With plans to become a registered dietician, Colleen DeCesare knows the value of offering varied victuals to the patrons at Black & Brew, 1523 E. Passyunk Ave. Since the establishment’s 2007 inception, she has sought to serve “something for everybody” and has won regard for helming a location whose hires care about connecting with customers as much as contenting their cravings.
“We have such a great customer base here,” the 34-year-old said of the space that she and wife Jennifer run. “There’s a lovely mix of newcomers to the neighborhood and oldtimers, too, so we’re pretty fortunate to draw diverse populations.”
The Bryn Mawr inhabitant, with a record of rewarding culinary-centric jobs, once called the 700 block of Watkins Street home, with the time in East Passyunk Crossing inspiring her desire to oversee a South Philly-based business. Having met her future bride a year after opening, DeCesare has relied on the meshing of her partner’s passion for the vocation with her own ambition to make the 38-seat spot a proud provider of simply prepared, greatly enjoyed gems. With breakfast, lunch, smoothie, and snack menus, Black & Brew, also an inviting expanse for vegetarians and vegans, never lacks for lovers of adventuresome dining. Novelty has become a recent theme for DeCesare and the staff, as they just introduced vegan scrapple and will begin to peddle draft lattes next month through their partnership with La Colombe, but the proprietor went with a tenured selection as this week’s Food Feature item.
“We’ve been selling it since day one, and it speaks to our emphasis on simplicity,” she said of the Breakfast Burrito. “So many people are loading up on 1,200-calorie breakfasts, and that’s not very healthy. This is much more sensible, whether you’re buying it here or making it at home.”
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 ounces of cheddar cheese
2 ounces of black beans
2 ounces of homemade salsa
Sour cream
Guacamole
Directions:
Scramble the eggs, cheese, beans, and salsa together. Apply the sour cream and guacamole, and place all of the contents in a whole wheat wrap. ■
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Black & Brew
Owners: Colleen and Jennifer DeCesare
Opened: January 20, 2007
1523 E. Passyunk Ave.
267-639-6070
blackbrew.net
Co-owner Colleen DeCesare
Photos by Tina Garceau
