Catfish & Waffles is about buying local, eating healthy, and living well in Philadelphia’s northwestern neighborhoods — Germantown, Mt. Airy, Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, and Chestnut Hill.
If that seems a tad geographically specific, you’re right, it is. We believe that by concentrating on our corner of the world we can better understand and contribute to the growing conversation on sustainable living.
Within that context, we want to share our experiences on a number of topics. They will include recipes and strategies for coping with the abundance of locally grown food available at our CSA and co-op; eating within the current season; neighborhood restaurants, bars, and other establishments (especially if they support local buying); and the local culture, something of a catch-all that will include profiles of our neighbors, neighborhood events, and our own personal observations on all of the above.
Why “Catfish & Waffles”?
Catfish and Waffles was a famous local dish served in the inns that used to accomodate travellers in Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley in the middle of the nineteenth century. We chose it for the title of our blog because we like the connection to local cuisine, and to the history of our neighborhood. We also like that “catfish and waffles” was someting akin to “soup to nuts.” In other words, it didn’t describe a particular dish, per se, but a rather large and varied meal. We hope to serve up something of the same.
And we are…
Donna Earnshaw. About a year and a half ago I started back to school to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science/Health and Wellness. A few months after I started, a friend asked me to pick up her vegetables at her CSA .That’s when my education in food began. I was hooked. Never have I had such delicious and fresh food! Since then I strive to eat locally, including getting my own share at the CSA, and shopping with Dan at the co-op. I am learning as much as I can about sustainable farming and why it is so important. I hope to share what I learn with you.
Dan Allen. I moved to the northwest section of Philadelphia over twenty years ago, after falling in love with the Wissahickon Valley. I currently live in the small neighborhood of Blue Bell Hill, on the edge of the park. My interest in local food took a quantum leap forward after reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.