Corinne's Place Explained

Corinne's Place
Street-Address:1254 Haddon Avenue
City:Camden
State:New Jersey
Postcode:08103
Country:United States
Coordinates:39.9315°N -75.1016°W
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Corinne's Place is a restaurant in Camden, New Jersey. In 2022 the restaurant was selected as an America's Classic by the James Beard Foundation.

History

Corinne Bradley-Powers, a Camden native and lifelong resident and at the time a single mother, founded the restaurant on Haddon Avenue in Camden in 1989.[1] [2] [3] [4] Before starting the business, she was a social worker.[5] She bought the property in 1985, but struggled to get a loan, and took on a catering job to fund the business.[6] At first, the restaurant was open only on weekends. By 1995, it was open Wednesday through Saturday, with an all-day buffet on Sundays. Bradley-Powers was often joined in the kitchen by her mother, Fannie Anderson, who had taught her how to cook, while her own daughter worked as a waitress. At the time, she advertised the restaurant as "soul food with a touch of class".

In 2008, Corinne's Place was featured in a Gannett New Jersey article, which called it "a treasured part of Camden's community", noting that regulars often called on Bradley-Powers for catering weddings and other events.[7]

When the James Beard foundation announced the 2022 America's Classics list, friends texted Bradley-Powers to congratulate her; she had never heard of the foundation or its namesake.[8] [9]

Menu

The restaurant focuses on southern specialties such as fried chicken, pigs feet, smothered pork chops, turkey wings, fried catfish, black-eyed peas, greens, cornbread, and sweet potatoes. Philadelphia Inquirer dining editor Craig LaBan called Bradley-Powers “the queen of soul food” the restaurant's fried chicken “unforgettable.”

Recognition

In 2022 the restaurant was selected as an America's Classic by the James Beard Foundation;[10] the foundation in their announcement called the restaurant "a pillar of community at the heart of one of America’s lowest-income cities". NBC News in 2020 called the restaurant "acclaimed".[11] Local and regional media have called the restaurant "iconic" and Bradley-Powers a pillar of her community.[12]

Ownership

Bradley-Powers sold the restaurant to Trevor Vaughan in 2019 and maintains a consulting role.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robertson . Greg . 2022-03-03 . Six Restaurants Receive Prestigious James Beard American Classics Award . 2023-02-27 . TravelAwaits . en-US.
  2. Web site: Announcing the 2022 America's Classics Winners James Beard Foundation . 2023-02-27 . www.jamesbeard.org . en.
  3. Web site: Whittaker . Celeste E. . Trethan . Phaedra . 16 February 2022 . Corinne's Place restaurant in Camden wins prestigious James Beard award . 2023-02-28 . Courier News . en-US.
  4. Web site: Iadonisi . Matteo . 2022-03-11 . Corinne's Place serves soul food with a heart of gold . 2023-02-28 . 6abc Philadelphia . en.
  5. News: Winne . Judith W. . March 5, 2008 . Soul Food for the Soul . E1 . Home News Tribune . Gannett New Jersey . 2023-03-01 . Newspapers.com.
  6. News: Riordan . Kevin . January 9, 1995 . Woman cooks up soul food . Courier-Post . Camden, New Jersey . 2023-03-01 . Newspapers.com.
  7. News: Winne . Judith W. . March 5, 2008 . Soul Food for the Soul (Continued from E1) . E2 . The Central New Jersey Home News . Gannett New Jersey . 2023-03-01 . Newspapers.com.
  8. Web site: Finn . Jennifer . 2022-06-23 . Meet the Woman Behind Corinne's Place, Camden's Renowned Soul-Food Spot . 2023-02-28 . New Jersey Monthly.
  9. Web site: 2022-03-11 . A toast to Philadelphia's girl bosses, entrepreneurs and women business owners . 2023-02-28 . 6abc Philadelphia . en.
  10. Web site: McClellan . Jennifer . 14 June 2022 . Who won on food's big night? See the full list of James Beard Award 2022 winners . 2023-02-28 . . en-US.
  11. Web site: 7 years ago, this city disbanded its police force. It now serves as a model for others. . 2023-02-28 . NBC News . en.
  12. Web site: Finn . Jennifer . 2020-08-05 . Black-Owned Restaurants, Longtime Community Pillars, Garner New Devotees . 2023-02-28 . New Jersey Monthly.