A few months ago, I was in a trip planning frenzy. I was putting together itineraries for New York, Austin, Cartagena and finally Philly. Somewhere along the way I’d come across a couple who used to be restaurant chefs but had recently opened a cafe and shop of their own.
I lost track of their place somewhere along the way and when I went to search for it again, I just couldn’t find them. I searched all over Brooklyn in Google, my trip notes, and Eater. Nothing.
Fast forward to my time in Philly. I was having dinner at Friday Saturday Sunday. That’s another delicious story for another day. As I was eating, a couple came in and sat near me. I knew they looked familiar but I just couldn’t quite place them. I was running late and had to rush out to an event but I just had to stop and talk to them. I introduced myself and asked if they were from Brooklyn. Turns out, they’d lived in Brooklyn before but had been in Philly for a while. Then, the woman mentioned that they have a cafe called Honeysuckle Provisions. It was them!
Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude-Tate are the proud owners and they seemed like lovely people for the few minutes I had to talk to them.
That weekend, I made it a point to head to the cafe. There was an assortment of greens in the cooler that looked freshly picked from a nearby garden. There was a case full of beautiful pastries and an overall feeling of neighborly comfort.
I had a delicious sausage and egg breakfast sandwich and an oat milk cappuccino. Omar and Cybille weren’t in at the time but the young man working was great. I watched him chat up an older woman, who seemed like a regular. He was very patient with a mom who was trying really hard to be patient with her two children as she ordered.
My suitcase was stuffed or I would have been easily convinced to buy several things from their shop wall. There were t-shirts, coasters, books, and even groceries.
This was my first trip to Philly but Honeysuckle Provisions was just the type of place that I’ll visit every single time I’m in town. Omar and Cybille have created a little corner that feels like a warm hug and I can’t wait to go back.