Portraits of Philly: Chefs and Owners Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle

Resy: How long have you been working in restaurants?

Omar Tate: Since 2008, so 17 years.

Cybille St. Aude-Tate: I started working in restaurants in 2004, which means I just hit 21 years.

You’ve both worked outside of Philly as well, what makes the food scene in Philadelphia different? How does it stand out?

Cybille: The Philly food scene is like a “big small town.” For the most part, everyone tries to support one another, which I think adds to the depth of our industry. It feels more relatable and genuine than a lot of other food cities. It’s not all fancy Eurocentric food or tasting menus; there’s real food being served at high levels and in beautiful, cozy spaces.

Omar: Ethnically, the concentrations are higher, and I think maybe a bit richer in terms of the way people relate to cultural distinctions within the food space, and as Philadelphia is growing, those distinctions are becoming more important in the mainstream dining scene. You know, where I think, previously, it was primarily French or Italian food. That was the mainstream dining, and that’s what was reported about, and that’s where all the energy was moved, or was being shaped, whereas, I think, having worked in New York, I think there was an aspect of that, but because the city itself is already so diverse, right? And then reading about critics like Pete Wells going out of his way to report on places that weren’t, you know, in the mainstream? Philly’s kind of different in that regard where I think as soon as things become mainstream, it’s kind of like, not dope anymore.

For example, a place like Mawn is Cambodian. It’s incredible. It’s just now being talked about, being written about, but they’re not changing anything to become more important, and people don’t want that to change. And if it does change, then it’s just not the same. You know, where I think, in New York, everyone wants to lift everything up and make it more lofty, and celebrate that. In Philly, as soon as you start doing that, no. Now you’re for everybody else. You’re not for us. It’s, it’s not as coveted and concentrated.

I think it has a lot to do with authenticity and things just feeling real and raw and intentional. Also because Philadelphia doesn’t have the Michelin guide. It’s only been a few years that Philadelphia repeatedly has had multiple chefs, multiple entities, multiple restaurants looked at by James Beard that the quality and measure of excellence is driven by the city’s integrity. There’s excellent food here, and it’s not because [other] people are watching or now people are. But it’s always had the integrity, and it’s always been a high bar. And I don’t think people really understand that, unless you not only are from here, but have worked in this industry in Philly.

What are you excited about eating and drinking right now? Where are you going out when you have a night off? Whose work is inspiring you?

Cybille: Since we’re so close to opening, we do a lot of tasting and eating at places we haven’t tried before or places we really enjoy but might not be able to frequent as much once we open. We absolutely love Friday Saturday Sunday not only because the food and beverage program is so top tier but also because we really love the team that works there. I’m super inspired by Danny Childs and his Slow Drinks movement. Setting up and establishing a bar program is new territory for me and while we plan on leaning into ancestral spirits and libations prevalent throughout the African Diaspora, there’s also a natural and rooted approach to beverages that Danny champions, so I love researching and learning from him and his book. We’re also blending in our ferments program and finding special ways that incorporate foundational techniques of preservation and fermentation with meaningful ingredients.

Philadelphia is blowing up. There are more than 100 new restaurants set to open in the city this year. How do you think that will change the industry? What do you hope changes from that growth and what do you hope stays the same?

Cybille: I think all these new places will make Philly even more of a foodie destination than it already is, which is always great for the industry as a whole. I really hope there’s a diverse variety of offerings within these 100+ new restaurants. I think that’ll challenge Philly locals to try different cuisines and step outside of their comfort zones a bit more.

Omar: I can speak to that in like, two ways. One, my excitement. I’m excited to see that kind of lens and light shown upon our industry locally. I think we deserve it. I’m also just like, I’m a competitive person. I love being in the game. I’m a chef. I like cooking. I like I like that. We’re all trying to be the best, and I don’t even necessarily believe that these accolades truly deem what best is, but as a lover of the sport, it does create a friendly competition. And I really appreciate that. I think some people are trying to move away from that. But I feel like, with respect and with integrity and with care, it can be fun.

I can also see the other side of that coin. Of those 100 restaurants that are going to open within the next year in Philadelphia, what percentage of them are actually from out-of-town restaurant groups that are trying to be big fish in a small pond, right? Or are coming in with that mentality, you know what I mean? I mean, with change, there’s always going to be skepticism. There’s always going to be challenges, right? And I think we’re going to go through a period of growth that could feel unsettling, but overall, and ultimately, I don’t think the addition of more restaurants is going to have a negative impact. And hopefully, in my greatest hopes, what I would really like to see is that of these 100 restaurants, they’re activating parts of the city that that haven’t historically had these very strong restaurant-driven corridors. I mean, in Philadelphia, so much of the commerce exchanges and the restaurant magnetism is all centralized, and I’m hoping that some of these restaurants open up in more like smaller neighborhoods, so that these neighborhoods can also be as strong, and feel more vital and like just more a part of Philadelphia at large, as opposed to everything being concentrated in a couple areas.

I want a more even spread. And I think that’s the foundation, and then I want other neighborhoods to be as attractive as a Fishtown without the need for displacement. I don’t think that’s necessary. I think about Tompkins Avenue in Brooklyn, where we’re talking about how so much of that energy was community driven. That can totally happen in West Philly. And that’s already happening right now in Germantown here, it’s trying to happen in West Philly, North Philly; Cecil B. Moore Avenue used to be called Columbia Avenue, and was full of jazz nightclubs, like revitalizing things. Nothing’s new. Philadelphia used to have this and I would just like to see it come back.

What do you think the city needs more of and less of as all this development happens?

Cybille: I think the city needs to support restaurants way more. With such an influx of new businesses, there needs to be better legislation and more municipal consideration for restaurants in terms of logistics and infrastructure. This city can’t just champion the big restaurant groups and conglomerates. We need equity across the board for all types of food businesses.

Omar: I really, really hope that, you know, as the Italian market is kind of like shifting into the Italian Mexican market, that they don’t f**k that up. Let’s not try and put some kind of Michelin emphasis or fine-dining emphasis in places that are already established, already rooted, already unique. And, you know, let’s keep those kinds of spaces the same. I would say there are stretches of Germantown Avenue that are full of Muslim-owned halal soul food restaurants and just like hyperlocal, historically Black places; don’t change it. Like Phở 75 that’s on Washington Avenue: You can just pop in and get, you know, a bowl of phở and it’s exceptional. You know, [with] those communities that are there, these things don’t need to change.

When people say change, it typically means someone being displaced or the authenticity is being reshaped. You know, what I think can happen is like, the revenue from more people moving into the city, the revenue from more restaurants adding to the tax pool and things like that, actually beautifying areas that that deserve to be revitalized in an aesthetic way. Like one of the challenges that we had at Honeysuckle Provisions all the way on 48th Street and Pine was that we were in a building on a street that had scraggly trees that didn’t have consistent garbage collection, that was full of potholes and that kind of thing. But we had this amazing restaurant, and we were one of three on the same block. But, you know, people are attracted to beautiful things. The best way to preserve a place is to allow the people who created it and continue to evolve it, continue their job and give them the resources to make it more in the way that they would like to see it be more.

How do people in the food community show up for one another these days? Where are you seeing the community coming together and how?

Cybille: It’s really great seeing all the collabs and kitchen takeovers happening, but what I find really special is just how we show up and visit one another’s establishments or just send a simple text or DM to check in and make sure everyone’s doing OK.

Obviously, the restaurant is the big thing you are focusing on now. Can you share more about the plans for the new space and what you’re most excited about?

Cybille: The new space is a restaurant and cultural preservation project located on North Broad Street. We focus on food, art and land practices within the African Diaspora while emphasizing and acknowledging indigenous ingredients and populations. We’ll offer a full bar program, a comfortable modern à la carte or tasting menu experience as well as private events and community driven programming. I’m really excited about our beverage offerings, both nonalcoholic and spirited. We’re making exciting liqueurs, funky sodas, ferments, and syrups in house while centering around ritual libations and celebratory spirits throughout Black foodways like Clairin from Haiti, fruit wines from the American South, and palm-based spirits found throughout parts of West Africa.

Tell us about the area of Philly the new space is in.

Omar: Broad Street is the main artery for the entire city of Philadelphia. City Hall crosses it as you get into Center City and any and everything that is important, function wise, in Philadelphia, passes through Broad Street, from parades to political demonstrations to the Broad Street Run, which is our version of the New York City Marathon. So we are literally in the vein of the lifeblood and with that comes like connections to the expressway. So, 95, and 76 which are the main interstates, are literally like a half a mile south of where we are. We are in a great community. So we’re North Broad. I call the area North Philly because I’m from here, and because it hasn’t been called North Broad until recently, because of the neighborhood rebrand. But we are directly across the street from the longest tenured Black restaurateurs in the city, Rob and Ben Bynum, who come from a long legacy of like jazz nightclubs. Their father owned a bunch of nightclubs on Columbia Avenue, but they operate South. We’re directly across the street from Osteria, which was part of the Vetri group for the longest time and has recently changed ownership. We’re a quarter mile south of the Met, which is one of the largest concert venues here. So there’s a lot of life and activity and a history of gathering here for either entertainment or dining, or both, for a long time, which, which gives us a greater accessibility.

This is the conditioning of a corridor, right? It informs people of what the block is for. Why are you on the street? I wouldn’t say that people are like casually strolling looking for a place to eat, you’d like to know where you’re going to eat, but every single landmark that I just named is a destination, and they they’re packed and or busy all the time because of the of the great access that people have to it. And then, with entertainment venues being so nearby, people are always looking for something to eat because venues are either very expensive or just don’t offer food at all.

And I’m failing to mention the great art institutions that are very nearby; we’re just a mile away, if that, from the Barnes Foundation, from the Rodin Museum, and from the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Franklin Institute, and also Temple University and the College of Art and things like that. So institutionally, we’re surrounded by the things that make Philadelphia attractive, and you know, then there’s City Hall and the municipal relationships that that we’ll be able to develop. Really, it’s just like we’re right by all the things that are necessary for a restaurant to thrive.