Chef-in-residence program to begin at Philadelphia Museum of Art

This Friday, the café at the Philadelphia Museum of Art will reopen to the public for the first time since March of last year.

In the café, Constellation Culinary Group is starting a chef-in-residence program where locals chefs, including Tova du Plessis of Essen Bakery and Nok Suntaranon of Kalaya, will take over the Local & Global station.

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Guest chefs will begin their residency the first weekend of each month, coinciding with pay-what-you-wish admission offered on the first Sunday of the month, as well as every Friday night from 5-8:45 p.m.

Café Schedule

July: Tova du Plessis of Essen Bakery
August: Nana Wilmot of Georgina's Foods
September: Melissa Fernando of Sri's Company
October: Nok Suntaranon of Kalaya
November: Mike Jenkins and Melody Lauletta of Keep

"This new series creates a cohesive experience which expands on the definition of art to include the world of culinary arts," said Scott Steenrod, managing director of Constellation.

The museum also has partnered with Fresh Artists, a nonprofit that collaborates with local students to create works of art that are reproduced and installed in public buildings throughout the country. Reproductions of the works will be displayed and rotated periodically in the café space.

Café staff will wear art, too. Redesigned uniforms include a T-shirt made exclusively for the museum featuring the work of Philly artist Alisa Wismer.

As for the Espresso Bar, located within the North Vaulted Walkway on the ground floor, it will offer more than just grab-and-go items starting Friday. To accompany coffee drinks, the bar will sell tarts, cookies and Okie Dokie's gluten-free doughnuts.

The newly renovated Balcony Café, where guests can get beer, wine and snacks, is tentatively set to reopen in mid-July.

More information on each dining area's hours are located on the museum's website.