Spruce Street Harbor Park Welcomes Its First-Ever Black Female Chef and Operator!
French Toast Bites by Lokal Artisan Foods will bring the sugar and spice and everything nice to Spruce Street Harbor Park by Univest for the summer of 2020. Chef, entrepreneur and owner Charisse McGill will become the first-ever Black female operator to be at Spruce Street Harbor when she opens this coming weekend. On the menu, look for her signature French Toast Bites with unlimited toppings, vegan French Toast Bites, new French Toast Milkshakes, bacon on a stick and other summer-time treats. French Toast Bites will occupy the former pod of HipCityVeg across from the floating Barge in the heart of the boardwalk.
On the menu look for French Toast Bites and Vegan French Toast Bites at $8 each, French Toast Milkshakes for $7 each, Bacon on a Stick for $5 – as well as other beverages and treats. The full menu and Spruce Street Harbor Park information for McGill will be coming to her website by Friday – at https://www.lokalartisanfoods.com/.
For McGill, the road to Spruce Street Harbor park has been a long and exciting one – with ups and downs especially during the global crisis. McGill’s story is one of inspiration and perseverance as she has carefully expanded her business and adapted her model to short and long-term pop-ups, restaurant collaborations, and event/festival catering and vending.
McGill, 38, is a Temple University alum, who attended the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. She is one class away from graduating from St. Joseph’s Haub School of Business, with an MBA in Food Marketing. She is the former Director of Special Events at Valley Forge Military Academy. She also is known for being an expert in open-air economics and organized the highly successful Lansdale Farmers’ Market. In 2018, her daughter Madison (now 14 years old) sold lemonade and became her Mom’s biggest fan and investor by helping her launch her new business French Toast Bites at her very first large-scale even, which was Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market at Dilworth Park. After launching, McGill became one of the most recognized and sought after vendors in the market. With the funds raised there, she invested back into her business and exploded in 2019 with the debut of her retail version of her priority blend of French Toast Spice – “The Only French Toast Seasoning You Will Need.”
Hours of operation will be Monday to Thursday, 5:00pm to 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday, Noon to 11:00pm, and Sunday 12:00pm to 9:00pm. For menu and more information, visit Loalartisanfoods.com. Connect on social media at @lokalartisanfoods on Facebook and Instagram.
