This month, Cedar Point Bar and Kitchen received inspiration from some local flavor.
In honor of Black History Month, the restaurant on the corner of Norris and Cedar streets has been using plays on the names of notable African Americans from Philly to take one inspirational ingredient and create an entirely new menu.
This is all part of CPBK’s weekly Thursday Supper Specials, created by co-owner and chef Shannon Dougherty last fall where she decided to pick an autumn flavor to base new dishes around. Since then, she said she’s enjoyed the concept so much that she decided to honor Black History Month with it.
“This month in particular, I wanted to switch it up and be inspired by people,” Dougherty said. “It took me a little while to really connect the people [with ingredients].”
So far, Dougherty has done a play on bell peppers and meat “pattis” to pay homage to Patti LaBelle, fried chicken and roots for Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and varied nuts for Mayor Nutter.
Last Thursday, Nutter was represented with Brazilian nut tomato soup and vegan cashew grilled cheese with pickled cucumbers.
Liz Petersen, the other owner and chef, is an advocate of sustainability and good health, which she said she tries to carry out in her restaurant, and more specifically her concept of focusing on one specific ingredient.
“A lot of the inspiration is just based on doing things organically, utilizing lots of resources and different things that are available,” Petersen said.
For their menu, Dougherty and Petersen made sure to cater to vegans and vegetarians. However, the restaurant also serves meat dishes, like fried chicken and waffles.
“Everyone should always have [the fried chicken and waffles] once, and then maybe go home and take a nap,” Dougherty said. “Even meat eaters like to eat vegan and vegetarian foods sometimes.”
CPBK also has offbeat selections like beet ravioli, or thinly sliced raw beets with stuffed goat cheese, chocolate coffee short rib chili and chocolate gnocchi with bleu cheese sauce.
“You always think of chocolate as more of a dessert, but it was really nice seeing [Dougherty and Petersen] work that into more dinner-type dishes,” said Jesse Short, a bartender at Cedar Point.
The restaurant’s concepts and menu, Dougherty and Petersen said, stem from a desire to be creative.
“I always just try to make sure that I have my own voice,” Dougherty said.
“We want to show everybody what kind of food we are really proud of making,” Petersen said. “It can be interesting, good, creative and thoughtful all at the same time.”
Albert Hong can be reached at albert.hong@temple.edu.
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