The President of Kosovo visited Mt. Airy this weekend and was hosted by Toska Restaurant & Brewery owners Jim, Pep, and Leo Osmanollaj, Albanian brothers who fled the Kosovo war as children. The event followed the UN General Assembly in New York, and President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu also visited Kosovan and Albanian immigrant communities in Northeast Philadelphia.
This occasion marked the first visit by a foreign head of state to Mt. Airy! Mt. Airy CDC was honored to be invited to take part in the celebration. Our Executive Director Phil Dawson presented her with a special gift highlighting local producers:
-An arrangement of flowers grown outside Philadelphia and arranged by the 4th generation owner of Rothe Florists, one of Mt. Airy’s oldest businesses.
-A handmade pouch, stitched especially for this occasion by the CDC’s own Sydney Camisa Deas, with multiple types of fabric from Needles & Bolts to represent the diverse peoples and businesses that constitute our community.
-A hand-poured candle from local Black artisan Mount Airy Candle Co. and 3 handcrafted soaps from local plant-based, small-batch soap maker Airy Soap.
Executive Director Phil Dawson’s remarks
“Good evening Madame President, friends: My name is Philip Dawson, and it’s an honor to be here on behalf of Mt. Airy Community Development Corporation and the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.
I believe this is the first time that Mt. Airy has been visited by a foreign head of state, and we’re pleased that it has happened with Kosovo, a nation with whom the United States has long had close relations and friendship. Mt. Airy is proud to have a well-deserved reputation as a neighborhood that values diversity and is welcoming to immigrants, and you don’t have to look far to find immigrant businesses–especially restaurants–that are thriving on our commercial corridor, not least of which is the one we’re sitting in tonight.
We are grateful to the Osmanollaj family for investing in the creation of this restaurant, for sharing their culture with us through food, and for always supporting their community–whether that is the community in their homeland or the one here in our local merchants association. In honor of this visit, it’s our pleasure to present you with tokens of friendship that are locally produced in our community…Thank you for honoring us with this visit, and I hope that the relationship between Kosovo and our community, our City, and the United States continues to flourish.”
