Keeping it Local at The Urban Cafe

Well, let me just start off by saying that I'm very excited to be writing this article; very excited, and admittedly, very biased. You see, The Urban Cafe, besides being a very hip, low key, socially conscious, and community oriented B.Y.O.B., on the Germantown/Mt. Airy border, is also owned by a very good friend of mine, executive Chef, Pat O'Donnell.

Chef Pat has literally been able to transform, a dirty, unorganized mess of a 'coffee shop/cafe', into a vibrant, affordable, community B.Y.O.B., called The Urban Cafe. One thing I knew coming into this, was that the food would be top notch, with stints at The Catfish Cafe, The River Deck, and Theresa's, Chef Pat has proven this over and over. What came as a real breath of fresh air though was all the community consciousness. We'll start with the honey, made by 'WeBee Brothers', real life brothers that live right around the corner from the cafe.

The brother's keep their bees in Fairmount Park, and make their honey at their home in Germantown. They also sell Whole Wheat Raisin Bread, which the cafe uses on their menu, and sells by the loaf. The lemonade sold at the cafe is 'Daddy's Lemonade' (which is the best ever), made in Elkins Park, and every time you buy a bottle, 10% of the profits go directly to the Germantown Historical Society. Another local favorite of Chef Pat is the Wyck Garden Co-op, at Walnut Lane and Germantown Ave. Situated in the Wyck House, one of the oldest houses in Germantown, the Wyck Garden Co-op comes alive every Friday as a Farmer's Market.
On July 10th, the garden will be hosting a summer food festival, complete with treats from Amish Country, and a cooking demonstration by Chef Pat. Aside from the produce acquired at the Farmer's Market, The Urban Cafe also features home grown vegetables. Pat's partner, Tom Grabe, saves all the old coffee grinds, and vegetable scraps, for a compost pile he keeps at his house. Tom uses that compost to grow vegetables that Chef Pat uses at the cafe.

Chef Pat, knowing that Germantown and Mt. Airy, has a thriving artist community, decided to start, "Starving Artist" night. The cafe features local artists, usually around once a month. Artists are able to display and sell their work, without paying any agents, gallery, or consignment fees. Exhibition nights include free wine, and free appetizers, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one. Besides being a great Chef, and a great neighbor, Chef Pat also finds the time to contribute to the Germantown Chronicle, the Mt. Airy Independent, and soon in The Weavers Way Co-op Newsletter, with a weekly food column. So next time you're trying to figure out where you'd like to eat, head on over to Germantown, where you can get a delicious, affordable meal, with a little community love for dessert.

Congrats Pat! -Eric Connor(greenandsave)