March 24-30, 2005

food

Camden Calling

by Tami Fertig

A typical sister's too busy to help your business, fight for your rights and still have time left over to swap recipes and cooking techniques. But White Dog Café is no typical sister. The West Philly restaurant tirelessly cultivates "sister relationships" with food spots around the globe, including places like Thailand, Israel and Cuba — and in its own backyard. This sistership brings White Dog staff and the public to nearby minority-owned restaurants, like tonight's buffet dinner and discussion at Corinne's Place, a soul food joint off the beaten path of the glittery Camden Waterfront. "Born and raised in Camden, from grammar school to college," proprietress Corinne Bradley-Powers has kept her little restaurant afloat for almost 16 years, impressive considering "a lot of places have closed down. The few still here are struggling to stay alive because the city doesn't give any assistance," she says.

She puts her survival down to media coverage; Most of her customers come from out of town on the promise of a rave review. Take the one that Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan wrote in 1999. When White Dog project manager Ellen Sue Klein caught whiff of his approval, she "went for lunch, ate two huge salmon cakes and started chatting with Corinne." Soon after, the two restaurants became sisters. In addition to broadening both their customer bases, the familial relationship allows for quick technical assistance. "Corinne once called up with a question about organic pork," says Klein. She was happy to provide the answer.

But more to the point, the joint dinners promote awareness of neighborhood issues like violence and education. Tonight's talk concerns Camden's recent development plans: Outside investors want to clear more neighborhood land for luxury condos, in the process displacing longtime residents who wouldn't be able to afford higher rent.

Consider, on top of that, Bradley-Powers' own frustration. She's been doing outreach for years, bringing local kids in to experience her kitchen, and for the past five years she's been trying to open a culinary school for them in the abandoned building next door to her restaurant. "The city turned its ear on me," she says. "White Dog Café called them and asked, "What's the problem? Why haven't you tried to help her?'" Still no luck. Meanwhile, the city handed over the waterfront's old RCA Victor building to a Philadelphia developer for $1.

The good news? Representatives from several development and neighborhood associations plan to attend tonight's event. "[The dinner's] a way to involve the people in the city, make them understand what I'm trying to do and ask them for help," she says. "All I'm trying to do is stay here and try to help some kids."

Sister Restaurant Trip to Corinne's: "Developing Camden But for Whom?" Thu., March 24, 6 p.m., $15 (includes buffet dinner and discussion), Corinne's Place, 1254 Haddon Ave., Camden, N.J., 215-386-9224 (reservations recommended).