To Compete with Chains

Before I went back to school for my degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management, I frequently visited chains with friends. We had a good time and knew what we could expect -- from the menu, to service, to atmosphere. It was in our comfort zone. But early in my kitchen classes, one of Chef Reid's passionate rants about the industry resonated with me. His eyes glistened as he spoke of his heart breaking when he saw crowds at the local Olive Garden. Of patrons patiently waiting two hours+ to be seated when a local Italian independant restaurant struggled to make tables turn every night.

Sunday's Inquirer put a spotlight on Cherry Hill's Dream Cuisine, a 40-seat French Bistro, which made my mouth water as I read about their four-course prix-fixe menu and their intoxicating ingredients. Craig LaBan described "the distinct feeling that the chef is actually cooking here with heart," which I think is absolutely priceless. It's why I go out to eat now -- to share in a thoughtful chef's presentation of flavors and textures. It's an art form.

He also describes the unfortunate nature of the masses "But to watch the crowds steadily packing in for chain-level Italian food on the pergola-decked terrace of Toscana, an elaborately overdone faux-Tuscan villa from the owners of Italian Bistro, has been a challenge to [Chef] Fanari's morale."

I applaud LaBan for drawing our attention to the independents of the Greater Philadelphia Region. And I encourage the masses to support our local businesses such as Dream Cuisine. You might even find a little adventure in dining at a non-chain where you don't know what to expect, but you can trust a chef who cooks with heart.