When I interviewed Eli Kulp via Zoom in February, we joked about how the tables had turned. That’s because lately, the chef-turned-radio-podcast-host, is used to asking the questions.
Kulp, 43, began The CHEF Radio Podcast last April, when his city and the rest of the world was in the deepest of weeds—the COVID-19 pandemic had shuttered restaurant service to a screeching halt. The idea to create a channel that could speak directly to members of the Philadelphia hospitality community was seeded through thoughtful collaboration.
“At that time and now, people want to hear from chefs. People are listening to gain knowledge of how everyone is handling this situation, like being a fly on the wall while two professionals talk about the industry,” says Kulp.
Singer Equipment Company is proud to announce our partnership with Kulp as the exclusive distributor sponsor for his show.
“I wanted to make sure that my sponsor partners were people I believe in. Singer has always been at the top of the list when I was ready to find a partner,” says Kulp. “Not only is Singer supplying the restaurants here, they’re also helping to support it by bringing in the best equipment and the best products to help the community to grow.”
That collaboration is woven tightly into the fabric of Philadelphia’s food culture. In 2015, Kulp asked one of his servers and local artist Nathaniel Mell to try making tableware for his restaurant, High Street on Market. This commission would plant the seed for what transformed a small pottery house to a dinnerware manufacturing business, with scale. From one idea to the next, Felt+Fat was born. The brand continues to churn out design driven tableware made in the heart of Philadelphia. One of Mell’s most recent designs poked fun at his city, involving a quote captured from our former president when he said, “Bad things happen in Philadelphia,” during a debate.
“Philadelphians are self-effacing, and very much embrace being rough,” says Mell. “This was a golden phrase for that sense of humor.”
Singer Equipment Company is proud to be Felt+Fat’s distribution partner in the U.S., and to have called Philadelphia our home for generations. It’s a city with a unique legacy, having served as a crucial hub for industry (and thus immigration) since the country was founded.
In 1771, a fraternity known as the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was founded to help support Philadelphia’s Irish immigrant workers. One member, William Mulherin, established a distillery in town. Recently, Singer Equipment Company’s network of professional contract sales and equipment suppliers were part of a landmark redesign aptly titled Wm. Mulherin’s Sons. Everything from the restaurant’s Edlund can opener to its Alto-Shaam equipment were specified and supplied by Singer Equipment Company.
Just last month, the highly anticipated Bridget Foy’s reopened its doors, also outfitted with equipment and supplies from Singer. Located on South Street’s Headhouse Square and founded in 1978, the restaurant has gained a strong following from its city and is proudly serving classic pub grub to first dates, families and friends once again, now open for both indoor dining and takeout in Eco-Products packaging.
“The neighborhood really rallied for us. The support was overwhelming. We couldn’t walk down the street without people asking us when we were reopening. It gave us strength to go on,” says Foy.
We’re convinced that good things happen in Philadelphia—we’ve already put in a request with Felt+Fat to make a new mug with the revised slogan. Whether that will happen remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain: at Singer Equipment Company, we know all about brotherly love.
