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KeVen Parker is dishing about his childhood, one scoop of Cheesy Cheese Macaroni and Cheese at a time.
Just one of the upscale soul food specialties at his Ms. Tootsie’s Restaurant Bar Lounge, his mother’s recipe and way with Southern soul food were key ingredients in landing his eatery national recognition. The sleek, multistory "dining experience," as Parker dubs it, has been named Best Soul Food Restaurant in the "Best of Everything" August issue of Black Enterprise Magazine.
The magazine — aiming to be the ultimate guide to financial empowerment — has 3.4 million readers. Ms. Tootsie’s graces the magazine’s pages, sharing space with other "best of" winners, including The Ritz London’s Palm Court, Paris’ Lasserre and restaurateur Govind Armstrong.
The publication described Parker’s eatery as having "all the traditional comfort food Mama used to make," citing smothered pork chops, fried whiting and caramelized candy yams as three of the best. With national and international players in the running, the local space beat out well-known soul food spots like Roscoe’s House of Chicken’ n Waffles in Los Angeles and Sylvia’s in New York City.
Ms. Tootsie’s, 1312 South St., floor-to-ceiling windows barely see a passerby who doesn’t take a moment to catch their reflection and become spellbound by the fashionable hot spot. But, much like the dishes that greet hungry patrons, the outside is just as delectable as what’s inside.
"I want to get away from the stigma of soul food being this ‘less than’ type of food," Parker said. "Now it’s becoming so chic. What I want people to understand is you could eat soul food in a ballroom. It’s not what you’re eating, it’s how it’s displayed and it’s the cuisine that you’re having."
Parker’s collard greens may taste like Mama’s, but they sure don’t look like them — elegantly arriving in a martini glass.
"In Philadelphia, soul food has always been equated with these little ma and pa places," he said. "We had no place that was a destination place, but I wanted it to be a destination, I wanted it to be accessible to all people and I wanted people to have the opportunity to experience it."
Parker has witnessed a great deal of change on his block since opening his restaurant. Being in an area of South Philly that is so accessible to other parts of the city gives residents and visitors alike the opportunity to be exposed to different dynamics, he said.
"What’s happening is they’re taking a neighborhood that you have to look at and you have to say to yourself, ‘This is South Street, it’s a walkable community,’" he said.
Parker said Ms. Tootsie’s is a mixing pot of ethnicities when it comes to diners, a trait it shares with the surrounding streets. The establishment has seen the likes of Will Smith and been sampled by Oprah Winfrey and former President Bill Clinton at catered events.
The spot’s namesake, Parker’s mother Joyce, who was nicknamed as a child for the sweet Tootsie Rolls she loved, had a hand in the success. Though she’s quick not to let it give her a big head — or her son either.
"My mom is a very, very, very humble, behind-the-scenes person," the 41-year-old said. "She knew about [the nomination]. I told her they were doing the [issue] and she was like, ‘Oh that’s great!’ she said, ‘I hope you win.’ And then when I told her we did, she was like, ‘Good, now we gotta stay on top of everything.’"
As the newest addition to Parker’s triad he has opened over the last decade, Ms. Tootsie’s represents his upbringing in West Philly by a single mother and the neighborhood women. Each had a specialty, and Joyce’s was cooking.
"Every Sunday we had at least 15 to 20 people to our house for Sunday dinner," he said. "My mom was Tootsie, everyone referred to her as Ms. Tootsie."
Food was the bond between Parker and his mother, who would call him as she was leaving for work to tell him what to prep for the dinner she would serve him and his four older sisters. Before he even celebrated his 10th birthday, Parker was cooking on his own.
Graduating Drexel University — and with a degree in marketing — led to public relations, a job Parker stayed at for more than a decade. Food moved to the front burner once again in 1995 when he served as chairman of a men’s day breakfast at First African Baptist Church, 16th and Christian streets. Although Parker enjoyed cooking for the event, he was stunned by the response.
"A few days later I talked to my pastor, and he said people were calling him asking him for my number about catering," he said. "I knew nothing about catering.
"I could always do great presentation and I knew I could cook. So I thought perhaps if I put these two together I could start this catering business. I loved entertaining, I loved to see people happy, I knew that we had the components: food, flair, and a partner — which was my mom — so I was like ‘we can do it.’ And I knew we could do it at that point," he said, adding Simply Delicious Caterers was founded in ’97.
Long before his vision took shape, Parker was a guy who liked a good meal. Weekly, after-work stops at Mom’s Soft Touch, a now-shuttered soul food joint at 1314 South St., gave him comfort through familiar foods and the friendship he developed with owner "Mom."
"She was a wonderful older lady," he said. "We would talk about the business and the restaurant while she shucked her greens."
"Mom" provided the food, but the location held the charm.
"South Philadelphia treats you like family," he said. "I think it’s because it’s been such a tight-knitted community. Even when I used to go to the Italian Market as a child, you didn’t know any of these strangers but they were so friendly and so nice. That’s one thing South Philly is just known for: Italian hospitality, it’s so warm."
When she died, "Mom’s" children took over the business. When it closed, Parker saw the "For Sale" sign and knew what he had to do. He bought the building in ’99.
"I thought it would be nice to have it. It would be nice to be where she was," he said. "My goal was just to bring a Southern-style restaurant to not only South Philly but Center City South, that was accessible to all people. It’s not like, ‘Where’s that street? How do you get there?’"
Ms. Tootsie’s Soul Food Caf� opened Mother’s Day in 2000, the best way to honor his own mother, he said.
"I just wanted people to really feel my childhood," he added. "I wanted to incorporate my mom into it, so I thought what better way to pay homage to her than to name the restaurant after her?"
Three years later, Parker got the itch to expand and acquired the building next door, where the award-winning Ms. Tootsie’s now sits.
Parker’s mother does the final touches for the prep and cooking for all three restaurants at their headquarters at 38th and Market streets, which is also next to his first restaurant, Caf� 3801. Many of her recipes are well-guarded family secrets.
Parker plans to continue expanding, having just purchased the building next door to Ms. Tootsie’s. Plans for the new space are a store and waiting area for diners — but Parker says he will never stray from what he does best nor does he have any intention to reinvent his cuisine. And, with national recognition, why should he.
Parker credits his "humble" upbringing and the women, especially his mother — who he refers to as his best friend — with his success.
"I know I am who I am today because of who she is," he said. "I just carry it into everything I do."
