West Chester Dish

Dish:

1. Any container used at a table
2. The food served or contained in a dish
3. A particular article, type or preparation of food
4. An item of gossip
5. A website encompassing all of the above

WC Dish is a celebration of food in the Greater West Chester Area. It was created by a local food fanatic who wanted a resource for locals and visitors for all things food-related in West Chester and its surrounding area.

The mission of WC Dish is to be a one-stop site to find places to eat, share your experiences, participate in fun food events and learn more abut the food and drinks available in West Chester, PA.

CONTACT: To contact us e-mail wcdish@gmail.com

The WC Dish Team

Mary – The WC Dish

This 28-year-old professional shares her foodisms through The Daily Dish column, which includes stories about living, working and dating in West Chester.

Her favorite things in life are farmer’s markets, heart-bursting music, avocados, exploring new places and tasting all things yummy. Her menu collection rivals her cd collection and she loves planning events for her friends to celebrate the important things in life…like ice cream and jack-o-lanterns.

Jason Tremblay – Web Developer

While basking in the warm glow of his MacBook Pro, Jason enjoys drinking freshly roasted coffee from Twin Valley Coffee, Old City Coffee, or Intelligentsia Coffee. He hails from a family of foodies but only recently started nurturing his inner food God. He now admits to saving a “final taste” on his plate at meal time and appreciates life’s food moments…like fondue parties and buying Ikea cookies with the same name as his sister.

Jason plys his trade through Alert My Banjos

Erin Phelps – Copy Editor

When she isn’t running races, sewing custom curtains, trying new recipes, camping or entertaining in her historic stone home, this mother of one [super-cute little boy] spends her free time [what's that again?] editing for WC Dish.

This 28-year-old editor is always looking for trendy spots to grab a drink, cozy spots to sip some hot chocolate, local products to incorporate into her meals and kid-friendly places to take her little guy.

Sarah Reese – The Writer and Caffeine Addict

This 23-year-old fashion-obsessed gal can be found reading, sipping coffee or shopping in downtown West Chester. She loves making her friends cook for her and eating out on the town.

Her drink is Stoli punch but she doesn’t like to admit that because she’s afraid it sounds trashy. Instead she’ll say she digs Victory Hop Devil or Pale Ale. Her dream job is to own a small cafe and bookstore, and if that doesn’t work out she wants to be homeless in Europe. A few of Sarah’s favorite things include her loud laugh and the people who induce it, Perry Como, sleeping by a lit Christmas tree, genuinely kind people and when cartoons do the wide-eyed kitten face.

Kate Brennan – Author

Kate knew she was a little different when, growing up, she loved watching ‘The Frugal Gourmet’ and got more excited about reading restaurant reviews than the comics section. Today, this 23-year-old event planner by day, economist by degree and artist by passion continues to voraciously read and learn about food, despite never actually cooking much herself.

A proud beer snob and ice-cream connoisseur, Kate also loves to eat and drink her way through exciting new places. Her dreams include visiting at least five continents, illustrating a children’s book and owning a brewery.

Tim Mountz – Rock Star Farmer and Part-Time Writer

Tim comes from a long line of plantsmen and Pennsylvania German farmers who have been working the land here since 1683, just for nice.

Along with his wife, Amy, Tim co-owns Happy Cats Organics where they grow heirloom seeds, plants and produce and specialize in about 130 varieties of tomatoes. They are also working on a line of delicious sauces and rubs. Tim is Happy Cats’ ethonobotanist, forager, seed saver and office beer taster (Twin Lakes IPA is what he currently digs).

When he is not messing with seeds he’s hiking or reading or on one of his many skateboards.

Mamma Mia – Family Fun Author

This mom of four quit her marketing gig after the arrival of her second child. Her dream of homemade gourmet meals prepared daily by her loving husband (and professional chef) was crushed when she realized his job conflicted with almost every mealtime, forcing her to cook for her family.

Whenever possible, she opts to dine out, braving the elements with un-napped children to enjoy her favorite local spots. In warm weather you’ll find her dining al fresco on Gay Street with the kids in tow. In her (lack of) free time she enjoys playing tag in Everhart Park, finding the world’s best bargains, catching some zzz’s and dreaming of the day that she will have time for a real hobby.

Jon Long- Beer Writer

Originally born in New Jersey, as a child Jon was uprooted to desolate Central Pennsylvania where he spent most of his formative years playing ping pong and shucking corn. In search of civilization he ended up in West Chester to get his education and to make a name for himself (as a hot cakes salesman or politician…whichever came first).

Through his travels to Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary and Harrisburg, Jon honed his taste buds to dissect the subtleties in most any brew. Becoming a hot cake salesman or a politician didn’t work out, so he instead perfected his beer knowledge by working in the industry for the past 5 years. He hopes to assist you on your journey into the world of strange brews.

“I guess you could call me a beer snob; I wouldn’t, but I can’t help that what I’m drinking is better than that pint of crap in your hand!”

Nathan Slabaugh, aka Circus Boy Nathan – Coffee Writer

After attending college in Philadelphia and a brief stint of corralling middle schooler hellians for the Virginia Public Schools, Nathan joined up and ran away with the circus.

When not playing trumpet for dancing elephants in the circus or hanging out with the Russian clowns, he can be found traversing the country on his Italian motorcycle tasting his way through America’s coffee culture and podcasting about his experiences all along the way. After visiting and documenting over 450 cafes around the US of A, he felt compelled to share quality coffee with the circus and opened Circus Coffee (the world’s premier touring circus espresso bar) from his RV (aka- the flying Dutchman) When asked to describe himself, he says, “If you could combine a coffee bean, tomato, chocolate croissant, sprig of rosemary, mango, and steak into one type of food…..that would probably most likely be me.”

Nathan is also In Search of the Best Mocha Latte in the World

Barbecue Bachelor

BBQB is a self-proclaimed master of the backyard grill and author of the Barbecue Bachelor blog. He grills year round and is always trying new recipes. When he’s not drumming up deliciously grilled delectables in his backyard, he enjoys traveling the world, immersing himself in local cultures and eating everything from red-hot barbecue in Tanzania to fire-pit grilled lamb in the Tar desert.

BBQB’s day job keeps him traveling around the country, which bred a healthy amount of contempt for chain restaurants. BBQB developed an uncanny knack for finding the best local alternatives, including the best tacos in West Chester.

If you look carefully enough you might catch him enjoying a beer or six at Iron Hill.

Derek Lee – Writer

Spending his days toiling away as a technical writer, a position that takes advantage of neither his engineering degree nor his law degree, Derek decided to tackle yet another irrelevant subject matter area by launching The Best Food Blog Ever, a site dedicated to his adventures in cooking, eating, and food photography. Despite his accomplished career as a freelance writer and former labor law attorney (representing fully legitimate business interests in the North Jersey construction and waste hauling industry, thank you very much), Derek is at his most zen when the night is still, the insects are chirping, and his smoker is gently cooking 50 pounds of pork ribs and shoulder over a smoldering hickory fire.

Derek can be found on Twitter as @BestFoodBlogEVR, where he is diligently working to crawl his way to the top of the Pennsylvania rankings. He owns two sombreros.

Bob Del Grosso – Author

Despite a lifelong love of science and a degree in environmental science and geology, Bob chose to work as his paternal grandfather did soon after stepping off the boat from Italy in 1920 and into the job of chef. Bob has done every imaginable kitchen job, pulled in *** from the New York Times and taught cooking at the NYC New York Restaurant School and taught cooking, food science and gastronomy at The Culinary Institute of America.

His professional cooking expertise is what might be called “modern classically derived French cuisine,” but he prefers to cook and eat very simply. And, he is one of the few people he knows who has no memory of ever eating a McDonalds hamburger. Bob doesn’t have any hobbies that he’s aware of, but he does suffer from a host of monomaniacal pursuits, such as stonemasonry, artisanal bread making, gardening, writing, marriage and parenting.

Bob also writes for The Daily Local, on his blog A Hunger Artist and on New York Times bestselling author Michael Ruhlman’s blog at Ruhlman.com.

Margaret Moses – Author

Margaret hails from a long line of “foodies.” Her family lived with her grandparents, who foraged on golf courses for mushrooms and rolled strudel on the dining room table. Margaret thought becoming a chef would be a natural career move until she worked as a waitress and noticed the chef was on his feet all night and most weekends (not good for her social life, nor was the mandatory chef’s hat). Combining her love for science with her desire for food, she became a dietitian and hasn’t looked back.

Margaret ate her way through most of the Philly restaurants while attending Drexel and St. Joe’s back in the 80s. She currently presides at ACAC Fitness & Wellness Center and in her spare time teaches food science at West Chester University.

To learn more about programs with Margaret click here: http://westchester.acac.com/nutritionprograms.html

Jamie Rogers – Author

Jamie Rogers comes from a mixed pedigree of chefs. Her mother is a master hostess, her Grammy fed a family of twelve on American classics and her Mama Carmen makes a mean flan… and that’s it. Utilizing shortcuts, doctoring prepared foods, and never fearing the joys of frozen vegetables, Jamie prefers describing her culinary prowess as “efficient” rather than “lazy.” Her loves include Crawdaddy’s Mustard Fried Catfish, The Drafting Room’s Cream of Wild Mushroom soup, and a Popsicle on a hot summer day.

Matthew Wolf – Graphic Designer

This vanilla ice cream eating designer is anything but boring. His fulltime gig is designing for Higher Education but his dream job is to open a high end boutique design shop/indie music store that hosts daily artist appearances.

He feeds his soul on design while feeding his belly with ripe cantaloupe (his favorite fruit) with a dash of salt. He doesn’t do sweets and doesn’t do coffee… instead he downs a cuppa tea (every single morning). This is typical for someone with such a high-end pallet. Ask his parents and they’ll tell you that he’s been ordering lobster tail since 3rd grade.

He’s currently into spaghetti squash, disco dancing and enjoys long walks on the beach. Check out Matt’s workand ask him to design anything you want.

Friends of WC Dish

Dave Speers – Marketing and Search Strategy

Dave Speers is a lean marketing consultant and blogger that has worked with a variety of online start-ups and international corporations. Before his first job working for the world’s largest interactive agency AvenueA-Razorfish, Dave created and managed the first student run television station at his Alma mater The Pennsylvania State University. Most days you can find Dave working out of Independents Hall, the co-working collaborative in Philadelphia or frolicking near his home in Northern Liberties.

Craig Single – Photographer

Craig is the owner and photographer of SingleExposure Photography (www.singleexposure.com) and a true lover of food in all forms. He has been married for almost 10 years and has two amazing kids who keep him running. Holidays and parties with friends are great times for him, as he gets to be in the kitchen creating fun, amazing, different dishes for everyone to enjoy…and dirty dishes for the rest of the family to clean up.

Besides loving to make food, he and his wife enjoy anniversary trips by exploring great restaurants all over the East Coast as well as in West Chester. They particularly enjoy Vicker’s Tavern, Pace One, Marshallton Inn and most of all DK Diner. In their travels they have explored great restaurants, like 28 Atlantic in Cape Cod, The Horned Dorset outside of Cooperstown, NY, The Dining Room at Ford’s Colony in Williamsburg and many others.

Sugendran Ganess – Photographer

Sugendran Ganess is a professional photographer and digital artist, currently calling West Chester(USA) his home. He has lived in and traveled to several countries, including the United States, Australia, South Africa, The Netherlands, and India. His travels to these and other beautiful countries have taught him to see the world differently, through his eyes and through his lenses. Sugendran has tried and tested several professions that include but are not limited to waiting at banquets and analyzing data; he is currently spending his time working, and unsurprisingly, in taking photographs.

Ben Ullman – Graphic Designer

A busy dad, Ben spends far less time experiencing fine cuisine than he does testing exotic concoctions devised by his kids. As a result, he is highly adept at sleight of hand, fake swallowing and unclogging drains.

Ben first heard about wcdish.com over a pint of ale at a web-design gathering. Shortly thereafter he made the pilgrimage to Sprazzo for a ceremonial root beer float, and was enlightened to the way of the WC Dish. Now, when he’s not designing co-branded credit cards at a Wilmington bank or providing design services for his freelance clients, he can be found commenting, writing and collaborating at wcdish.com.

Get a taste of his world at budesigns.com.