Taste With Tori: Tale Of Two Restaurants
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- This a tale of two restaurants.
Both on the corners of the same south Philly street in East Passyunk.
And both are dishing up delectable cuisine.
CBS3's Vittoria Woodill has the story of a friendly kitchen competition.
You know what makes a neighborhood great?
Great people, but even better, great neighbors.
And it's the attitudes of two chefs that serve up a little friendly competition with a lot of brotherly love.
Separated by a crosswalk, Noord and Fond are two restaurants off of Tasker Street that make a delicious pairing of Philly neighbors.
"You know I've cooked in New York and I've cooked in Chicago and coming back here, what took me back the most was the camaraderie among the chef community here," said Chef Joncarl Lachman.
Lachman, a southwest Philly born chef, is the owner of Noord, a Dutch eatery where he celebrates his heritage through the food he grew up with.
"My Italian friends, the kids, their moms would be making lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs and my mother would be braising cabbage with potatoes and ham," he said laughing. "I was always embarrassed by the food and now I'm kind of getting my own back by recreating that hopefully a little bit better than my mother."
He acknowledged an apology to his mother for calling her out like that.
Chef Lachman would definitely be making his Momma proud with his Northern European sensational bistro fare of dishes like Shellfish Choucroute with clams, mussels, and shrimp steamed in beer with braised cabbage, smoked sausage and potatoes with a dash of cream!
He started his career in food as a waiter, going on to become a chef working in world-class restaurants...Finally returning to Philadelphia and owning his own place.
"My heart stayed here it's interesting," Lachman said about his return to Philadelphia. "I'm really happy this is where I landed when I came home."
And landing across the street from the Fond, he found a truly good neighbor in Fond's owner Lee Styer.
"Our first week open we were over there everyday, borrowing something, whether it was a chair or one night it was soft shell crabs," said Lachman. "So they've been great friends to us."
Fond may be short walk across the street but it's a world away with its contemporary American cuisine and eclectic twist.
When we met Chef Lee in the kitchen he was making seared scallops, baby carrots in soy and sesame oil infused buerre blanc sauce on spaetzle.
Lee began his cuisine career in Berks County where he grew up.
"I started at a restaurant when I was eleven washing dishes," Lee said.
But it was not just any restaurant.
It was his family's restaurant.
It was Styers Arbor Inn in Reading, Pennsylvania.
He moved on attending the Culinary Institute of America in New York and worked in restaurants like the acclaimed Le Bec Fin here in Philadelphia.
And now he has his own place and like Lachman he appreciates the neighborly exchange.
Tori wants to hear about your favorite places so send her a message on Facebook by clicking here.
For more information: http://neufphilly.com/
