Newsletter #3: Things are Getting Exciting
Folks,
Happy Thursday! The writing for this newsletter started on Sunday night, while I was running off the high of a private event that went well… but I also procrastinate, so here we are! I feel like I always say this, but it has been some time since the last newsletter, so I’ll skip to just talking about our last week and some of the things that we have planned (side note: It is taking a fair bit of willpower for me not to write a couple paragraphs about our dinner with Her Place Supper Club two months ago).
Alright, let's talk about this past week. It started on a pretty high note with a feature in the print edition of Four Seasons Magazine. FOUR SEASONS! LIKE INTERNATIONAL LUXURY HOTEL BRAND! In reality, the writing was a grand total of 3 sentences, but they used a photo of our All American Cheese Pie and gave it an entire page. These magazines are available in every Four Seasons hotel worldwide, which makes it feel even cooler. I don’t know if something like this will actually gain us any business, but there's a sense of pride in knowing that, in some small facet, Char is being seen around the globe. A bit dramatic, perhaps, but when have I not been?
We were able to cap this week by shutting down to the public and hosting a private event/ baby shower for our friends Raymond and Thu from Caphe Roasters and 12 PLUS. They are some of the kindest and most beautiful folks that Philadelphia has to offer. After all, they did open Caphe as a for-profit operation to help fund their non-profit foundation, 12 PLUS. If you don’t know about 12 PLUS and its mission, definitely take a little time to learn about the work it does to increase educational equity in Philadelphia and Camden. It was really an awesome day that helped reinvigorate our love for hospitality. I also consider it such a privilege (and dare I say honor) when others in the industry choose to come to Char, let alone want to buy us out to help them celebrate special occasions. It feels like the best kind of validation. As a bonus, we also got to meet M. Night Shyaman (arguably the first Philly Brown Boy to get it popping).
Okay, now onto the exciting plans coming soon! We will be doing an impromptu dinner with Saif from Manna Bakery next Tuesday (4/28), and reservations are already 99% full! Now this one is a real treat. I’ve known Saif and Stef for 2+ years now (pre-Char storefront BTW), going back to when I DM’d him because I saw another young person doing pop-ups around town. Now, fast-forward to 2026 — Char has been open for over a year and a half and Manna is months away from opening their own brick-and-mortar location, which will be just a 10-minute walk from us. How the time is flying! Well, to get back to the topic, I’m super excited to be doing this with them. Ever since I saw Lahm Bi Ajeen in the “Fuck That's Delicious” episode featuring L’industrie Pizzeria, I’ve been begging Saif to make one at Char. So, guess what? That’s what we are gettin babyyyyy. We will be serving those up alongside a couple more Levantine-inspired pizzas, salads, and desserts. Fun and simple; a nice way to welcome them to the neighborhood, ya know? Also! All profits from that night will be headed to World Central Kitchen and the work they’re doing in Gaza.
Alright, that's pretty much all I got for you good people this week. Final week for passion fruit- condensed milk Baked Alaska if that feels like your jam. This is the most “free time” I’ve had since pretty much the restaurant opened so I hope to keep up with these newsletters on a regular basis with that spare time. We are en route to summer and lots of exciting things are on the horizon. Let's see!.
Every day, more better.
Cheers,
Viraj