-Courtesy of Aversa PR & Events
James Beard Award-Winner and Iron Chef Jose Garces announces a brand new line-up for his Chefs in Residency Program at Volvér on Kimmel Cultural Campus. Back in time for the return of in-person performing arts, Garces kicks off season two with Chef Ruben “Big Rube” Harley (Chef Big Rube’s Kitchen at Pitchers Pub) and continues with Chef Chance Anies of Tabachoy, Chef Juan Lopez of On Point Bistro, Chef Tonii Hicks (Private Chef and James Beard Fellow 2022), Chefs Ryan Elmore and Kaitlin Wines of Mom-Moms Kitchen, Owner Sally Song of Dim Sum Garden and one final chef to be announced for the season finale.
Through a special donation program in partnership with the Garces Foundation, each Chef in Residency will have the opportunity to raise money to support their work with their current restaurant, or to use for the start of their next culinary journey. For Volvér’s return for the 2022-2023 season, Garces continues to pay it forward and support emerging chefs and culinary talent within the Philadelphia region. Each Chef in Residency will showcase their top signature dishes on the Volvér menu for six to eight weeks, alongside Chef Garces’ brand new menu of Portuguese inspired dishes.
Volvér officially starts fall dinner service on Friday, September 23rd, with the Chefs in Residency Program debuting with Chef Big Rube’s menu additions. Volvér’s hours for the season will be from Wednesday to Sunday, from 4:00pm to 9:00pm, with a special pre-theatre menu served from 4:00pm to 6:30pm, and happy hour from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Reservations are now available at www.volverrestaurant.com, via OpenTable, or by calling 215-670-2302. Celebrate the art of fine dining by following Volvér on social media at @volverphl @chefjosegarces and @garcesgroup. All guests to Volver must be vaccinated per Kimmel Cultural Campus policy. Volver is located at 300 S. Broad Street, in Center City, Philadelphia.
“After the successful debut season of the Chefs in Residency Program at Volvér, I’m so proud to be able to announce the second cohort has been selected,” said Garces. “We’re kicking this season off with Chef Reuben ‘Big Rube’ Harley, whose “Black Folks Style Cooking” has been making a big impact in the region. This, combined with his flair for fashion and design, made him an obvious choice to jump off this new season.”
“We applaud Chef Jose Garces and look forward to seeing the celebrated Chef in Residency program continue to flourish in its second year,” said Matías Tarnopolsky, President and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. “A new group of local culinary talents will be propelled into a greater public eye, while sharpening skills and sharing their cuisine with visitors to the Avenue of the Arts.”
For the fall return of Volvér, Garces fans, foodies, arts patrons, neighbors and visitors will once again come together to celebrate the art of fine dining in the dual-concept space that features a giant oval bar and lush lounge on one side, and a performance kitchen where Chefs bring cuisine to the center stage on the other.
The low-lit lounge and bar are perfect for an intimate pre-theatre dinner, post-theatre drinks, happy hour, girls night out and date night. Patrons will find all the big vibes that include a sleek marble-topped curved bar, plush oversized seats, velvety banquets, sexy mood light, and floor-to-ceiling windows. A bold and colorful mural by artist and designer Conrad Booker cascades across the back wall, with visibility from every seat in the house. Booker spent one year hand-fusing, dying, cutting and stitching the one-of-a-kind mural out of 200 yards of burlap and 4,000 fiber buttons. As guests transition from the bar and lounge to the kitchen area, they will pass floor-to-ceiling wine racks with a sliding library-style ladder that can house 1,200 bottles of wine.
Down the stylish corridor, past the bottles of white and red, patrons will find a sprawling open-island kitchen where Chefs will create their art in front of the entire dining room. Each and every seat has a clear view of the artists at work as they create their magic for eager diners who want not just a meal but a full experience. For those looking for center-stage action, the marble-top Chef’s counter offers seating for seven.
Volvér, which is Spanish for ‘to return’, will celebrate a new menu by Chef Garces, a new line-up for Chefs in Residency, but it will also celebrate the much-anticipated raising of the curtains across the stages of the Kimmel Cultural Campus for the new theatre and arts season.
Volvér’s cuisine will continue to highlight Chef Garces’ culinary travels around the world. The ever-evolving menu emphasizes seasonal ingredients prepared with modern techniques that capture and amplify their inherent flavors. For this new year, Chef will continue on his global journey and present Portuguese inspired cuisine.
“We are excited to launch our new menu at Volver this season,” said Garces. “The menu features Portuguese inspired dishes that exemplify the foods bold and beautiful color. When developing this menu, we explored the beautiful cuisine of Portugal and the neighboring influences from Europe and the Mediterranean.”
In addition to the exciting food line-up, Volvér fans will find a well-rounded bar program that is artistically approachable with options for every palate and to pair with every dish. Patrons will find hand-crafted cocktails, non-alcoholic mocktails, beer and cider on draft, and wine and champagne by the bottle and the glass. Cocktail highlights include the Brown Derby, with Old Grandad, Grapefruit, Lemon and Honey, and Pedraza with Corazon Tequila, Grapefruit, Aperol and Rosemary.
Chef Garces is proud to announce the line-up for year two, as follows:
Chef Reuben “Big Rube” Harley (he/him)
Owner, Chef Big Rube’s Kitchen at Pitchers Pub
September 21 to November 13, 2022
@chefbigrube
Funding will help support Anderson Monarchs
Chef Chance Anies (he/him)
Chef/Owner, Tabachoy
@tabachoyphilly
November 16 to January 8, 2022
Funding will support the opening of a new brick and mortar restaurant
Chef Juan Lopez (he/him)
Owner, On Point Bistro
January 11 to February 12, 2023
@onpointbistro (Instagram)
@OnPointBistro (Twitter)
@onpointbistro (Facebook)
Funds raised will support opening a new catering division and creating culinary jobs
For Women’s History Month (March):
Chef Tonii Hicks (she/her)
Private Chef and James Beard Fellow 2022
February 15 to March 19, 2023
Funds raised will help open a brand new commissary kitchen
Chefs Ryan Elmore (he/him) and Kaitlin Wines (she/her)
Chefs, Mom-Moms Kitchen
March 22 to April 23, 2023
@mommomnomnom
Funds raised will support Polish American culture in Port Richmond by working with the local Polish American Society
For Asian and Pacific Heritage Month (May):
Owner, Sally Song (she/her)
Owner, Dim Sum Garden
April 26 to June 4, 2023
@dimsumgarden
Funds raised will help support the opening of a new restaurant
Final Finale Chef
June 7 to July 30, 2023
One final chef will be featured starting in June for the grand finale and final curtain call to a tasty second season. Please stay tuned after January 1st for the announcement of the final Chef in Residency.
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