Taste of Mt. Airy

We invite you to join us for the second annual Taste of Mt. Airy this spring! The event will take place Saturday, May 30 from 7-10pm at the Commodore Barry Irish Center.

Taste of Mt. Airy will showcase the neighborhood’s unique restaurants, chefs, and culinary delights. Enjoy signature dishes and beverages from our community’s top businesses. Taste of Mt. Airy will be Mt. Airy CDC’s largest fundraiser this year, and proceeds will benefit community programs including housing counseling, early literacy, small business training & support, and real estate & infrastructure improvements throughout the year.

THE MAIN EVENT: Taste of Mt. Airy will feature specialty food and beverage bites and samples from participating businesses (a full list coming soon) as well as live New Orleans jazz/swing music from Reverend Chris & the Lower 19119 (dancing encouraged!), an awards ceremony honoring community champions, and plenty of time to mingle with friends and neighbors. The event will take place Saturday, May 30, 7-10pm at the Commodore Barry Irish Center, 6815 Emlen St.

Suggested Dress: Colorful Cocktail

All proceeds benefit community programs by Mt. Airy CDC. Reach out to scamisadeas@mtairycdc.org to learn about sponsorship opportunities.

PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES (additional businesses are being added weekly!):

Bar Lizette barlizette.com

Flat Belly Veg flatbellyveg.com

The Blue Warbler Corner & Garden thebluewarbler.com

Toska Restaurant & Brewery toskabrewery.com

Aunt Verlea’s Pound Cake Experience auntverleas.com

The Frosted Fox Cake Shop frostedfoxcakeshop.com

Malelani Cafe malelani.cafe

Kozie’s Water Ice & Ice Cream kozie_waterice

Alison’s Tea Room alisons-tearoom.com

Tired Hands Brewing Company tiredhands.com

Southern Flames BBQ southernflamesbbq.menufy.com

Weavers Way Co-op weaversway.coop

JOIN US TO HONOR THESE COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

Last fall when many neighbors were struggling to make ends meet, Jon Roesser (General Manager) and his team at Weavers Way Co-op created the Cooperative Food Fund to provide temporary cash assistance to members experiencing acute economic hardship especially related to SNAP benefits and needs-based government benefits like WIC and TANF going unfunded during the government shutdown.

 The Fund was a tremendous success, providing up to $50 a week for a one-person household, and up to $125 a week for a multi-person household. Over 2,000 donors contributed more than $170K to the program. Donated funds supported an amazing 456 households in the area!

 As Jon wrote, “During this critical and unprecedented time when the federal safety net failed, the generosity – I should say, the solidarity – of our members proved decisive. Our exercise in cooperative economics – members supporting their fellow members – achieved the goal of quickly getting money into the hands of people who needed it.”

Stephanie Butler, Director of Housing at Mt. Airy CDC, celebrates 25 years of service this year. Stephanie joined Mt. Airy CDC in 2001. Under her leadership, the housing counseling department has expanded to serve more than a thousand clients per year, helping to strengthen and empower neighborhoods by shaping long-term, successful homeowners. In 2025, 56 first-time buyers purchased their own homes, and 40 households avoided homelessness through emergency foreclosure diversion. In 2016, the team was named Best Housing Counseling Agency in Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Stephanie was also awarded Best Housing Counselor of PA from the same agency in 2014.

Judith (Judi) Bernstein-Baker, M.S.W., Esq. has lived in Mt. Airy with her husband Karl, a retired Public Defender, for 38 years and loves the neighborhood. As the former Executive Director of HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) Pennsylvania, Judi has been a leader in immigration law and policy for 30 years, publishing several articles on immigration issues in legal publications and law reviews focused on citizenship, refugee resettlement, and immigrant youth. 

Together with co-author Ayodele Gansallo, she wrote Understanding Immigration Law and Practice, a text for college and law students as well as for new immigration attorneys. She teaches immigration law for paralegals at Philadelphia Community College and Chestnut Hill College and immigration policy at Temple’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.  

In her retirement, Judi continues to advocate for refugees and immigrants and facilitates the Northwest Immigration Network (NWIN). NWIN provides volunteer opportunities to directly support migrants, educational programs, updates on policy, and a platform for sharing resources, while advocating for immigrant and refugee rights.   

Judi has volunteered at the border and provides pro bono legal representation to immigrants, especially asylum seekers, immigrant youth, and victims of interpersonal violence. She is a long-time member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association, currently serving as a member of their Pro Bono Committee, and is on the Board of Welcoming Homes.

Dr. Kennard Herring is a long-time small business owner of Nostalgic Eye Care, located at Germantown Ave. & Westview St. in Mt. Airy, which he opened in 2017 three years post-optometry school. He is currently the only Black male optometrist to own his own practice in Philadelphia, and is among just 2% of optometrists nationwide who identify as Black.

Mentorship is a big part of what Dr. Herring does. He serves as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, overseeing the professional development and private practice course and mentoring younger optometrists at Salus University. In 2022, he created his own consulting firm, Vertical Business Solutions, to support others in pursuing their dream of starting their own businesses. He authored his first book, Building Blocks to Dreams, in 2024.

Dr. Herring is passionate about his community and dedicates himself to providing service to all, including through free vision testing and eye care clinics among low-income and under-served populations. 

Asked how being a Black optometrist impacts his care for Black patients, he said: “There’s relatability and comfortability. It builds trust and allows the patient to be more forthcoming about what’s going on with them and to where I could be able to address that better. And this practice provides that experience for them. One of the mottos we have [at Nostalgic Eye Care] is we’re a family.” (Resolve Philly, 2022)

Min Ok Kim is the owner of Mt. Airy Breakfast & Lunch, a beloved cafe in the PHEBE Commons building at 6700 Germantown Ave. that serves as Mt. Airy CDC headquarters.

Mrs. Kim is retiring this year after 20 years in business, and her son Ryan will take over the cafe. She is a Mt. Airy fixture, offering generosity and community to neighbors young and old – especially during holidays and her annual Korean feast.

Please Note: The accessible entrance with elevator can be accessed through the parking garage at the Irish Center.

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS!