January 16, 2023
Provided Image/Society Hill Films
Jose Garces will open a new Garces Trading Company location inside the Kimmel Center on Wednesday, Jan. 18. The casual cafe will include a coffee shop, bar, bakery and marketplace.
People attending performances at the Kimmel Cultural Campus will have a new spot to grab coffee and a meal.
A Garces Trading Company is opening Wednesday inside the Kimmel Center. The casual cafe marks the second GTC that James Beard Award winner Jose Garces has opened since reviving the concept at the Cira Centre in University City last September.
The new Kimmel Center location, at 300 S. Broad St., will sit across the plaza from Garces' Volver restaurant. It will include a coffee shop, bakery, bar and marketplace.
"This major opening continues our expansion plans into the new year," Garces said. "It also adds another reason to visit the Avenue of the Arts as it goes through a historic transformation with new restaurants, retail and residences."
The new cafe fills a 1,700 square-foot space, and has indoor seating for 55 guests, with outdoor seating available for 20 during nice weather. Patrons can grab early morning coffee and pastries, mid-day lunch and pre- and post-event cocktails, snacks and sweets.
The menu will feature an exclusive coffee roast, Yannick's Blend, that pays tribute to Yannick Nezet-Seguin, conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Themed food offerings include The Spotlight (braised short rib), The Standing Ovation (chicken pot pie) and The Bravo (country ham and Amish butter on a baguette).
The open-kitchen style interior was designed by architect Kieran Timberlake and the firm Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design to create a comfortable, contemporary vibe. Design elements include textural rugs, rocking chairs and floating light fixtures inspired by hydrangea petals.
Nezet-Seguin, Garces and Matías Tarnopolsky, CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc., will be on hand for the grand opening ceremony Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. The first 150 guests will receive free croissants. Small cups of coffee will be given away from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony and a ceremonial first coffee pour.
The first Garces Trading Company opened in 2008 in Center City, at 1111 Locust St., but closed in 2018 when Garces' restaurant group was purchased by Ballard Brands. Garces brought it back in early 2020 as a ghost kitchen before opening the Cira Centre location last fall.
"Garces Trading Company is really special to me," Garces said. "The concept is centered around an exchange of cultures that neighbors, friends, family members, coworkers and creatives can explore and connect over new dishes and flavors."
The Kimmel Center's GTC will be open every day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus extended hours to 11 p.m. when there are performances on campus.
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