Photo from Marigold Kitchen Facebook page.

Great news for local Marigold Kitchen fans! The highly-noted upscale Spruce Hill based restaurant, which has many fans around the city and outside of it, is set for its grand reopening on Thursday, Sept. 25, after being closed this summer for some remodeling work.

As was reported earlier, the restaurant, located in an old Victorian home at 45th and Larchwood, changed hands this summer, with the former owner, Robert Halpern, moving out of the area and selling his business to his own chefs de cuisine, Andrew Kochan and Tim Lanza, both 26. Marigold’s executive chef Keith Krajewski also continues his work at the restaurant. Basically, the restaurant hired only one new person, General Manager Christopher Albert (more details about the team are here).

The new team are very excited about reopening the restaurant and already had three soft opening events, which “were a great success.”

Here’s what the guys posted two weeks ago on their Facebook page:

“Today has been one of the many productive days on the road to achieving our goal of reopening Marigold Kitchen. For the past three months we have been working tirelessly to make our dream a reality. Marigold Kitchen will be reopening on the 25th of September. Our new menu harkens back to the days of Chef Robert Halpern and also looks to the future, showcasing the creativity of the new chefs at the helm. We look forward to having you at our table.”

Marigold Kitchen will remain a BYOB restaurant, offering avant-garde New American tasting menus. The restaurant will be open on Tuesdays-Saturdays, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. (closed on Sundays & Mondays).

For more information and to make a reservation, visit: www.marigoldkitchenbyob.com.

The sidewalk logo in front of the Supremo market on Walnut between 43rd and 44th.

The city is gearing up for bike share – set to begin in the spring –  and is asking the public where stations should be placed.

You may have seen the sidewalk decals in front of, for example, the Supremo supermarket at 43rd and Walnut. The Green Line Café at 43rd and Baltimore is also a possible spot. Unfortunately, there are no proposed stations further west than 43rd Street, according to an online map at phillybikeshare.com. Bicycle Transit Systems will manage the program.

One way to comment on proposed stations, is to go to phillybikeshare.com and click on a station icon and leave comments. You can also text a “yes” or a “no” to 215-987-6034 and enter the station code you see on the sidewalk decals (the one at Supremo is no. 42). Comments are accepted until Oct. 20, 2014.

The stations will be just over 6 feet wide and between 45 and 75 feet long. Most will be about 60 feet long and hold 20 bikes.

Here are the site requirements, according to the web page:

• Stations must be placed on hard surfaces (e.g., concrete, asphalt, brick, pavers). No grass or landscaped areas.
• If on a sidewalk, the sidewalk must be at least 13′ wide to maintain clear space for pedestrians.
• Stations should receive sunlight for around 6 hours a day (to fuel the solar-powered kiosks).
• Stations must be visible and accessible from the sidewalk.

Click on the image to go to the map.

The funeral for 8-year-old Emmeline Valadez, who tragically died after falling from a ninth story apartment building window last week, was held this morning in Hammonton, New Jersey.

Emmeline lived with her father, a Penn graduate student and single father, and her older sister at the Fairfax building at 43rd and Locust. She fell from the window at about 7:45 a.m. last Wednesday. Her obituary is here.

Neighbors and friends are taking up a collection online to help offset funeral expenses. You can contribute to the campaign here. All funds raised will go directly to the father and donations will be accepted until this weekend.

On Tuesday, Sept 23, the local Red Cross and its partners will hold a major fire safety event in two West Philadelphia neighborhoods in an effort to reduce fires and fire fatalities.

On Tuesday morning, from about 10 – 11 a.m., more than 1,200 fire safety kits will be handed out to residents at Drexel Park (33rd and Powelton). The kits contain valuable, potentially life-saving information on the importance of smoke alarms, how to prevent fires, what to do if there is a fire, and how to create a fire escape plan for the entire family, including pets. Each year, the local Red Cross distributes more than 10,000 fire safety kits.

After handing out the kits, a dozen Red Cross personnel along with over 100 NRG Energy employees from across the country will conduct fire safety walkthroughs in the Powelton Village and Mantua neighborhoods. Mantua typically sees a high number of fires each year.

It’s one of the largest fire safety walkthroughs the Red Cross will conduct in Philadelphia this year. The walkthrough is part of national preparedness month and a precursor to October’s fire safety awareness month.

Here’s a chance to help those women who are just starting their careers. If you have a spare dress outfit (appropriate for a “business” environment) hanging in your closet please consider donating it to Dress for Success Philadelphia, a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged women achieve economic independence.

In West Philadelphia, My Task Master is holding a 2nd Women’s Suit Drive to benefit Dress for Success and is collecting women’s fall business clothing, shoes, scarves, jewelry and handbags. The drive will be held on September 22-25 and donations can be dropped off at the My Task Master office at 47th and Hazel.

Please note that all donations must be like new, clean and current.

For more information and to schedule a drop-off please email Emily Anderson at: emily@mytaskmaster.net (please put “Dress for Success” in the subject line).

We’re publishing breakfast and lunch menus served at schools in the School District of Philadelphia on Monday, Sept 22 through Wednesday, Sept 24 (schools are closed on Thursday and Friday for Rosh Hashanah). If your school uses a Satellite menu, click here. Come back every Sunday evening for the coming week’s menu.

BREAKFAST (K-12)

A variety of three cereals is offered daily and served with a yogurt parfait or a mini loaf.

Monday

Mini Pancakes
Bake Crafter Cereal Bar & Yogurt
Choose 1: Pineapple Juice or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk

Tuesday

Steak, Egg & Cheese on a Bagel
Benefit Bar
Choose 1: Mixed Fruit Cup or Fresh Fruit
Variety of Milk  Continue Reading