Chef Jose Garces Introduces Chef Dane DeMarco as Next Chef in Residency at Volvér

Chef Jose Garces announces Chef Dane DeMarco (they/them) as the next Chef in Residency at Volvér on Kimmel Cultural Campus. Chef DeMarco’s residency is timed to coincide with Philly Pride Month, starting June 15th and running through July 24th. Funding raised during this residency will provide start-up funds for DeMarco to open a brand new restaurant concept called Hanks Sandwich Co., which will offer different sandwiches inspired by international culinary traditions. DeMaro’s menu embraces a diverse range of creations such as Oxtail Terrine, Crab Corn Dog Galette, Cannoli Manicotti, Corner Fried Shrimp, Crab Corn Dog Galette, and Vanilla Krimpet. For the new Chefs in Residency Program, each Chef will showcase their top signature dishes on the Volvér menu for six to eight weeks, alongside Chef Garces' signature French-inspired dishes. Through a special donation program in partnership with the Garces Foundation, each Chef in Residency will have the opportunity to raise money to support their work with their current restaurant, or to use for the start of their next culinary journey. Volvér's hours for the season will be from Wednesday to Sunday, from 4:00pm to 9:00pm, with a special pre-theatre menu served from 4:00pm to 6:30pm, and happy hour from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Reservations are now available at www.volverrestaurant.com, via Open Table, or by calling 215-670-2302. Celebrate the art of fine dining by following Volvér on social media at @volverphl @chefjosegarces and @garcesgroup. All guests coming to Volvér must be vaccinated per Kimmel Cultural Campus policy. Volver is located at 300 S. Broad Street, in Center City, Philadelphia.

“Volvér Chefs in Residency is intended to empower our resident chefs while introducing new flavors and culinary styles to visitors of the Kimmel Cultural Campus,” said Chef Jose Garces. “As we wrap up our first season, I’m so excited to have Chef DeMarco joining us in the kitchen. I’ve been a fan of their work, especially their ability to elevate simple dishes to something more than the sum of its parts.”

He added, "I'm honored to be able to support Philadelphia's hospitality community through this innovative program. Extending our resources to help more chefs in the region is a dream come true. With Chef DeMarco’s residency, this is the second time that donations raised will serve as seed money for a new restaurant concept. This means the program will have long legs and make a lasting impact on our region’s culinary community.”

“We celebrate Chef Dane DeMarco’s lifelong passion for cooking and look forward to the opening of Hanks Sandwich Co.,” said President and CEO of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc. Matías Tarnopolsky. “It is an honor to showcase such a deserving culinary artist on the Kimmel Cultural Campus through Chef Garces’ residency program, and we hope this opportunity helps to introduce even more people to their cuisine.”

As a member of the Chefs in Residency Program, Chef DeMarco is the sixth and final chef for the inaugural line-up, following Chef Kiki Aranita from Poi Dog Philly, Chef Phila Lorn from Terrain, Jezabel Careaga from Jezabel's and L'Atelier, Chef Jennifer Zavala from Juana Tamale and Chef Yoon from Little Fish BYOB. The program will conclude for the summer, and return in the fall with a brand new line-up for year two. Details for next season will be coming soon.

INTRODUCING CHEF DANE DEMARCO

For Philly Pride Month:
Chef Dane DeMarco (they/them)
Hawthornes, Sonny's Cocktail Bar, Wine Dive and just-opened BurgertimeNJ
June 15 to July 24, 2022
Funding will help support Hanks Sandwich Co. set to open in 2022

Chef Dane DeMarco is one of the region’s most notable and talented trans chefs. DeMarco is the owner of BurgertimeNJ, which recently opened during the pandemic, and Executive Chef for Hawthornes’ restaurants including Sonny’s Cocktail Joint and Wine Dive. Chef previously worked with LPNG Restaurant Group (American Sardine, Second District Brewing Company and South Philly Taproom), where they started as a Sous and quickly worked up to Culinary Director. Chef was known as Doreen (she/her) while working for LPNG, and Chef is now transitioning and at this stage of the process is using Dane and they/them. Chef hails from Willingboro, New Jersey in Burlington County, where they spent their childhood in kitchens next to their father, who was a chef. They started answering phones and the more they worked with their father, the more their passion for cooking grew. Chef moved to Philly at 19, and worked under some great chefs. They loved traveling and checking out new restaurants and quickly found they had an unquenchable thirst for new flavors and inventive cuisine.

"I am very excited to be a part of this special group of chefs and be able to showcase my food and culinary point of view on a larger audience, who may not have had the opportunity to try it in the past,” said DeMarco.

For DeMarco’s dishes, patrons will find the following additions to the Volvér menu:

Starters:

Oxtail Terrine
Caramelized onion puree, cooper sharp fondue, cherry pepper chimi

Tuna Hoagie Tartare
Creamy Italian dressing, provolone powder, crisp romaine, piquillo pepper, toasted
sesame seed

Duck Fat Pretzel
Everything spice, truffle mustard

Bitter and Blue Salad
Treviso radicchio, endive, blueberry vinegar, cornmeal crumble, Stracciatella

Entrée:

Country Style Pork Ribs
Porchetta spice, broccoli de ceccio, white bean puree, pork panko

Crab Corn Dog Galette
Grilled endive, saffron aioli, dijonaise, pepper hash, yuzu tobiko

Cannoli Manicotti
Ricotta spinach filling, Sunday gravy, Stracciatella, herb puree, shaved provolone

Corner Fried Shrimp
Soft shell prawns, squash blossoms, scampi hot sauce, cocktail powder gaufrettes

Dessert:

Artic Splash Granita
Black tea syrup, peanut chews

Vanilla Krimpet
Chiffon, caramel gelato , butterscotch sauce

For inspiration, DeMarco said, "I am inspired by all things Philadelphia and one thing I am known for are recipes outside of the box, I am taking famous foods that Philadelphians love and tourists travel for and am elevating them into fine dining.”

As part of the Chefs in Residency Program, patrons will be able to donate funds to support projects for each participating resident chef. For DeMarco, funding will help support Hanks Sandwich Co. their long-time new project set to open in 2022.

Guests wishing to support DeMarco’s new project can donate during their meal at Volver. Donations can be made, similar to tipping a server, when the dinner check is presented. The Garces Foundation will match up to the first $5,000, giving each resident chef the opportunity to raise at least $10,000. The matching grant will be donated by the Garces Foundation, which offers additional resources for the hospitality industry like medical and educational services that the resident chef can take advantage of for themselves or their staff, and to help them reach their goal/pivot.

The public can also support DeMarco’s endeavors by donating here as well:
https://form.jotform.com/221389074606156

“We are thrilled to support these talented chefs and to be a partner in the chefs in residency project,” said Garces Foundation Executive Director Robin Morris. “Philly’s food scene is the best in the country because of the dynamic energy and work ethic of our immigrant food workers and the diversity of chefs and cuisines.”

DeMarco added, “Donations will be used for a side project I've been working on called Hank's Sandwich Co, a project born from the pandemic. Hank's will showcase different sandwiches with world influence and concentrate itself on ‘bringing world flavors to main street.’ I look forward to jumpstarting Hank's, it's been a project in the making and I can't wait to see it as a reality in a brick and mortar.”

Chef DeMarco will be the final featured chef for Volvér’s Chefs in Residency Program. Please stay tuned for an exciting line-up of Chefs in Residency for season two. Details will be forthcoming this summer.

ABOUT VOLVER

Volvér is located at 300 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Inside the Campus, Volvér is located near the Spruce Street entrance of the Commonwealth Plaza. This season at Volvér, patrons will be able to enjoy pre-theater, happy hour and a la carte menus in 80 seats in the lounge and dining room, seven seats at the Chef's counter, and 12 seats around the bar.

For the return of Volvér, Garces fans, foodies, arts patrons, neighbors and visitors will once again come together to celebrate the art of fine dining in the dual-concept space that features a giant oval bar and lush lounge on one side, and a performance kitchen where Chefs bring cuisine to the center stage on the other.

The low-lit lounge and bar are perfect for an intimate pre-theatre dinner, post-theatre drinks, happy hour, girls night out and date night. Patrons will find all the big vibes that include a sleek marble-topped curved bar, plush oversized seats, velvety banquets, sexy mood light, and floor-to-ceiling windows. A bold and colorful mural by artist and designer Conrad Booker cascades across the back wall, with visibility from every seat in the house. Booker spent one year hand-fusing, dying, cutting and stitching the one-of-a-kind mural out of 200 yards of burlap and 4,000 fiber buttons. As guests transition from the bar and lounge to the kitchen area, they will pass floor-to-ceiling wine racks with a sliding library-style ladder that can house 1,200 bottles of wine.

Down the stylish corridor, past the bottles of white and red, patrons will find a sprawling open-island kitchen where Chefs will create their art in front of the entire dining room. Each and every seat has a clear view of the artists at work as they create their magic for eager diners who want not just a meal but a full experience. For those looking for center-stage action, the marble-top Chef’s counter offers seating for seven.

Volvér, which is Spanish for 'to return', will celebrate not only the return of the beloved restaurant after the pandemic shut-down, but it will also celebrate the much-anticipated raising of the curtains across the stages of the Kimmel Cultural Campus.

Volvér’s cuisine will continue to highlight Chef Garces’ culinary travels around the world. The ever-evolving menu emphasizes seasonal ingredients prepared with modern techniques that capture and amplify their inherent flavors. For this grand return, Chef will continue on his global journey and present French inspired cuisine that showcases his roots dating back to his classic training at the Kendall College of Culinary Arts. Dishes will include Milk and Cereal (Bacon, Glazed Chicken, Thyme Marshmallows, Puffed Rice, White Asparagus, Mushrooms), Madai Crudo (Cured Snapper, Champagne Cream, Black Olive Oil, Poppy Seed, Crispy Ginger), and Filet Mignon Philly Style (Caramelized Onion Puree, Toasted Sourdough, Red Wine Braised Shallots, Alpine Cheese Fondue), and many others.

The French menu direction and the idea for the new program was inspired by the 2019-2020 season that was cut short due to the mandatory closures in March 2020. That season, Chef showcased French dishes on the menu, plus Chef hosted pop-up collaboration dinners with the region's top French chefs, including Chris Kearse of Forsythia, Jonathan Cichon of Lacroix and Peter Woolsey of Bistrot La Minette, La Peg and Gabi. After working alongside the aforementioned talented chefs, and after Volvér and Kimmel Cultural Campus were forced to close down, Chef and his team worked during the pandemic to create an innovative new program that would foster new talent, support minority chefs and challenge the palates of diners. It is a new idea nearly 17 months in the making, and is timed to launch for the return of Philadelphia’s indoor, in-person and live performing arts season. The new Chefs in Residency Program starts on October 6th with Chef Kiki Aranita. Patrons will find seven signature dishes by Kiki alongside dishes by Chef Jose Garces.

In addition to the exciting food line-up, Volvér fans will find a well-rounded bar program that is artistically approachable with options for every palate and to pair with every dish. Patrons will find hand-crafted cocktails, non-alcoholic mocktails, beer and cider on draft, and wine and champagne by the bottle and the glass. Cocktail highlights include the Brown Derby, with Old Grandad, Grapefruit, Lemon and Honey, and Pedraza with Corazon Tequila, Grapefruit, Aperol and Rosemary.

Chef Jose Garces will shine the spotlight and support fellow chefs from the city and suburbs with a brand-new season-long Chefs in Residency Program that will feature the talents of seven emerging and minority chefs. Each Chef in Residency will showcase their signature dishes as additions to the Volvér menu during a six to eight week period during the season. Chefs In Residency is Chef Garces' way of taking the idea of featuring chefs at Volvér to the next level.

Patrons will find a special three course pre-theater menu running from 4:00pm to 6:30pm, every Wednesday to Sunday, for $56 per person. The menu will include items from both Volvér's featured menu as well as items from the Resident Chef. For those not heading to curtain call, happy hour will run daily from 7:30pm to 9:00pm with drink and small bite specials that will launch in early October.

To make or cancel a reservation, please visit the website, reserve on Open Table, or call Volvér at 215-670-2303. All guests to Volvér must be vaccinated per Kimmel Cultural Campus policy.

ABOUT CHEF JOSE GARCES

Iron Chef, father, husband, James Beard Award-winner, entrepreneur, and food innovator, Chef Jose Garces is known as a leading culinary authority of Spanish and Latin-American food. From the Spanish tapas at Amada, his first restaurant, to the playful Japanese street food at Okatshe in Atlantic City, Chef Garces continually pushes the boundaries of culinary excellence.

While he maintains his successful career owning and operating full-service restaurants, Chef Garces is also looking toward the future, with an increased focus on bringing restaurant-quality experiences to the homes and businesses of culinary enthusiasts in new and interesting ways. From enhanced home delivery options and virtual online cooking demos, to live online cooking classes, Chef Garces is excited to connect with both fans of his work on television, as well as the home cook who would like to experience “chef life” in their own kitchen. Chef Garces is the author of two cookbooks, Latin Evolution and The Latin Road Home, published by Lake Isle Press. To learn more, please visit, www.chefgarces.com or follow him on social media on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

ABOUT GARCES

Garces is a Philadelphia-based hospitality group specializing in personal dining experiences rooted in the rich cultural traditions and culinary vision of renowned Latin-American chef Jose Garces. Taking a heartfelt and creative approach to time-honored recipes and dishes, Garces, in partnership with New Orleans- based Ballard Brands, operates numerous restaurants including Amada, Tinto, Village Whiskey, Volvér, The Olde Bar, Buena Onda and Garces Trading Company in Philadelphia, and Amada and Distrito in the Ocean Resort Casino. The group also operates Garces Events, a full-service catering and event division; the Garces Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to Philadelphia’s underserved immigrant community. For more information, visit GarcesGroup.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter,

ABOUT GARCES FOUNDATION

The Garces Foundation is a community-based, non-profit organization committed to providing Philadelphia’s immigrant population the healthcare, education, and support to empower them to fulfill their potential as citizens and enjoy the highest possible quality of life. Our programs advance this mission. We provide free or low cost dental care, medical care, education to those we serve. We also run a food pantry program, meeting the food insecurity needs brought on by the pandemic.