Ellen Yin has certainly been a force in the Philadelphia food scene.
And even if you haven’t heard the name of the restauranteur personally, chances are you’ve heard of her top-rated restaurants.
Yin is the founder and co-owner of High Street Hospitality Group, which includes Fork Restaurant, High Street Philly, a.kitchen + bar, High Street on Hudson (their first outpost in New York City), High Street Provisions and The Wonton Project. The culinary group has had major success, and Yin truly knows her stuff—in fact, she literally wrote the book on it (her 2015 publication ‘Forklore: Recipes and Tales from an American Bistro.’)
But recently, her work has been cause for celebration in more of a jubilation sort of way—with a birthday.
Yin’s flagship in Old City, Fork, is celebrating 25 years in 2022 (although the official birthday just passed on Oct. 15.) And to commemorate the occasion, there is a lot going on at the staple eatery. But this year is also cause for a look back at a mountain of success, and many memories for Fork’s patrons, staff, and beyond.
“It’s hard to speak for everyone who has touched the restaurant over the years — from staff/alumni, purveyors, partners, and guests — but I believe our dining room holds a special place for each individual,” says Yin. “Nothing makes me happier than when alumni and guests return to dine with us, stop by for a drink at the bar, say hello, or celebrate a special occasion. So many people have touched our space in the last 25 years, fortifying it to continue on amongst the hardships, which have been particularly amplified in the last few years.”
Last Saturday, the restaurant officially celebrated with a special large format jeroboam of Jean Josselin Champagne for $25 a glass—and it was made available to any guest.
Coming up, Yin has some more surprises in store. There are some planned events with alumni takeovers (with a few dates to be announced) featuring, for one, an all-women lineup on Oct. 25. The event will officially feature Christina McKeough (2005), now Chef of High Street with Alexandra Stafford (food writer and digital content creator @alexandracooks), Carolyn Nguyen (owner of Revolution Taco, 2010), Elise Black (Sous Chef) and Delilah Pergola (Head Baker, High Street).
Then, next month on Nov. 16, Fork will host a seafood sustainability dinner featuring Terence Feury (2012), Executive Chef of Forty 1° North in Newport, Rhode Island, with more chefs to be announced. Another dinner will feature John Patterson (2019), Executive Chef of Shelburne Farms in Vermont on Dec. 7 with more chefs to be announced as well.
Additional future dinners will include Chef Partner Eli Kulp, host of Chef’s Radio Podcast and Delicious City, and Chefs Samantha Kincaid and Jon Nodler (2018), formerly of Cadence Restaurant.
“We plan to keep the celebrations coming for a full year for this milestone. And, while we kicked things off by launching a quarterly zine this summer, our next issue will be dropping in a matter of weeks. Each issue will focus on key pillars such as sustainability, community, collaboration, and creativity and feature writing from High Street Hospitality Group’s staff, [plus] local and national writers including Inga Saffron, Kiki Aranita, Tess Hart, Stephen Starr, Chef Omar Tate, and many more,” Yin continues. “A goal of celebrating the anniversary is highlighting Fork’s employees, current and alumni, friends and family, and the community that has supported us thus far.”
The second issue of the zine will be available for purchase at Fork or through nationwide delivery.
Also next month, on Nov. 1, Fork will be hosting a panel dubbed “The Next 25”. According to Yin, she will be chatting with long-tenured industry luminaries Stephen Starr and Marc Vetri, whose expertise spans at least two decades (and counting), for a conversation forecasting what the next 25 years hold for restaurants.
“This meeting of minds, moderated by author and The Welcome Conference founder Will Guidara, will kick off with a signing of Guidara’s just-released book, ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’, and will then be followed by drinks and light bites,” Yin states.
Other events are still being scheduled, so Yin urges Philadelphians to keep an eye out on @forkrestaurant on Instagram or through their dedicated anniversary webpage forkrestaurant.com/fork-25th-anniversary.
“How the Philadelphia food scene has matured and persevered over the past years, becoming a national and international destination for dining… It has been a true inspiration to see the community come together to support each other in good and bad times,” the restaurateur continues. “This is a celebration of our industry’s resiliency, grit, and leadership in the greater Philadelphia area. Beyond seeing so many of our alumni become such successful chefs and restaurateurs on their own, the formation of the Sisterly Love Collective (SLC) has been an incredible opportunity to work with Jezabel Careaga, Jen Carroll, and Jill Weber, SLC serves to support, uplift, and mentor entrepreneurial women in hospitality.”
The Sisterly Love Collective still hosts events around the city.
The impact of Yin and Fork are cemented in those who have worked, dined and enjoyed themselves there—and they keep coming back. The community aspect of it all is what motivates the success and many more birthday celebrations, and this year just cements that ideology.
“It’s no secret that restaurants are community centers. Even before Old City was a destination neighborhood, I knew that fostering a community would be a foundational pillar of our restaurant built by unparalleled hospitality, and food/drinks that resonate and ties to our neighborhoods. The second issue of the Fork zine is actually all about community so you can read more about our thoughts on that very soon,” Yin finishes.
To find out more about Ellen Yin’s Fork (306 Market St.,) and its celebrations, visit forkrestaurant.com
