The former Chester County home of a renowned 19th-century author and diplomat is hitting the market this week with an asking price of $3.1 million.
Known as Cedarcroft, the sprawling Kennett Square brick home spans over 7,100 square feet, sits on 2.4 acres, and has a distinctive five-story, Italianate-style tower overlooking the grounds and surrounding community.
The tower extends over the home’s covered entryway and is accessible by stairs from the second floor. It has a room with windows on each of the third- and fourth-floor landings. It also has a balcony off the fourth floor and a fifth floor accessible by ladder.
The home has a five-story, Italianate-style tower.Virtual Vista | Courtesy of Holly Gross Group
The rooms on the third and fourth floors could serve a number of uses, including as a library, said listing agent Stewart Gross, who is brokering it with Stephen Gross and Holly Gross, all of the Holly Gross Group.
“It’s breathtaking,” he said of the vantage, where both sunrise and sunset can be seen.
It’s believed that the home’s original owner, Bayard Taylor, used the tower spaces to write, enjoy cocktails, and survey the surrounding land, Gross added.
A Kennett Square native, Taylor built the 108 Gatehouse Dr. home between 1859 and 1860. He gained acclaim as a poet and travel writer, publishing a number of works inspired by his global escapades. He also served as the chargé d’affaires of the Russian legation in St. Petersburg.
One of the living spaces on the first floor.Virtual Vista | Courtesy of Holly Gross Group
During his tenure at Cedarcroft, Taylor reportedly hosted a number of literary figures, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Horace Greeley, according to a Kennett Library biography.
Some of the home’s first-floor features include 13-foot ceilings and “grand” spaces including a living room, a dining room, and a library, as well as a billiards room, Gross said.
The home has seven bedrooms — six on the second floor, with a seventh on the third level — including a primary suite with a fireplace and a walk-in closet.
The home has a new kitchen.Virtual Vista | Courtesy of Holly Gross Group
The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It retains many elements of its early roots, such as hardwood flooring, milling, and molding details, while having undergone a number of updates by its current owners. Those include overhauling household systems and bathrooms, updating the roof, and adding a new kitchen, which has stainless steel appliances and Italian quartzite countertops.
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.
When Nelson Contreras-Gelves arrived at an immigration appointment in June, he worriedly “already saw myself being back in Venezuela.”
The threat of deportation had loomed ever since he arrived in the United States in March 2022, surrendering at the border and requesting asylum. It hung over conversations he and Ariel Whaley had about marriage. It dictated when they held their wedding reception.
And just a week after the Chester County newlyweds celebrated their marriage, Contreras-Gelves, 35, walked into an immigration appointment in Philadelphia. An hour later, he called to tell his wife he had been arrested and detained by ICE.
That is, until Sept. 10, when he was abruptly released after months at Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the giant ICE detention center in Philipsburg, Clearfield County.
Contreras-Gelves and Whaley say he has no criminal record.
“Those first couple of days, we just kept on looking at each other, like, ‘Wow, I cannot believe that you are here,’ because it was so out of the world,” said Whaley, 27, during a recent interview in Kennett Square’s Cypress Beach Park, where the pair had volunteered planting trees and rehabbing the park together. Contreras-Gelves does not speak English; Whaley translated his comments during the conversation.
Contreras-Gelves and Whaley are now starting a new chapter — not life as it was before. They don’t know precisely why Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted Contreras-Gelves’ release after a string of denials. And he is under more surveillance than before his detention. He was fitted with an ankle monitor; is limited to traveling only within Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware; and has frequent in-person check-ins in King of Prussia.
“There’s still uncertainty, but at the very least, we can go through it together, and not have the same sense of immediacy that we have to make some sort of decision,” Whaley said.
Nelson Contreras-Gelves talks about his proposal to Ariel Whaley at Cypress Beach Park on Sept. 21 in Kennett Square. Contreras-Gelves was released from ICE detention earlier this month.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
‘If she enters my heart, she won’t leave’
When it came to Whaley, Contreras-Gelves was nervous to make the first move.
The two met in 2023 at Mighty Writers, a nonprofit educational program for children that also offers food and other resources for underserved families in the Philadelphia region.
Whaley, a Downingtown native, was working at the Spanish-language preschool; Contreras-Gelves started as a volunteer in the food pantry, working his overnight shift at a mushroom farm and then arriving just a few hours later at the nonprofit.
They spent a lot of time together there. Whaley remembers sorting donations together, sifting through an array of lotions and shampoo. He sniffed each one.
Something about it struck her: “I just saw a curiosity and a wonder for the little things that I don’t normally see in a lot of people,” she said. “It made me fall in love very quickly.”
He was likewise smitten. He told a coworker “that muchacha is so pretty.”
“If she enters my heart, she won’t leave,” he recalled saying.
As their relationship got more serious and they both considered marriage, they had to discuss it “kind of like in a business way,” Whaley recalls.
They hesitated for a bit. But ultimately, they bought their rings, and despite his nerves about the pressures of an American proposal, he asked Whaley to marry him in February 2025 at the park where they had their first date.
After a ceremony in May, Whaley wanted to celebrate their love. They picked the date for their June 2026 reception because it was “literally the last weekend” before Contreras-Gelves could possibly be detained, Whaley said. Whaley’s panic attacks about it got worse, a sharp come-down from the pure happiness she had felt at their reception.
Though this appointment was routine, and he had been to immigration check-ins previously, they saw what was unfolding around them. They knew the government was increasingly taking people into custody when they appeared. Something similar had happened to Contreras-Gelves’ friend.
Nelson Contreras-Gelves speaks with a reporter at Cypress Beach Park on Sept. 21 in Kennett Square.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
‘Keep the faith’
When the appointment came, what typically was a 15-minute process — fingerprints, a photo — took two hours. Immigration officials asked Contreras-Gelves to report back a few days later with another form of ID from Venezuela.
Friends and family told Contreras-Gelves not to go back. But he knew it would be worse if he didn’t.
One week after their party, Contreras-Gelves stopped Whaley 50 feet from the door to the immigration office, told her he would go in alone, and kissed her goodbye.
He didn’t come back out.
It was a scramble for Whaley, who mobilized to contact lawyers with the Defender Association’s immigration unit. She struggled to figure out how to see him while he was held at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia for roughly three weeks, before he was transferred to the 1,880-bed Moshannon center.
For months, his detention consumed Whaley’s life. She was constantly on alert, answering calls from the lawyers and waiting to hear from Contreras-Gelves, unsure if the next time he would tell her he was being deported.
But a community sprung up around them. Whaley helped other detainees contact their loved ones, and helped families navigate addingmoney to their accounts. She connected others with Contreras-Gelves’ attorneys, and visited another man at Moshannon whom Contreras-Gelves had been detained alongside in Philadelphia, helping him communicate with his wife in Mexico.
A GoFundMe page, set up by loved ones, raised nearly $40,000 to support Whaley and Contreras-Gelves as they fought for his release. They launched a letter-writing campaign, sending postcards to elected officials.
Over the months in detainment, Contreras-Gelves faced repeated denials to be released on bond. The conditions of Moshannon were “horrible,” he said. He recalls scalding shower water that burned; a mysterious and unsettling number of bugs; and poor food quality. Medical assistance was often just a pill. He shared his commissary purchases with other detainees who did not have the same access.
A spokesperson for ICE did not respond to a request seeking comment about the conditions at Moshannon or the reason for Contreras-Gelves’ release.
He began to get weary. He thought about signing a voluntary departure form and returning to Venezuela. Whaley, at first, agreed, not wanting him to remain locked up when he could be free — and they could be united — somewhere else. But she pressed him to wait.
“Everybody in our community that already knew us played such a large role in helping us keep the faith, and then all of the people that we’ve met and we’ve been able to help or have helped us have done the same thing,” Whaley said.
And then on the morning of Sept. 10, as Whaley was heading into work as a graduate assistant at West Chester University, she got a phone call. Contreras-Gelves was talking so fast, it took her a minute to understand: He was being released.
She hesitated to tell anyone. It didn’t feel real. But after she talked with an ICE agent to coordinate picking him up, she started calling people.
“I still was like, I’m not going to believe it until he comes out the gate,” she said. “And then he did.”
Ariel Whaley and Nelson Contreras-Gelves walk through Cypress Beach Park.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
‘Incredibly lucky’
When people ask them what comes next, they say there is still a lot of uncertainty. They don’t feel like they are returning to the lives they had before.
There’s a lot of ambiguity around the relations between his home country and the United States, and what it could mean for his status. But he will have a new court date, some time in the future.
They hope the momentum they built around Contreras-Gelves’ detention canbedirectedto others who are still at Moshannon, Whaley said. They continue to help others detained there when they can.
AfterContreras-Gelves’ release, they drove a woman and her children to Moshannon to visit her husband, from whom she had been separated for more than a year without the means to visit.
“We were so incredibly lucky. There’s so many people who don’t even get the opportunity to fight as hard as we have, and so we are just so grateful to have the support from everybody,” she said. “We both feel a responsibility to help others who are still going through it.”
Olivia Ponce left her native Mexico for South Philly in 2001, with a young daughter and no extended family; she strongly felt the lack of a support system.
Putting her own health and personal growth on the back burner to give her child a better life, she worked unceasingly in the restaurant industry for more than a decade. A phone number on a light pole offering English classes changed her life.
The digits belonged to the Garces Foundation, created in 2012 by Ecuadorian American chef Jose Garces and Cuban dentist Beatriz Garcesafter the death of a friend who had avoided seeking medical care out of fear of deportation.
Since then, the organization has helped Philadelphians from 26 countries in 12 languages, providing access to English classes, free healthcare, and support as they adapt to their new home, regardless of insurance or immigration status.
Now, to honor its communal sentiment, the foundation has changed its name from Garces Foundation to Comunidad Garces, beginning Tuesday.
As the organization approaches its quinceañera, the new name is just one change. The agency is expanding its free community health days from Philly to Kennett Square, where more than 28% of the population is foreign-born.
For Beatriz Garces, the new name responds to the way people have already come to see the organization: as a community.
“We felt like, given everything the community is going through at this moment, it was even more important to evolve the name to something that really feels welcoming to all immigrants,” she said.
Although the word comunidad is Spanish for community, BeatrizGarces said, the sentiment and their doors are open to people from all walks of life.
For years, Comunidad Garces has been holding Community Health Days about every other monthin Philly to make medical and dental care free and accessible for people who otherwise would not have it.
Since 2021, the foundation has treated about 5,000 people through medical assistance and the dental program, Beatriz Garces said.
Colon and prostate cancer screenings are now available, as well as mammograms through Penn Medicine’s mobile mammography program.
Now, these services will expand to Kennett Square in partnership with Laurel Dental of West Grove.
“It’s the first time we expanded beyond Philadelphia,” Jose Garces said. The first Kennett Square community health day was held Saturday.
“Just on our first day, we discovered five abnormalities in women through our mammogram screening and were able to pass them on to Penn Medicine to continue their evaluation, so day one already making an impact.”
In the last two years, Comunidad Garces has been expanding to adapt to the needs of a growing immigrant community living through challenging times,Beatriz Garces said.
Since 2025, the foundation has also offered digital literacy classes, even providing computers so folks can enroll in the program.
Ponce herself learned English, got her GED certificate, discovered and treated her prediabetes, and found a support system through the organization.
“Immigration always leaves pain in us, but there is something about the power and resistance we find through this community,” Ponce said. At the South Philadelphia-headquartered foundation, “it feels like you are loved, like there is this family vibe.”
Most recently, Ponce was hired as a case manager at the foundation. She now helps community members find housing, employment, and schools and manage their healthcare visits.
The expansion to Kennett Square is, in part, a way to make sure immigrants have access to what they need to build their new lives in the United States, Beatriz Garces said.
As the name change unfolds, Jose Garces hopes the community feels more included and welcome.
“Our name is changing, but the world remains the same,” he said. “Comunidad means community, and that means our door is open to everybody.”
This weekend is more than just about breaded mushrooms for Gale Ferranto, even if her family’s farm stand continuously boasts one of the longest lines at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival.
The two-day annual celebration, featuring educational courses on mushrooms, as well as plates of them fried, grilled, and served in nearly every other method of preparation, is a time for her to reflect on the three generations that came before her, all the way from Italy, to claim a stake in Chester County and its signature crop.
“Most family-run farms don’t last past two generations,” Ferranto, a lifelong Kennett Square resident and president of Buona Foods, said as hundreds of people milled down the borough’s main drag. ”Here, we have fourth-, fifth-, sixth-generation farms still going strong, and we’re proud of that.”
This year’s festival, Kennett Square’s 41st, is celebrating that intergenerational work, which grew a pastoral slice of the Philadelphia suburbs into an agricultural mecca: 64% of the country’s mushrooms are grown in Pennsylvania, and the majority of those farms are located here.
Colleen Farnsworth of Ardmore and her son Ambrose Farnsworth, 4, touch the mushrooms in the mushroom exhibition during Kennett Square’s 41st Mushroom Festival on Saturday. Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Recycling sustains mushroom farming
By its very nature, Ferranto said, mushroom farming is forward-thinking. Farms, like her family’s, rely on agricultural byproducts that otherwise would be discarded.
“Recycling is a pillar of everything we do,” she said. “It’s an important message to pass on to younger generations doing this work, because what we’re doing now is shaping the environment of farmwork to come.”
In the nearby exhibit tent, Richie Forte explained that work to festivalgoers, some from as close as Delaware County, and others who traveled from as far as British Columbia to learn about mushrooms.
Forte, who’s been in the mushroom business for 30 years, following his father’s lead, walked visitors through the growing process, from spawn planted in soil to cardboard cartons placed on supermarket shelves.
He said he couldn’t be happier answering questions about a crop he’s been handling since he was a teenager. His father, he said, did the same volunteer work for many past festivals.
“In a world of private equity and big business, the fact that Kennett Square can still maintain this small, hometown feel is amazing,” he said.
“You get to a point in your life where you look around you, at the fabric of a community like this, and you realize it’s responsible for giving you everything you have.”
It’s a family affair
The farmers running the festival stands weren’t the only ones reveling in generational tradition. The event, and its signature, knit mushroom hats, have become an annual tradition for countless families in the region.
Rhiannon Betts has been driving up from Cecil County, Md., every summer for the festival for 21 years, and she and her family previously ran in the 5k race that accompanies it.
This year, Betts brought her boyfriend, Aidan Ward, with her to experience something that was integral to her childhood.
“This has always been an event that seems to put families first,” she said. “No matter what we have going on in the summer, we have to make it out here for this.”
For Corlan Blyskal and his wife, Emily, this year’s festival was the hopeful beginning of a new family tradition: The King of Prussia couple, decked out in homemade mushroom hats, brought their 10-month-old son, Knox, with them for their first visit to the event.
The self-described “mushroom-obsessed” couple gave their son his first bite of a raw mushroom, straight from the source.
Sixty restaurants are on the slate for this fall in Philadelphia and its suburbs on both sides of the river, with cuisines that span the map: Vietnamese, Lebanese, Greek, Caribbean, Cajun-Creole, Palestinian, Mediterranean, and contemporary American cooking, along with bagel shops, bakeries, breakfast concepts, wine bars, and cocktail rooms.
Heavy Metal Sausage was ordered to stop serving dinner. Beatrice Forman says this may spell doom for the acclaimed South Philly butcher shop/restaurant.
The Michelin-starred Friday Saturday Sunday secured a $1.5 million state grant to expand into the rowhouse next door. Beatrice unpacked the process — and the reaction.
When does a tea shop require security guards? When it’s heytea —just one of a slew of hyped Chinese beverage chains hitting Philly. Kiki Aranita reports on the hottest thing going in Chinatown.
There was a lot of crunching going on as critic Craig LaBan tucked into the Vietnamese fried chicken platter at South Philly’s Phở Duyên — which he dubs “my No. 1 food deal for $15 in Philadelphia right now.”
Scoops
Edd’s & Flo’s Artisan Bakery Cafe plans to close its Lancaster operation on Sept. 20 in advance of a relocation to Fishtown next year. Meghan Young and Sebastian Schuck are still working on a lease, so the location is under wraps. Edd’s & Flo’s, which started in their hometown as Wish You Well Bakery in 2021, found its niche in croissants, savory pastries, and weekend brunch. This move will be a Philly comeback for Young, a Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College graduate who worked at Darling’s Cheesecake Cafe, Green Line Cafe, Barbuzzo, Suraya, John & Kira’s Chocolates, and One Shot Coffee. Young and Schuck rebranded in 2024 with a name that’s both a nod to life’s ebbs and flows and a tribute to Young’s childhood cats, named for the musical duo Flo & Eddie. Stay tuned.
You’ve seen the months of construction along Columbus Boulevard at Penn’s Landing for the park that will cap I-95 and link Old City to the Delaware River. The Delaware River Waterfront Corp. just applied for building permits for the Pavilion and Café (rendering above), which will be part of Penn’s Landing Park when it opens in 2029-2030 at Market Street. The project’s operator has not yet been identified.
Restaurant report
While chef-owner Liz Grothe of Scampi in Queen Village travels in Italy, chef RJ Smith of Ocho Supper Club will take over the restaurant for a five-course Afro-Caribbean tasting menu Sept. 18-21. The $130 menu includes curried oxtail, madai aguachile, plantain coco bread with crab, berbere-spiced duck breast, and turmeric tart. An optional Pennsylvania wine pairing is $50. Seatings are at 5 and 8 p.m., and à la carte dishes will be available on the patio. Reservations are on Resy and OpenTable. Smith is still leading his residency at the Rittenhouse Hotel; the space, which was Scarpetta, will become a steakhouse called Ruxton by next summer.
Old Original Nick’s Roast Beef sets up starting Thursday at Live! Casino & Hotel’s 10th Street Market, where it will follow South Philly Barbacoa’s residency. Besides roast beef, Nick’s will deal in roast turkey, roast pork, baked ham, broccoli rabe sandwiches, and long hot peppers. The pop-up will be open from 5 p.m. to midnight (or sellout) Thursday and Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, through the fall.
Briefly noted
The Big Dill will mark National Pickle Day with a nine-hour pickle festival Nov. 14 at Stateside Live! in South Philadelphia, closing its 2026 national tour there. More than 50 vendors will offer pickle-themed food and drinks, while 20 pickle brands serve unlimited samples of more than 100 varieties. Entertainment includes the World Pickle Eating Championship, brine-chugging, live music, DJs, games, and mechanical pickle rides. Organizers also hope to break a record by gathering more than 888 people dressed as pickles; the first 1,200 ticket buyers receive numbered costumes. The event runs from 1 to 9 p.m., with early entry at noon. Tickets go on sale Sept. 15 at bigdill.com/tour.
Mish Mish is launching Daydreamers, a quarterly series that will turn the East Passyunk restaurant over to chefs, makers, and other hospitality pros for one-night interpretations of their dream concepts. The first installment, with seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Sunday, features sous chef Koby Epstein serving a six-course, late-summer tasting menu paired with Pray Tell Wines. Seatings, at 5:30 and 8 p.m., are $120 plus tax, tip, and drinks.
Kennett Square’s annual Mushroom Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday with foods and goods from 220-plus vendors, including Aimee Olexy’s Talula’s Table. Signature bite: The restaurant’s so-called “World Famous Riz-Mac,” which places mushroom risotto and mushroom mac and cheese side by side. Festival details are here.
Les Dames d’Escoffier Philadelphia’s Heritage Dinner is 4-7 p.m. Sunday at Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Ave. More than two dozen chefs will participate, serving Sweet Amalia oysters, chicken mole, seared salmon, Vietnamese vegetable curry, beef tenderloin, and desserts honoring The Cake Bible author Rose Levy Beranbaum. Also honored are Canal House’s Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton and caterer Michele Leff. Tickets start at $200; a $300 ticket includes preferred seating and Beranbaum’s new memoir. Proceeds fund scholarships for women entering culinary and hospitality fields.
Bite for the Fight Food Festival returns for a seventh year from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks with tastings, cooking demos, and a silent auction benefiting the Fight On Makenna Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer patients and their families at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Featured chefs are Brian Duffy, Ariane Duarte, Kenneth McDuffie, and David Schorn. Tickets start at $120.
Top Chef winner Nick Elmi will prepare smoked ribs, whole chicken wings, pork shoulder, brisket, cornbread, baked beans, mac and cheese, apple crisp, and soft-serve for the KB Foundation’s fifth annual BBQ Experience, Sept. 24 at the Pump House in Bala Cynwyd. VIP service begins at 6 p.m. with lobster pies, fried chicken with caviar and white barbecue sauce, smoked foie gras mousse, and oyster fritters; general admission starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $175, or $250 for VIP. Proceeds support youth-mentoring programs.
Uchi in Rittenhouse will launch a fall collaboration series Sept. 24 with Kevin Yanaga of Yanaga Kappo Izakaya. He, Uchi head sushi chef Josephine Fry, and chef de cuisine Ford Sonnenberg will serve 10 courses starting at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $175 at the sushi bar, $150 at tables, plus tax/tip; an optional sake pairing will be available. Additional dinners will follow in October and November.
Staff and friends of the recently shuttered Jose Pistola’s have organized a GoFundMe campaign for support (separate from an earlier one created by management).
❓Pop quiz
Name the $88 dish that Kiki Aranita checked out recently at a Philadelphia restaurant.
A) a tasting of New York strip steaks from Urban Farmer
Is ReAnimator Coffee really opening in Manayunk? — Jennie O.
ReAnimator, the Philly-bred coffee brand founded in 2010 by Mark Capriotti and Mark Corpus, has indeed committed to a Manayunk location at 4226 Main St., which was last an art gallery. Capriotti optimistically thinks opening is six months away. “We just opened in Mount Airy and it took us a year,” he said. “But we’re hoping we can learn from our experience.”
📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.
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 fall’s restaurant openings reflect an industry hedging its bets: established operators expanding into the suburbs and repurposing familiar spaces, and newcomers pursuing narrowly drawn concepts built around omakase, caviar, Korean barbecue, cocktails, and live-fire cooking.
I count about five dozen restaurants in the region’s pipeline, with Italian concepts (no surprise), all-day service, and experience-driven dining recurring throughout the list. In addition to 60 restaurants opening between now and late December, two other restaurants are expanding: Lovat Square in Chestnut Hill is adding dinners and Palm Vintage across from City Hall is adding nighttime sushi service.
By comparison, last year’s fall roundup covered 53 restaurants. All of those opened except for three that are now a full year behind schedule: Adda in Fishtown is shooting for October, Ayat near Rittenhouse Square is aiming for November, and Brunch Bulls in Point Breeze is targeted for December. (Although this year has seen its share of closings, especially among longstanding restaurants, each of last fall’s restaurants is still open.)
Brand new and notable
Aogami (4343 Main St.): Underground sushi is coming to Manayunk as chef Tom LoMonte joins chef Moon Krapukthong to offer a 16-course omakase in a 20-seat BYOB setting beneath Krapukthong’s Yanako and neighboring Chabaa Thai Bistro, starting Sept. 25. LoMonte — a veteran of Zama, Izakaya by Yanaga, Pod, and Yanaga Kappo Izakaya — will lead the omakases at 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; reserved sushi-bar seatings will run Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays alongside hand rolls and à la carte service. LoMonte describes the atmosphere as energetic and less formal than typical omakase counters. Upstairs, Yanako will continue serving rolls, sushi platters, udon, tempura, and yakitori.
The Buttery (1099 Germantown Ave.): Malvern-based bakery and cafe the Buttery is preparing a Philadelphia location at Piazza Alta in Northern Liberties, near Scusi and Terra Grill. It recently opened a Bryn Mawr location and expanded its original Malvern operation into dinner service with Neapolitan pizza and shareable plates. An opening date has not yet been shared.
Nick & Nora’s Oyster Dive (560 Stokes Rd., Medford): Michael and Jeniphur Pasquarello (La Chinesca, Piccolina) are bringing a raw bar and American kitchen to a corner space with a large deck at Ironstone Village. The broader menu will include steak frites, burgers, fish, vegetables, and small plates, says Michael Pasquarello, who hopes to open in 60 to 90 days.
Chef Chaz Brown (left) is partnered with his brother Clifford Brown (center) and John Skeele in Rumblefish, 1700 N. Third St.Mike Prince
Rumblefish(1700 N. Third St.): Chef Chaz Brown is targeting November for this 900-square-foot, fast-casual Caribbean fish-fry restaurant at Third Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Brown — a Trinidadian American chef whose resumé includes Nobu, Le Bec-Fin, Fatty Crab, and television’s Top Chef — will focus on invasive species such as lionfish, snakehead, green crab, and Chesapeake Bay blue catfish when available. (The catfish turned heads at the recent Oxtail Exchange at Forman Arts Initiative.) Brown uses gluten-free corn flour with Trinidadian spice blends and serves the fish on po’boy-style rolls baked by Angelo’s Bakery in Conshohocken. The mostly takeout operation will have counter seating, a 25-seat covered patio, slaws, fries, sea-moss drinks, and Solo Kola Champagne.
Pennsylvania suburbs
Alessandro’s Enoteca (915 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr): Alex Fiorello’s third restaurant will bring a bar-focused Italian concept to the former Enoteca Tredici space in Bryn Mawr Village in mid-to-late October. Fiorello and culinary director Matt Arcomone, whose resumé includes Osteria, Vetri, and Palladino’s, are planning house-made pastas, wood-fired pizzas, live-fire cooking, and dry-aged meats. It’s intended to have a stronger evening and bar scene than Fiorello’s Wayne restaurants.
Bruzi (281 Montgomery Ave., Bala Cynwyd): Two couples with Calabrian roots plan to open this Southern Italian restaurant in the former Aldar Bistro in late fall. Expect house-made pastas and Calabrian dishes such as fusilli with slow-cooked meat sauce, baked lamb, and grilled tuna, plus cocktails and an opening list of about 100 Italian wines.
Capperini (137 S. Easton Rd., Glenside): Eastern Montco will get an upscale Italian-Mediterranean destination with a liquor license from Ilya Vorobey and partners including members of the team behind Capri in Queen Village. Vorobey is aiming for October or November.
Casa de Fehu, 482 Jacksonville Rd., Hatboro.Michael Klein / Staff
Casa de Fehu (482 Jacksonville Rd., Hatboro): Hatboro couple Anthony Shalamov and Anastasia De Roy are developing this polished restaurant with European-inspired cooking and an upscale atmosphere, possibly with a tie-in to a local brewery that would allow alcoholic drinks. Shalamov is targeting an October soft opening.
Cecilia (266 E. Fourth St., Bridgeport): The team behind Blue Bell Inn and the Copper Crow is just about ready to open this contemporary American bar-restaurant in the extensively renovated former Taphouse 23. The roomy property includes a large patio and a wood-burning oven. The menu emphasizes familiar American dishes, positioning this as an all-purpose neighborhood destination.
Donatelli’s (1 Washington Ave., Newtown): Restaurateur Habib Troudi, who owns Panache and Ristorante Castelloin Blue Bell, is behind a top-to-bottom overhaul of the former Rocco’s at the Brick in downtown Newtown. He said he is hoping to open the Italian steakhouse in October.
Rendering of the Garden by Pieri Winery, 127 E. Elm St., in Conshohocken.Courtesy of Christina Pieri
The Garden by Pieri Winery (127 E. Elm St., Conshohocken): Winery owner Christina Pieri and restaurateur Brian Pieri (StoneRose, Bar Lucca, Cerdo) are targeting a mid-October opening of their year-round indoor-outdoor restaurant beside the Schuylkill River Trail, an offshoot of Christina’s Coopersburg winery. A wood-fired kitchen will serve seasonal American food, including brick-oven pizzas, focaccia sandwiches, salads, steaks, and fish, at lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. The property will include a covered patio, fire tables, a turf area, and pickleball and bocce courts.
The Hungry Hub (11 S. Orange St., Media): Media native Cassidy Moretti and her mother, Glenda, are taking over the former Rivalry Cafe with a family-run breakfast and lunch operation. The Hungry Hub also plans later hours and a late-night menu, broadening its role beyond that of a conventional daytime cafe. An Oct. 1 opening has been announced.
The Iron Oven (58 S. York Rd., Hatboro): Alex Nalbandian’s Southampton bar-restaurant — known for an expansive American menu, cocktails, craft beer, brunch, and dishes ranging from wings and burgers to flatbreads and entrees — is adding a second location in eastern Montco: the former Ross & Co. He’s aiming at November.
Lazy Dog(160 N. Gulph Rd., King of Prussia): The California-based bar, known for Rocky Mountain lodge imagery and a broad American menu, is targeting late 2026 at the King of Prussia Mall.
Luna (129 E. Butler Ave., Ambler): FineLine Hospitality, which recently opened Academy Grill in Fort Washington, is behind a stylish revamp of Dettera in downtown Ambler. Chef Marie Lavizzo-Mourey will base her menu on the 20-plus countries bordering the Mediterranean. The project is on track for fall.
Martini & Roz(523 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne): Fearless Restaurants is turning Wayne’s former Bertucci’s into an ambitious, 300-seat Southern Italian restaurant named for founder Marty Grims’ parents, Martin and Roslyn. Menu will include crudo, oysters, steaks and chops, wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, and charcuterie. It will feature two open kitchens, a cheese cave, a tasting counter, and extensive outdoor seating.
Maru (2922 Conestoga Rd., Glenmoore): David Backhus and the team behind the former Oori restaurants are in the early days of a fast-casual Korean-inspired restaurant at their former Collective Coffee & Bakery. Think Korean fried chicken sandwiches, wings, and tenders, supplemented by mochi doughnuts and specialty Collective coffee.
Nudy’s Cafe (122 Park Ave., Willow Grove): Prolific suburban breakfast-and-lunch operator Ray Nudy hopes for late September for his latest diner, across from Marshalls in Willow Grove.
Old Friend (166 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne): Childhood friends Larry Kagan and Chas McFeely are behind this contemporary American grill, with former Fork executive chef Sam Henzy leading the kitchen. The 86-seat restaurant will center on live-fire cooking in a Josper oven, with dry-aged fish, poultry, and larger proteins intended for sharing. Its compact wine list will be closely tied to the food. A late-fall opening is planned in the Apartments at Wayne Station.
Opus (201 Birch St., Kennett Square): Square Roots Collective will open this 125-seat New American restaurant Sept. 11 in the former temporary home of Hank’s Place, next to the Artelo hotel. Executive chef Matthew Anderson, formerly of Longwood Gardens and Winterthur, plans seasonal dishes, such as Kennett Square mushroom bisque, butternut squash agnolotti, herb gnocchi, and dayboat scallops. The two-story space includes a cocktail lounge, terraces, and work by local artists. Profits will support community projects and nonprofits.
Salt (840 W. Lancaster Ave., Devon): Rich Kim of North Wales’ acclaimed Salt predicts late December for his redevelopment of Devon’s former La Jonquille and Shiraz property into a second Korean barbecue concept, followed in 2027 by Yugo, a carousel sushi restaurant, upstairs.
The Still on State (18 W. State St., Doylestown): Only days open at the Doylestown Inn, this Irish pub-inspired bar/restaurant fills the former Hattery Stove & Still space; it’s paired with an on-site microdistillery called the Tilted Brim.
Taco Heart (120 Coulter Ave., Ardmore): Nano Wheedan is bringing his South Philadelphia breakfast-taco shop to the Ardmore Farmers Market, its first expansion beyond its East Passyunk-area home. Expect Austin-style flour tortillas and breakfast tacos built around eggs, potatoes, beans, bacon, brisket, and house salsas. Opening is set for Oct. 5.
Top Dog Cocktails (110 E. State St., Kennett Square, and 2012 Frankford Ave., Fishtown): Ken Smuckler’s cocktail company plans two vinyl listening rooms this fall inspired by Japanese jazz kissas. Kennett Square’s 750-square-foot space partners with local music venue Kennett Flash, while Fishtown’s 350-square-foot flagship — arguably the neighborhood’s smallest bar — will feature a 15-seat bar, two-turntable DJ station, and retail.
Tusk (50 N. Main St., Doylestown): Mike and Joy Grafenstine, owners of Roberts Block in Glenside and Bonnet Lane Family Restaurant in Abington, are taking over the former Water’s Edge wine bar, combining the martini-and-wine-bar airs of Roberts Block with approachable upscale American comfort food. Target is October.
Vintner’s Table (24 Cricket Ave., Ardmore): Andrea and Marco Folino, behind Kutztown’s Folino Estate Winery, are opening a third location of their Italian-inspired wine bar, salumeria, and lifestyle boutique in downtown Ardmore in October.
New Jersey suburbs
Akira 70 Omakase (249 Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill): Ming “Frank” Zheng is expanding his Japanese holdings — he owns Akira Sushi in Voorhees and Moorestown — with an omakase experience in a former fur salon.
Banjara Indian Bistro (687-689 Berlin-Cross Keys Rd., Sicklerville): Vaneet Chopra, whose family operates Cross Culture in Haddonfield and previously ran Banjara in Chestnut Hill, is bringing the Banjara name to Sicklerville; its dine-in starts Thursday.
Freckled Jawn Brewing(1003 N. Evergreen Ave., Woodbury): Woodbury residents John Wagner and Colleen Gibson are taking over the former Eight & Sand Beer Co., which closed in June after 10 years. Targeting the first week of October, the brewery will introduce new branding and a fresh lineup of approachable beers, emphasizing natural and locally sourced ingredients when possible.
Irishtown Steaks (155 S. Burlington St., Gloucester City): Donkey’s Placealumnus Dave Murphy is targeting Halloween for his steak shop, joining recent Gloucester City entries Lillo’s and Pudge’s Pub. Murphy will use rolls from Boaggio’s, which has a bakery in town.
Penny’s Bagels (212 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield): Chris Fetfatzes and the Happy Monday Hospitality Group (Wine Dive, Grace & Proper) are developing this long-delayed bagel shop in downtown Haddonfield, now with an October target.
Pizzeria Cusumano (872 Haddon Ave., Collingswood): Announced back in September 2021, this passion project from South Jersey’s Sal Cusumano is finally about to start offering his Roman-inspired squares and neo-New York rounds, but “I don’t want to box myself into a certain style.” Cusumano, a third-generation pizzaiolo, is planning a small shop with limited seating. This week, he said it will open in October for sure.
Philadelphia
Adda (1700 Frankford Ave.): New York’s Unapologetic Foods — behind Dhamaka, Semma, and the original Adda — is bringing its energetic Indian cooking to Fishtown, across from the 19125 post office. Expect regional dishes in an informal setting, continuing the restaurant group’s practice of pushing beyond familiar Indian American standards. Originally expected in fall 2025, the Philadelphia location is now targeting an October opening.
Ayat (2021 Sansom St.): Abdul Elenani’s New York-based Palestinian restaurant — first announced in spring 2024 — is looking at a November opening in the former Roxy Theater near Rittenhouse Square. Ayat is known for generous portions of mansaf, maklouba, mezze, grilled meats, and other homestyle Palestinian dishes.
The bar at Bar Caviar, 256 S. 16th St.Kenneth Schutz
Bar Caviar (256 S. 16th St.): Opening in early October in the Dwight D Hotel in Rittenhouse, this bar will pair caviar and seafood with 50 varieties of Champagne and a full wine program in a setting that’s more neighborhood than hushed luxury lounge. Executive chef Greg Vassos’ contemporary American menu, informed by classical French technique and Japanese precision, will feature raw-bar selections, caviar-focused dishes, and seasonal small plates. The restaurant also will operate Parallel, a caviar program emphasizing careful sourcing and extended maturation. In 2027, Vassos plans to follow with Fall Line, a Mid-Atlantic-focused tasting-menu restaurant.
Brunch Bulls (1638 W. Passyunk Ave.): Brothers Derrick “Dee” Long and Jarrick “Jakk” Long are behind this all-day brunch/dinner/dessert restaurant in Point Breeze. They say they’ll be open by December.
Call Your Mother (262 S. 19th St., 1500 Frankford Ave., 12th and Sansom Streets): The lively, Washington-based “Jew-ish” bagel chain is making a three-location push into Philadelphia, starting this week with its Fishtown debut. Menu includes bagel sandwiches, schmears, latkes, coffee, and deli-inspired specials.
Carolyn’s Modern Vietnamese (2015 Walnut St.): This week, chef Carolyn Nguyen opens her deeply personal successor to Revolution Taco, which she co-owned in the space for a decade. Her menu brings together her family’s Vietnamese cooking, the seafood boils and Southern food of her Louisiana childhood, French culinary technique, and the freewheeling flavor combinations that defined her earlier ventures. The 33-seat restaurant serves dinner, and alcohol, in a spare, contemporary dining room.
Corte (1175 Ludlow St.):Corio partners Ryan Mulholland, chef David Feola, and James Smith are taking over the former Mulherin’s Pizzeria at East Market, between Iron Hill Brewery and Mi Vida. Feola will lead a menu built around house-made pastas plus proteins, vegetables, and small plates cooked in the large Mugnaini wood-burning oven. Mulholland will oversee daily operations and oversee an Old World-leaning wine list and cocktails inspired partly by forgotten recipes from century-old books. The dark-wood, earth-toned restaurant is targeting a fall opening.
DiDi (3748 Lancaster Ave.): DanDan owners Kevin and Catherina “Cat” Huang say they are “within a month or two” of opening their fast-casual pan-Asian concept at the Triad apartment building in Powelton Village. DiDi will join Kabobeesh, Karak Cha House, Shibam Coffee, Two Locals Brewing, and other businesses in the growing complex at 38th and Lancaster.
Divers Club (733 S. Fourth St.): Queen Village is in line to get a neighborhood wine bar from Susan Freeman, Chris Fetfatzes, and Heather Annechiarico (Grace & Proper, Wine Dive) in a former hair salon that sits on the same stretch as Famous 4th Street, Southwark, Ambra, and Fitz on 4th. Fetfatzes describes the mood as “dark, scrappy, and European — somewhere between a Paris backstreet wine bar and a graffitied Berlin hangout.”
Eggcetera Haus (625 S. Sixth St.): Husband-and-wife team Rey Tamaka and Vina Kencana soon will turn the former Redcrest Kitchen into an all-day bar-restaurant. Tamaka, previously the chef at an Old City brunch restaurant, plans breakfast, lunch, and dinner, moving from specialty coffee and morning dishes into pastas, steaks, cocktails, and comfort food at night. The couple expects daily service, giving the Queen Village-Bella Vista border another full-day neighborhood option.
Field Day (923 N. Second St.): James Beard Award-winning bartender and author Danny Childs and his wife, Katie, have a fall opening targeted for their casual regional cocktail bar in Northern Liberties, next to Cescaphe Ballroom. Childs’ drinks will use locally farmed, foraged, and fermented ingredients. Executive chef Melissa McGrath, known for her work at the idled Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, will offer Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired snacks, sandwiches, and tomato pies. Highballs, house-made sodas, boozy gelati, and walk-in seating will help keep the mood informal.
Habibi Supper Club (1515 E. Passyunk Ave.): Miled Finianos is giving his itinerant Lebanese dinner series a permanent home on East Passyunk — possibly by the end of year — serving late breakfast and lunch before he offers ticketed, multicourse suppers.
HYO (1222 Walnut St.): Nightlife veteran Justin Jordan plans an October opening for this Korean tabletop barbecue restaurant behind Hearsay, his indoor-outdoor sidewalk bar and listening lounge. Guests will enter HYO through a phone booth inside Hearsay. The restaurant is part of Jordan’s multilevel entertainment complex, which also includes Celine and the forthcoming Chancellor Room event space and karaoke lounge.
Jean (161 W. Girard Ave.): Emmett chef Evan Snyder and partner Julian van der Tak are going upstairs with a 15-seat tasting menu restaurant opening this fall. Snyder and chef de cuisine Antonio Pizzo will prepare a 12-course menu centered on a 7-foot wood-burning hearth, drawing on Algeria, Tunisia, coastal Morocco, and the southern Mediterranean for culinary influences. A tagine will roast throughout dinner before being served family-style.
Kato (1832 Frankford Ave.): Mei Meichef-owner Jay Ho is taking over the former Izakaya Fishtown space for a restaurant inspired by his Taiwanese father and the food Ho grew up eating. Influences from Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese cooking will broaden the menu. Ho, who hopes to open in late fall, plans to retain the front bar while replacing the rear sushi counter with additional seating that can double as a private dining area.
Lovat Square(184 E. Evergreen Ave.): Former Four Seasons sommelier Damien Graef and journalist Robyn Semien opened this Chestnut Hill wine shop and tasting room in February, offering small-production bottles, wines by the glass, and light fare. The couple, who also own Brooklyn’s Bibber & Bell wine shop, will debut a full dinner menu by the end of September.
Macaluso’s (3101 S. 13th St.): Realtor Joel Gruenke and restaurateur Mark D’Andrea, long-ago roommates at Valley Forge Military Academy, are looking at an early October opening of this white-tablecloth Italian restaurant at 13th Street and Packer Avenue, near the sports complex. D’Andrea’s family owns RoadHouse in Staten Island, N.Y. Gruenke says the moderately priced menu will stick to traditional Italian cooking and offer a full bar. Parking will be available across the street.
Mylar Bar (1636-38 S. Ninth St.): Hospitality veterans Liv Arterbridge and Gina Piccari are turning the former Dino’s Party Center into a festive neighborhood bar inspired by the building’s history. They promise something nostalgic, playful, and deliberately unserious. Drinks will include martinis, punches, classics, and draft beer. Chef Colin White, formerly of Sally and Emmett, will oversee shareable “party snacks,” larger plates, and desserts available late.
Nippy’s on South (1312 South St.): Nurse and first-time restaurateur Nikia Peterson has purchased the former Ms. Tootsie’s building for an ambitious restaurant and bar. Peterson plans a polished setting with seafood towers, steaks, Asian and Caribbean influences, a substantial happy hour, and weekend brunch. The project will revive a prominent South Street property that had remained closed since restaurateur KeVen Parker’s death in 2021.
O’Morrey’s (1720 Sansom St.): Chefs Biff Gottehrer and Kenjiro Omori are developing a cocktail bar on the former site of Genji, the Japanese restaurant created by Omori’s father. The name is a cheeky rendering of the Omori family name. Plans call for a comfortable neighborhood bar in the spirit of the Ripplewood, where both chefs work, with cocktails and a serious food component. Their second joint project, Tako Taco, is months away at the former Bing Bing Dim Sum in South Philadelphia.
Palm Vintage (1414 S. Penn Square): Houston Yang and Mike Beja, who opened this day-to-night cafe and cocktail bar across from City Hall in the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, are close to expanding into a nighttime scene with cocktails, sushi, oysters, caviar, and light food in a lush, tropical-inspired room meant to offer an escape from Center City.
Panco (2300 S. Croskey St.): Chef Ryo Igarashi, whose background includes Tokio Global and Maru Global (noted for its takoyaki balls), is behind a corner shop in West Passyunk whose menu will focus on Japanese cutlets. He says it’s opening soon.
Philly Curio (2240 Frankford Ave.): Tattoo Arts Convention founder Troy Timpel is creating an intimate Kensington restaurant-bar around his private collection of curiosities (think tribal masks, skeletal displays, taxidermy, and glass-topped tables containing preserved animals). Inspired partly by Savannah’s Alligator Soul, Timpel has discussed a Cajun-Creole menu with small plates and unconventional proteins such as rattlesnake. Drinks are expected to include cocktails, wine, bottled beer, and limited drafts. Target is November.
Philly Po’Boy (102 W. Berks St.): Brothers Chris and Greg Lynch are bringing a taste of New Orleans to the storefront beneath the Berks station of the Market-Frankford Line. Chris spent years cooking in New Orleans, while Greg’s Philadelphia background includes Starr Restaurants and LMNO. Plans call for classic powdered-sugar-dusted beignets, gumbo, and a mix of classic and specialty po’boys like fried shrimp, oysters and roast beef “debris,” plus fries, Creole potato salad, and café au lait from coffee roasted by Applied Arts in New Orleans.
Santé Social(1546 E. Passyunk Ave.): Sommelier Daniel Solway is giving his roving dinner series a permanent home across from the Singing Fountain. The approximately 30-seat space will function less like a conventional restaurant than a flexible hospitality venue, hosting wine dinners, tastings, classes, collaborations, private events, and some walk-in service. Cocktails are being developed with Danny Childs of Slow Drinks and Field Day, while changing chefs and collaborators may shape the food programming.
Somedays Bakery (1601 Walnut St.): Hand-laminated croissants are the foundation of this Queens-rooted bakery, which deals in sandwiches, salads, soft serve, and coffee. It’s targeting the end of the month.
Thalassa (918 N. 28th St.): Matt Maltepes is looking at late October or early November for his Greek-inspired cafe in Fairmount that will serve baklava, croissants, and house-made ice cream in flavors that change weekly. Savory offerings will include small plates such as feta grilled cheese with honey, avocado toast, and bagels with cream cheese. The drinks menu will feature European-style coffee preparations, including frappes and Freddo espresso.
Looking ahead
Two major projects are now on the docket for January, as the owners don’t want to compete with the holiday-season madness:the Pelican Club, Stephen Starr’s flashy Greek-themed restaurant taking shape in the former Devon Seafood Grill on Rittenhouse Square, and the yet-to-be-named “punk French” restaurantthat chefs Justin Bogle and Arthur Cavaliere are creating at the former Winnie’s Manayunk.
The long-closed Mermaid Bar in Mount Airy will retain its name under the new ownership of pizzaiolo Dan Gutter and business partner Alex Carbonell of Circles & Squares and Pizza Plus. The project, announced earlier this year, is aiming at a summer 2027 rollout.
The unofficial last weekend of Philly’s summer pop music schedule keeps the heat on. There’s Don Toliver and Kacey Musgraves in South Philly, Kehlani in Camden, Lily Allen in Fairmount Park, Los Lobos in King of Prussia, and the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival in South Jersey.
Thursday Sept. 3
Los Lobos
The great Chicano band Los Lobos is the focus of Native Sons, a documentary that is now making the film festival rounds. It shares a name with the band’s 2021 album of songs of Los Angeles. That album was produced by the band’s one non-Los Angeleno: Cheltenham-native sax and keyboard player Steve Berlin. So this Montgomery County gig is a hometown show of sorts for the band that — if justice is ever served — will one day wind up in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 7 p.m., Concerts Under the Stars, 175 W. Valley Forge Road, King of Prussia, concertsunderthestarskop.com.
Don Toliver performs during the BET Awards on Sunday, June 28, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/John Locher)John Locher
Don Toliver
The Houston rapper born Caleb Zackery Toliver brought his “Octane Tour” to South Philly in May and already, he’s back. It’s the second “Nitrous” leg of the trek for Toliver’s Octane album, which features Teezo Touchdown and The Odyssey actor Travis Scott. Chase B. is also on the bill. 8 p.m., XfinityMobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St., xfinitymobilearena.com
Friday Sept. 4
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves comes back to country on Middle of Nowhere, the Grammy-winning Texas songwriter’s excellent seventh album. Willie Nelson, Billy Strings, and Philly Music Fest headliner Gregory Alan Isakov drop in. Musgraves also finds common ground with fellow Lone Star State singer Miranda Lambert, with whom she had a longstanding beef, on “Horses and Divorces.” Expect this show to turn into a Dolly Parton celebration. Flatland Cavalry opens. 8 p.m., Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St., xfinitymobilearena.com
Dan Tyminski headlines the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival in Pilesgove, N.J., on Saturday, Sept. 5.Courtesy of the Artist
Friday Sept. 4 to Sunday Sept. 6
Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival
Founded at the urging of bluegrass titans Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley in 1972, the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival is a Labor Day weekend tradition that endures.
This year’s three days of music kicks off Friday in Salem County in South Jersey with Kathy Mattea, the country-bluegrass singer who hosts public radio’s Mountain Stage, as headliner. Friday’s lineup also includes the Price Sisters — singing Ohio siblings Lauren and Leanna Price — as well as Virginia guitarist Junior Sisk and the Travelin’ McCourys, sons of bluegrass legend and frequent DVBF headliner Del McCoury.
On Saturday, Dan Tyminski gets top billing. The former member of Alison Krauss’ Union Station has had two moments of extraordinary popularity for a bluegrass musician: 2000’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, on which he sang “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” and “Hey Brother,” an unlikely 2013 hit with Swedish dance music producer Avicii.
New Orleans street band Tuba Skinny at the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival in 2022. The band will return to play the Pilesgrove, N.J., fest on Saturday.Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival
New Orleans ragtime street band Tuba Skinny also plays Saturday, as do Critten Hollow, Danny Paisley & Southern Grass, and the Gibson Brothers. The festival winds down Sunday with Black Eyed Suzies — self-described as “the Bluegrass Ladies of Maryland” — as well as Tennessee quintet Blue Highway, Chicago duo Special Consensus, Boone, N.C., roots band Burnett Sisters, and Nashville quintet Appalachian Road Show. Gates open at 8 a.m. each day. Salem County Fairgrounds, 735 Route 40, Pilesgrove, N.J., delawarevalleybluegrass.org.
Kehlani performing during the second day of The Roots Picnic at the Belmont Plateau on May 31, 2026, in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Saturday Sept. 5
Kehlani
Kehlani had the biggest hit of their career last year with “Folded,” which was co-written with Philly producer Andre Harris and won two Grammys. The R&B vocalist celebrated with a performance at The Roots Picnic, and now they’re back for a headlining show in Camden on a tour that includes Durand Bernard, TheArti$t, Wahseel, and Dixson. 7 p.m., Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, 1 Harbour Blvd, Camden, freedommortgagepavilion.com.
Lily Allen at the Met Philly in April during her show “Lily Allen performs West End Girl.” She returns to play the Highmark Mann on Sunday.Christina Bryson
Sunday Sept. 6
Lily Allen performs ‘West End Girl’
Lily Allen struck a nerve with last year’s West End Girl, a song suite inspired by the dissolution of her marriage to actor David Barbour, that resonated big time with an audience all too familiar with shady doings by unfaithful partners. Earlier this year, the British songwriter, who has displayed a winningly wicked wit going back to her 2006 Alright, Still?, performed West End Girl album in order in a terrific, if brief, show at the Met. Sunday’s show was scheduled for the Xfinity Mobile Arena but moved to the Mann. 8 p.m., TC Pavilion at the Highmark Mann, 52901 Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.com.
Philly tribute to the Clash
Many, including me, have argued that the four sides of London Calling, the 1979 double album by the British punk band the Clash, add up to the greatest album of all time. One side each goes to a Philly band: Citizens Riot, No Good Crowd, the Big Trip, and 2 Tones Clash. Guests on this tribute show include Hannah Taylor, Spoon Ferguson, John Faye, Cowmuddy, Phil Dunn, and Adam Weiner of Low Cut Connie (also playing a Free at Noon in Ardmore on Friday.) 6 p.m., Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., ardmoremusichall.com
Slowey and the Boats
Fab Philly instrumental quintet Slowey and the Boats’ breezy, light-on-its-feet sound is built around steel guitarist Isaac Stanford. The band’s delightful Slowey After Dark swings sweetly, using the Hawaiian origins of Stanford’s instrument as a starting point. 2 p.m. Wissahickon Brewing Company, 3705 W. School House Lane, sloweyandtheboats.com.
Peter Hook & the Light play Union Transfer on Monday.Adam Kennedy
Monday Sept. 7
Peter Hook & the Light
Bassist Peter Hook was a key player in Manchester, England, in the late 1970s and 1980s as cofounder of Joy Division, New Order, and Durutti Column. Since 2020, he’s played the music of Joy Division and New Order, with his bassist son Jack, who frees him up to sing. He’ll perform New Order’s 2001 album Get Ready, plus pull from the JD and NO catalogs. 8 p.m., Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., utphilly.com
Tuesday Sept. 8
Social Distortion
Longtime Southern California punk band Social Distortion is in fine form on Born to Kill, its first album in 15 years. Leader Mike Ness sounds refreshed after a battle with tonsil cancer, and the band is pushed hard by drummer David Hidalgo Jr., son of the coleader of Los Lobos. Social D’s fellow SoCal punks the Descendents and young Australian punks the Chats also perform. 8 p.m., themetphilly.com
Gary Clark Jr.
At Bruce Springsteen’s Music of America concerts in the spring, Gary Clark Jr. covered “Power of Soul” by Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and Bobby “Blue” Bland’s Texas shuffle “Further on up the Road.” Those two songs hint at the range of the Austin-based Clark Jr., who has been Texas’ leading guitar hero since he gained nationwide renown with Blak & Blu in 2012. Dumpstaphunk and DJ Kurupt open. 8 p.m. Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, Keswicktheatre.com
DJ Jazzy Jeff performing at The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia, on May 30, 2026.Tyger Williams
Wednesday Sept. 9
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeff Townes has had himself a Semiquincentennial summer. At The Roots Picnic, the West Philly-born and -raised DJ put on a turntablism clinic on Belmont Plateau. Then Townes teamed with Will Smith and The Roots to shut down the Philly 250th celebration on the Ben Franklin Parkway in the wee hours of the morning. Now he’ll display his musical mastery at a Longwood Gardens illuminated Fountain Party. 8 p.m.,1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, longwoodgardens.org.
New Zealand singer Aldous Harding plays Underground Arts on Wednesday.Emma Wallbanks
Aldous Harding
New Zealand songwriter Aldous Harding is touring behind Train on the Island, the fourth album she’s recorded with PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish producing. The songs are in keeping with Harding’s reputation as an inscrutable, willfully strange songwriter but are also rock solid psychedelic folk tunes. Sam Burton opens. 8 p.m., Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St., undergroundarts.org.
In an effort to “drastically” cut down on short-term rentals like Airbnbs, Kennett Square council passed an ordinance Monday capping the number of active units and restricting where they’re able to pop up.
Council voted unanimously to update its ordinance, allowing for a maximum of 20 short-term rentals, and prohibiting single-family homes from turning into short-term rentals as their primary use.
The decision comes after the borough has seen soaring population growth in recent years — an increase of 16% since 2020 — but as housing has become increasingly limited.
Residents had decried several homes getting snapped up, only to be turned into full-time short-term rentals. The borough’s planning commission took up the issue again this year, after a first foray in 2025 didn’t go far enough, officials said previously.
Under the new short-term rental ordinance, the existing units — roughly 22 — will be grandfathered in. But if people sell, move, or don’t maintain rental registration, that status is gone. Future rentals will only be allowed in accessory units — like garages, or guest houses — and the number of available units won’t be able to exceed 20. The property must be owner-occupied during the rental period. Pre-existing short-term rentals will lose their grandfathering status if they don’t maintain rental registration.
“The net effect of this is to actually drastically reduce the potential number of short-term rentals,” council president Bob Norris said. “But it actually reduces the possibility and the probability of having more and more, especially in single-family homes, which we heard loud and clear was a major issue.”
Meanwhile, cost is going up. In 2024, the median sales price hit $525,000 — the highest in the county’s history. That year, 331 homes sold for under $250,000, a decrease from 462 units in 2023, according to the commission. In 2025, 315 homes were sold in that range, making up just 5.3% of all sales.
Kennett Square officials have viewed cutting down on the short-term rentals as one way to address housing availability.
Kennett Square isn’t the only one to grapple with balancing meeting the needs of tourism with the desires of residents. West Chester similarly capped its short-term rentals at 20, and contained them to its town center. It sent cease-and-desist letters to those that weren’t in that radius, officials said previously. But in Phoenixville, short-term rentals have been meeting a need not otherwise addressed by the borough’s singular boutique hotel.
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.
Ambitions to turn a former industrial site in Kennett Square into a residential development inched closer to reality Monday — but residents still have concerns about the land’s safety after decades of contamination.
Council voted 5-2 to advertise a change that would allow for housing and business development at the former National Vulcanized Fiber site, a long-vacant 22-acre industrial plant that ultimately contaminated the land with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
But a revised ordinance received enough positive votes this week to be posted publicly ahead of a hearing on changing the zoning. It is an early step to possibly develop one of the last untouched pieces of Kennett Square into a mix of townhomes, apartments, and single-family attached dwellings. Under the ordinance, 15% of the units must qualify as affordable housing — with compliance restrictions, financial guarantees, and penalties if the developer does not comply — coming at a time when growth has soared in the borough but housing has become harder to come by.
That vision, however, has been staunchly opposed by some residents, who argue that the site is unsafe for housing and have raised concerns repeatedly about contamination cleanup and whether construction could harm the health of the surrounding neighborhoods. Federal and state agencies still need to OK the cleanup before construction could begin.
“It’s pretty clear repeatedly that the community … doesn’t want this big development to come in there,” resident Holly Peters said. “I guess what I don’t understand, and I would like an answer to, is why this continues to move forward. Like, what is the urgency to push this ordinance through? I mean, why don’t we just wait?”
How did we get here?
The site has been the subject of ongoing cleanup for roughly 40 years. NVF folded in 2007, and the property was acquired by developer Rockhopper LLC two years later, with the ambitions of turning it into housing. Officials have said that there had not been a great deal of other interest in redevelopment.
In April, the borough planning commission had recommended an ordinance amendment that would have allowed for a mixture of affordable and market-rate residential development on the site. The ordinance set parameters around multifamily use, density standards, and affordable housing stock.
In recent months, NVF has once more become a topic at council meetings, with the planning commission seeking guidance on how to move forward after the stalled recommendation.
A straw poll in June showed that a majority of the board — which consists mostly of new members — favored redevelopment of the site as residential or mixed commercial use.
In July, council members asked the planning commission to consider adding mixed-use development in the amended ordinance, which would allow retail, restaurants without drive-throughs, business offices, medical clinics, day spas and salons, and personal services.
That got a tepid reception from Austin Coleman, a representative from the developer, in July, who told the council “we do feel strongly that it’s a residential site, and it’s a great opportunity to provide affordable housing, as well as attainable housing.”
Ultimately, the planning commission included the commercial element in the revised ordinance. Allowing for such development does not mandate that it happen, however.
Borough officials have seen this as an opportunity to add affordable housing stock for residents, in an increasingly expensive county and municipality. Kennett Square has seen an explosion of growth recently, with its population rising 16% in the last five years. But with it has come a squeeze, as people are getting increasingly priced out of what limited housing is available.
What comes next?
These are still early days. The borough will now advertise adding housing and business use alongside the industrial designation. It will then go to county leadership; after that review, it returns to the council for a public hearing. If the proposed ordinance is later approved, with the additional uses for the site, it would eventually open the door for the developer to submit an application to redevelop the parcel into housing. The process could take 18 to 36 months, officials have said.
But before the developer could think of breaking ground, the cleanup efforts on the site must pass muster from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Residents have long held concerns that the land is unsuitable for housing, and have worried that the cleanup has not gone far enough.
“I think you’re signing a death certificate for people. Unless you get the EPA to come in and strongly suggest that the property’s OK to build on, nothing should be touched,” resident Mark Thompson said.
Council member Michael Bertrando, who has said he would like to keep the site industrial, cast one of the dissenting votes, alongside council member Juan Tafolla.
“Not one resident who got up at that microphone has said that they are for this project,” Bertrando said. “I mean, yes, this is an advertisement, but why are we doing this before we have any proof that the site is cleaned, it’s remediated, and the EPA hasn’t given us their report yet?”
But for other council members, allowing for development of the long-languishing site would ensure it was actually cleaned up.
“I’m not looking to build something that’s going to create more problems or have issues or people getting sick,” council member Amy Reigel said. “I do want that property to be developed because it’s dirty. Like if we don’t clean it up, if we don’t keep moving forward, it’s going to stay there because we don’t own the property.”
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.
High Street Hospitality founder and James Beard Award winner Ellen Yin is just about ready to hit Rittenhouse with Bar Cicci, an all-day drop-in for espresso and pastries by morning, sandwiches by day, and spritzes, cicchetti, and small plates by night. Join Beatrice Forman on Sansom Street for your first look.
Shore season isn’t done yet, and neither are farmers markets, which have seen an uptick in business locally in the midst of a cyclospora outbreak. Hira Qureshi maps out where you can buy local produce, baked goods, and more at markets down the Shore.
Besides Bar Cicci, a half-dozen new restaurants are on tap this month, including Recipe Philly in Center City, Cecilia in Bridgeport, and Mixteca in East Kensington, where the red, white, and green of la bandera figures into the signature cocktail.
Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore, one of the Main Line’s busiest commercial strips, is now home to two new dessert shops. Denali Sagner explains that one specializes in tea, cakes, and buns, while the other celebrates the mango.
Canned-cocktail brand Top Dog is setting up listening rooms in Kennett Square and Fishtown, embracing the Japanese jazz kissa model — a music cafe or bar that’s focused on listening to vinyl records. Brooke Schultz chatted up Top Dog’s Ken Smukler, who aims to deliver an “analog feel in a digital world.” The Fishtown location is tiny. It used to be an ATM.
The handmade tarts from Market Day Canelé layer summer tomatoes over a corn custard with cremini and button mushrooms, herb-roasted cotto ham, eggs, and Gruyère in a flaky crust. Kiki Aranita says you have to act fast to snap one up.
Scoops
Two chefshave made big professional strides from their roots in Roxborough, and now they’re coming home to Manayunk to take over the Winnie’s space with a “punk French” eatery.
Aldar Bistro in Bala Cynwyd is giving way after 34 years to a white-tablecloth Southern Italian restaurant called Bruzi.
Does a spateof restaurant-closing announcements — such as Hiroki, Federal Donuts & Chicken,and the Lodge by Two Robbers — portend industry doom? No, and I’ll explain why not.
Restaurant report
Gabriella’s Vietnam in South Philadelphia is counting down to closing in mid-December as the new owner of her building is planning a restaurant of their own. Chef-owner Thanh Nguyen told Kiki Aranita that she is looking for a new spot.
Side Eye, the Queen Village bistro, gets a bit of side eye from critic Craig LaBan, who likes the vibe and pricing but thinks the execution could be sharper.
New drive-thru coffee option: The syndicated 7 Brew has opened at 4000 Woodhaven Rd. in Northeast Philadelphia’s Knights Road Shopping Center.
More bagels are coming round: Central Florida-based Jeff’s Bagel Run — schmeared with private-equity investment — has cinched a franchisee for 10 stores from the Harrisburg area east through Reading and the Lehigh Valley to suburban Philadelphia. No leases have been signed, the company announced in a press release.
Briefly noted
Cantina la Martina’s fourth annual Cemita Festival returns from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at the Garden Center across from Mural City Cellars (1825 Frankford Ave). Six restaurants will each serve interpretations of Puebla’s iconic cemita sandwich for $16: Cantina la Martina, Gilda, Bolo, Vientiane Bistro, Cinteotl Tamalli, and Los Cuatro Soles Restaurant. Also: beverages from Mural City Cellars, DJ Cali Rumba, dance performances by Danza Tonantzin Cultura, face painting, and artisan vendors. It’s pay-as-you-go. Some cemita vendors are cash only.
Post Haste in East Kensington will become Philadelphia’s only participant in the inaugural Global Pay What You Can Day on Aug. 26, joining restaurants from Mexico City to Mumbai in a one-day effort to make dining more accessible. Guests can order whatever they’d like and pay what they can (excluding alcohol), building on chef Ari Miller’s weekly pay-what-you-can program launched earlier this year. (Miller is married to Inquirer staff writer Kiki Aranita.)
The Fishtown Pickle Project is taking its annual pickle-themed dinner outside of Fishtown for the first time. The Aug. 27 edition will have founders Niki Toscani and Mike Sicinski in Rittenhouse to collaborate with Uchi on a nine-course, pickle-centric tasting menu (e.g. oysters with giardiniera, yellowtail with pickled peach, salmon with pickled enoki, and a dessert featuring pickle jam). Seatings: 6 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $125 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
Chef Chaz Brown, in partnership with Forman Arts Initiative, will present the third annual Oxtail Collective from 1-5 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Substation in Kensington. Titled “The Hercules Posey Celebration” — after George Washington’s enslaved chef — the event will bring together Black chefs, historians, artists, and entrepreneurs to explore the intersections of food, culture, business, and history while serving as an early public introduction to Forman’s future 100,000-square-foot arts campus. Participating chefs include Chad Williams of Friday Saturday Sunday, Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle, and Shola Olunloyo of Studiokitchen. PBS NewsHour’s Geoff Bennett will moderate panels, and the program also includes tastings from 15 chefs, cooking demos, and a marketplace featuring Black-owned businesses. Tickets ($92.55, including fees) are on sale.
Delicious City Philly Podcast’ssecond annual Hoagie Throwdown has a date: Sept. 27, from noon-4 p.m., at Other Half Brewing in Fishtown, drawing 20 chefs, restaurants, delis, and sandwich makers to compete. There will be unlimited hoagie samples, beer/soft drinks, and pro wrestlers grappling. (Last year’s outing was a scene: The Inquirer’s Craig LaBan, in a Zorro mask and big hat, went through hoagie-making boot camp.) The podcast has made 500 tickets available and early pricing starts at $55.
❓Pop quiz
Which Pennsylvania farm crop is in the crosshairs of the U.S. Department of Commerce?
What is going on at 117 Chestnut St.? The restaurant 117 is closed already and it just opened. — Chris D.
Old City restaurant 117, which opened only last November, posted a note on Instragram last week that it had closed “due to circumstances beyond our control.” According to Philadelphia court records, the restaurant was evicted over back rent.
The space’s previous occupant, the Avery, also had a very short run last year. Previous occupants had better luck: 2nd Story Brewing Co. closed in 2024 after a decade and was the last to use the brewing equipment installed by Triumph Brewing Co. for its own run from 2007 to 2014.
Adding intrigue now is the liquor license application that was filed at 117 Chestnut St. last week in the name “Finish Your Champagne LLC.” Finish Your Champagne is the name of the long-in-the-works Columbus Boulevard cocktail bar project from Kevin Dolce, owner of Center City’s Taste Cheesesteak Bar and Savù. Dolce declined comment.
📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.
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.
