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PAID CONTENT FOR VI S IT THE USA


Philadelphia’s storied past, particularly


when it comes to the American Revolution, has long been the key draw of Pennsylvania’s most populous city, honoured as the first World Heritage City in the USA. But these days, the city’s diverse food and arts scenes are stepping up to take centre stage.


FROM HISTORY TO HOAGIES Home to the second-largest Italian and Irish, and the fourth-largest African-American communities in the country, it’s no wonder that the city’s cuisine has become something of a smorgasbord. Visitors to Philadelphia can enjoy French fine dining at the beloved bistro Parc, browse stalls serving everything from soul food to shawarmas at the historic Reading Terminal Market, sample street tacos at Casa Mexico and slurp fragrant noodle soup at Vietnam — the latter both low- key eateries recently crowned James Beard Foundation Award winners. I bid Mijuel farewell, craving a taste of


the city’s legendary foodscape for myself. Meandering a couple of blocks southwards, neighbourhoods of tree-lined boulevards


and handsome brownstone houses gently unfold. On the corner of South 9th Street, I meet Jacqueline Kelly, owner of StrEATS of Philly Food Tours, standing at the frenetic mouth of the Italian Market, one of the oldest and largest al fresco markets in the country. The Italian-American chef and tour guide grew up just a stone’s throw from the market and seems to remain on first-name terms with almost everyone on the 10-block street. She guides me past ramshackle food


stalls selling juicy oranges and football- sized artichokes, all stacked in the shade of a patchwork of corrugated iron and canvas awnings. As we duck into vintage delicatessens to nibble on punchy chunks of artisan cheese and plump Sicilian olives, Jacqueline explains that the neighbourhood gets its distinctive zest from three significant waves of immigration; southern Italians at the end of the 19th century, Vietnamese in the 1970s and Mexicans in the 1990s. These diasporas have created some


unexpected fusions, Jacqueline tells me. This becomes immediately clear as we dip into Lupita’s Grocery, a Mexican-owned


From top: Murals can be found across Philadelphia; serving up a hoagie sandwich at Lupita’s Grocery in the Italian Market


IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; ZOEY GOTO


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