May Newsletter
Candalada
From the Brunch tour to the Carryout tour: WHATS HAPPENING IN PHILLY
After spending years in Hair Therapy missing all the BBQ’s and parties on the weekends, I wanted to explore the amazing restaurants DC and Northern VA area had to offer. I wanted to see my friends and clients faces verses the back of their heads. In 2017 I started the DCVA Brunch Tour.
The concept was similar to that of a bar crawl. I found about 5-6 brunch spots in the DC and Northern Virginia area. I picked one date per month from April to June and spread the word for my Facebook and IG friends to meet me there. The April brunch almost always got rained out and the June 3rd brunch had the most attendees because two of of my friends share a bday on that date and it was a great way to get together to have a fabulous time.
2017 was a blast, as was 2018, 2019 I struggled, it was just a year after loosing my mother and I couldn’t find the joy required to pull it off. 2020, boom Covid-19 arrived. I sat there staring at the flyer on my computer sad at the thought of cancelling. I called the restaurants to inquire about their status. One was closed all together due to lack of patrons and the other converted to carry out only. I accepted that brunch 2020 was not a possibility.
I had a light bulb moment in 2021 after becoming completely sick of being a full time chef, cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for months on end I decided to do a carry out tour. The benefits included tasting really good food that I did not have to prepare. The down side was none of my friends were with me. It was a very personal experience. Just Issa and I.
For the first carry out tour we went to North Carolina in March 2021. Out of the seven places we visited one was dine in. Getting to 7 places in just three days on completely opposite sides of the state required a great deal of coordination. It was such an adventure.
When people see the pictures they say, “That looked fun, I want to go eat with you all next time.” I politely smile with no response. I know they would not be down for sleeping in the car waiting for a place to open. Leaving one spot and heading straight to another within the same hour. Due to time retrains and proximity sometimes I have to visit 3 places in one town because once I leave I won’t pass that area again. To add additional complexity I may be driving in a rural area for 5 hours before I get to a populated area that accommodates my dietary needs.
In May 2021, I went to my home city, Brooklyn. I acted like a complete tourist exploring the vegan options there. With only two days to spare I ate at 7 places. When I go back to visit stopping at Champs Diner is a must now.
July 2021, I went across the United States. Below is a flyer of some of my favorite spots in America. What made this tour special is I searched for both Vegan and non-vegan restaurants to accommodate my dad. GW Fins left quite an impression and had something for both of us.
This past March I was inspired by the traveling exhibit “The Journey to Freedom” of Harriet Tubman to visit Philly. Prior to this visit. I have only driven through Philly. I was very excited I had to opportunity to bring my cousin Jahnyah who is willing to go through the shenanigans required for a day trip carryout tour. On the way out we took a tour of the Magic Gardens and it was just as great as the name implies.
Each place had something good to offer but if I could only go to one place it would be 20th street Pizza. Wow just wow.
Cheezy Vegan has amazing wall art and good french toast. Batter and crumbs had a cannoli Nyah liked. Tattooed Mom, served unique atmosphere and both vegan and non vegan cheesesteak. It is always exciting to find gems with variety.
