price of just under $700,000. Take a look inside.
• Narberth native Kylie Kelce joined former U.S. Olympian Ilona Maher last week on the first episode of the retired rugby player’s new YouTube fitness show, Power Hour with Ilona Maher. They talked about everything from dating failures to sexism in sports to the Kelce family and what motherhood looks like for her.
• Lower Merion police arrested two people who were allegedly attempting to break into a home on the 2000 block of Old Gulph Road last week, according to 6abc. A third individual was also involved, police said.
• The first phase of Narberth’s gas-powered leaf blower ban goes into effect Tuesday. Here’s everything you need to know.
• Maivie, a chain known for its pressed floral workshops, has opened an Ardmore outpost at 74 Rittenhouse Place.
• There will be overnight ramp closures from northbound I-476 to westbound I-76 and from westbound I-76 to southbound I-476 tomorrow at 10 p.m. until Saturday at 9 a.m.

🏫 Schools Briefing

• In case you missed it, Jennifer Rivera has resigned from her post as a school board director after being charged this week with embezzling over $50,000 from the Bala Cynwyd marketing agency where she works.
• Harriton High School edged out Lower Merion High School in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best public high schools in the state, ranking number six in Pennsylvania and No. 339 nationwide. Lower Merion came in eighth in the state and No. 380 in the country.

🍽️ On our Plate

• Bagels are having a moment — in Philadelphia and nationally — and Lower Merion is no exception. Two spots have opened outposts here recently: PopUp Bagels in Ardmore and Bart’s Bagels in Bala Cynwyd. But is the bagel boom really just a bagel bubble? The Inquirer’s Michael Klein explores.
• While we knew what rating Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy gave Johnny’s Pizza on a recent visit for his “One Bite Pizza Review,” his full take has finally landed. The verdict on the Bryn Mawr (definitely not pronounced “Bawn Mire,” like he thought) joint’s pie? In a word: “Spectacular.” See the full segment here.

🎳 Things to Do

🎶 Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts: Jonatha Brooke, who’s known for blending folk, melodic pop, and rock, headlines this week’s show, along with Nashville singer/songwriter Liz Longley. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. 💵 $25.88, free for kids 12 and under 📍 Bryn Mawr Gazebo

🔪 JCC Global Cooking Class: Learn to make a traditional Jewish Ukrainian dish during this class. ⏰ Tuesday, Sept. 1, 10-11:30 a.m. 💵 $10 📍 Kaiserman JCC

🎥 Casablanca: See a screening of the 1942 Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman classic. ⏰ Tuesday, Sept. 1, 7:15 p.m. 💵 $11.75-$16.25 📍 Bryn Mawr Film Institute

🏡 On the Market

A charming six-bedroom Wynnewood Tudor

This Wynnewood Tudor has a classic center hall layout, complete with dining and living rooms off the entry, an eat-in kitchen, a butler’s pantry, and a family room. Its six bedrooms, including a primary suite, are spread across the second and third floors. Out back, there’s a patio and fenced yard, as well as a detached garage. There are open houses tomorrow from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

See more photos of the home here.

Price: $975,000 | Size: 3,418 SF | Acreage: 0.26

🗞️ What other Lower Merion residents are reading this week:

• WHYY’s ‘Fresh Air’ host Terry Gross is at the center of catfish-style scams targeting stars and media personalities
• VJ Edgecombe, Cavan Sullivan, and the best Philly athletes under 25
• Man in Halloween mask accused of menacing people near City Hall arrested in Las Vegas

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.