SL_Palate_11_19_Reg1_Palate 11 / 13 / 19 1 : 06 PM Page 1 but I wasn’t sure there was a story there , ” p Baker says . “ Then someone walked by the window , and Sandra jumped up and went P A L A T E out to go see him . When she came back , I asked , ‘ What was that all about ? ’ and she said , ‘ That was Mr . King , and I had to give him a hug . ’ ” “ Mr . King ” is Alan King , a nearby resident who had been among the restaurant’s ear - liest patrons . After his meal , King demanded to see the chef and , once the two were face to face , he promptly admitted that he would not become a regular . It wasn’t be - cause he didn’t enjoy the meal ; quite the contrary , in fact . Rather , King said he was old and fighting cancer , and fretted that he wouldn’t be around much longer to enjoy Portabellos ’ fine fare . King , who is a retired opera singer , then belted out a rendition of “ You’ll Never Walk Alone ” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel . Baker learned that the Hulberts and the King eventually became good friends , with King and his wife coming to the restaurant approximately once a week , even as he battled cancer . On his 90th birthday , despite a freak snowstorm that crippled the region , Portabellos hosted a party for King and 25 members of his family , some of whom had come from as far as California and Texas for the event . “ There’s a picture in the book of [ King ] blowing out candles on a piece of cake , ” Brett Hulbert , Baker says . “ That’s an example of a story chef at Portabellos of Kennett Square that just sort of found me by going into a restaurant and sitting down to talk with the people behind it . ” Then there’s Tom and Loren Sciascia , Consuming two graphic designers who carved a second career out of their shared talent for gift giving . After Sept . 11 , 2001 , the couple A local author breaks bread with the wanted to give their clients something restaurateurs , confectioners , and warmer , personalized , and heartfelt as a thank you for their business , so Tom Sciascia artisans who make the Greater ( pronounced “ shay - shay ” ) pored through Philadelphia Area’s dining scene so dessert - specific cookbooks and found a recipe for chocolate truffles . The truffles remarkable . BY BILL DONAHUE ker were so well received and became so in Ba demand that Tom and Loren opted to y Irene Levy Baker adores the simple pleasures of good food and good Lev change careers . They opened Sciascia Con - stories . So , naturally , she wrote a book built around these two essential “ ingredients . ” ene fections , located in New Hope’s Ferry Market , In Unique Eats and Eateries of Philadelphia , Baker tells the stories of 90 restaurants , Ir of to peddle artisanal chocolates , truffles , and speakeasies , and confectionaries throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area . How does esy macaroons , among other sweet treats . t one home in on 90 out of the hundreds , if not thousands , spread throughout the region ? our As its title suggests , Unique Eats and “ I don’t rate the restaurants , ” says Baker , a former Elkins Park resident who now lives c u , Eateries of Philadelphia ( uniqueeats - in Center City . “ I wanted to tell the stories behind the restaurants . ” Ne a philly.com ) details some of the most inter - Her criteria : Each place highlighted in the book had to have remarkable food , of rist esting and accomplished food - focused es - h course , but it also had to have a compelling and deeply personal story . C y tablishments throughout the region , yet it Portabellos of Kennett Square is a fine example . In the book , Baker tells the tale of b ph offers much more . For example , Baker pro - proprietors Brett and Sandra Hulbert , who shared their experience about their venture’s ogra vides 10 tips for snagging reservations at youngest days , wondering if their mushroom - centric restaurant would “ make it . ” hot sought - after restaurants , such as Vedge in “ After lunch , I sat down with the chef and his wife , and the food was certainly nice , P SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM NOVEMBER 2019 12 |