Elijah Milligan is a chef on a mission. While running his restaurant Stove and Tap in Lansdale, PA, he’s also seeking to shine a light on the skills and accomplishments of African-American chefs in town. He runs a pop-up cooking event called Cooking for Culture, that features local African-American chefs showcasing their skills in various cuisines—just not Soul Food. He’s also hoping that the press and exposure from Cooking for Culture will be an inspiration for young African-Americans throughout the city to consider careers in the culinary world.
In this episode, we sat down with Elijah at Jose Pistola’s on 15th street in Center City. We discussed working with Georges Perrier, running his own kitchen, and life as an African-American in the kitchen of some of the most acclaimed restaurants in Philadelphia.
Elijah has grown up in kitchens. He started out working for his parents’ restaurant as a young boy. He used those skills to work his way into the kitchen at Le Bec Fin. From there, he’s cooked at Stateside, Laurel, and Vernick among others.
He’s looking to expand Stove and Tap into a second location in the near future.
