New Dinner Series Highlighting Black Chefs in Philly Is Back for Round Two

Elijah Milligan and Kurt Evans are back with the second installment of Cooking for the Culture, their dinner series putting the spotlight on African-American chefs in Philly. The first Cooking for the Culture dinner, which took place last month, sold out in just 10 days. But there are still some tickets available for part two on Monday, August 20, once again happening at South, the Bynum brothers’ restaurant and jazz club on North Broad. Ten chefs are signed on to cook a part of the collaborative eight-course meal.

The dinner series also raises money for young aspiring chefs, with part of the proceeds from ticket sales going to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program. Marcus Samuelsson co-chairs the nonprofit’s board. Students from C-CAP will be at South (600 N. Broad Street) cooking during the dinner.

Milligan says they’re also working on creating scholarships for students of color at JNA Institute of Culinary Arts and the Community College of Philadelphia.

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Milligan and Evans are well versed in the Philly restaurant scene. Evans is sous chef at South. After several years in the kitchens at Le Bec-Fin, Vernick, Laurel, and Stateside, Milligan is currently focusing on private events and restaurant consulting.

The dishes at Cooking for the Culture on August 20 will span a wide range of cuisines, from Stephanie Willis’ snapper kinilaw, a Filipino dish similar to ceviche, to Chris Paul’s vegetarian take on beef wellington made with mushrooms.

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Here’s the full chef lineup:

• Kurt Evans of South
• Elijah Milligan, private chef
• Gregory Headen of Starr Restaurants
• Stephanie Willis of Eat Prep Love
• Aziza Young, Private Chef
• Robert Toland of Terrain Garden Cafe
• Robert Cottman of World Cafe Live
• Jennifer Turnage of Philadelphia University
• Lauren Smith of Citizens Bank Park
• Chris Paul of Everything We Eat

Tickets are going for $60, plus a $5.39 fee. They’re capping the dinner at 120 diners and, as of this posting, have about 40 seats still available.

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