30th Street Station is one of Philly’s grandest buildings — with neoclassical corinthian columns and an ornate art deco interior. However, renovations to keep the building looking fresh have left hungry travelers with just two options: Pret a Manger and Dunkin’. Its food hall has been shuttered since last year.
Now, an independent pop-up is adding some homey vibes to the scene.
Nestled near the station’s south entrance behind a humble table is Maryland native Shon Emmanuel — better known as Chef Sunflower — smiling brightly and serving up staples like burgers, crab cake sandwiches and sausage hoagies. Oh, and it’s all vegan.
The spot, BTW, It’s Vegan, has been dishing out plant-based versions of your favorite indulgent bites at 30th street since June. There are also some gluten-free options on the menu.
Chef Sunflower’s arrival must be fate, as just behind her hangs a large advertisement for Maryland tourism featuring a woman in a sunflower field, holding two blooms up to her eyes like sunglasses.
Due to renovations, the food hall at 30th street station is currently closed. (Julia Binswanger/Billy Penn)
“Everyone’s coming in,” Chef Sunflower said. “They’re telling all their co-workers … the Amtrak workers, they’ve been very supportive as well. And even Dunkin’ Donuts, they’ve been such great neighbors.”
BTW, It’s Vegan is an extension of Emanuel’s family business — Supreme Oasis Bakery and Deli, also known as “SOBAD.” The chef’s grandfather, Bernard Emanuel, started the restaurant in Baltimore over 40 years ago, serving the same kind of fare — with actual meat, though.
When her mother decided to move the business to West Philly in 2017, Chef Sunflower decided to leave her job as a paramedic, join in and put her own twist on the menu.
“I was ready for a career change, because it was very stressful,” she explained. “So, I took the leap of faith with my family.”
While Baltimore is only two hours away, the move at first caused some cultural mishaps, like learning that calling a hoagie a “sub” in Philadelphia is very incorrect. And there were other differences as well.
“In Baltimore, you do the vegetables, then the meat on top, and people would call back and complain to us,” she said. “Philadelphians would say, ‘No, my meat was on the top and the things are at the bottom.’”
Quickly, however, she adapted in more ways than one. When customers began asking if SOBAD had any vegan options, she realized she had a knack for creating original recipes for vegan substitutes — not only that, but her meatless versions of her grandfather’s dishes were gaining attention.
“More customers started asking for more plant-based, and so it started growing this cult-like following,” she said. People kept asking her, “Can you veganize this? Can you do this?” and the plant-based menu kept growing.
“It started something in me like, ‘OK, well, let me see if I can veganize that, but then also make it approachable, because most of our customers aren’t vegan.’”
The name BTW, It’s Vegan is a cheeky reference to Chef Sunflower’s knack for creating plant-based imitations that taste close to the real deal. She herself is not a vegan, but enjoys the substitutes. What’s more, there are no “beyond” or “impossible” products in her food. She makes everything from scratch.
The Billy Penn team ordered many items off her menu for a taste test, and there were some definite favorites that convinced us.
The chicken salad wrap gave us pause right after the first bite, wondering if there wasn’t actually chicken in it. Her sausage and pepper hoagie is convincing with sautéed onions and tomato sauce on top. Her crabcake sandwich had the right texture with delicious Maryland spice. And the burger, as one reporter put it, “tricked my carnivore brain.”
Philly’s attitude towards vegan food is somewhat mixed. On one hand, we have a plethora of delicious vegan options like Vedge, Pietramala, Charlie was a Sinner, Monster Vegan and more.
The BP team tested Chef Sunflower’s recipes. (Julia Binswanger/Billy Penn)
On the other hand, this is a city full of meat purists — turning their noses up at anything that doesn’t start at the slaughterhouse. After all, our signature dish is the cheesesteak — two decidedly non-vegan words put together to create deliciousness.
However, Chef Sunflower hopes that the haters will at least stay a little curious. And she thinks that the attitude towards vegan food is shifting.
“About 80% of our customers aren’t vegan,” she said. “They just want to try it. They’re like, ‘I’ve heard about vegan, but I don’t know.’ And so I love the skeptical ones, because at least they’re open to trying it, whereas a few years ago, they’re like, ‘Get that out of my face.’ ”
In addition to sandwiches, BTW, It’s Vegan has cookies, cupcakes and homemade juice for sale. The latter is made through a partnership with Belinda Harrison, a former customer turned employee.
“I was a regular customer at the restaurant Supreme Oasis on 44 Lancaster Ave,” Harrison said. Unfortunately, the bakery and deli in West Philly shut down operations earlier this year.
“When the restaurant closed down back in February, I was just retiring from the school district myself,” Harrison said. “[Chef Sunflower] was doing the launch out, doing the catering and some pop-ups, and asked if I would be available.”
The duo collaborated to add “Mama Dojo juices” to the menu—named in honor of Chef Sunflower’s mother and crafted with alkaline water and berries, a specialty of Harrison’s.
Harrison said that she is enjoying working at the stand, and notes there’s a reason why the Chef has the reputation she does.
“Just like her name is sunflower, she brightens up the day,” Harrison said.
Loyal fans from the West Philly location are still visiting the pop-up — customers like Sherman Harris.
“I love By the Way, It’s Vegan. I’ve been a fan of them since they were SOBAD Philly, Supreme Oasis,” said Harris, who is vegan. He works both as a barber at Faheem’s Hand of Precision and a realtor at Opulent Realty. He was on his lunch break from work and came to 30th Street for pickup. “I try to eat here once a month to show support. I like the food.”
Chef Sunflower is humbled by the loyal customers who are still coming to the train station.
“They’re like, we miss you guys in West Philadelphia, but this is the next best thing,” she said.
You can check out the vegan pop-up at 30th Street Station on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Heather Chin/Billy Penn)
“I’m a fan of the chicken salad wrap,” Harrison said. “If you’re a vegan, come try it out. If you’re not a vegan, just come try it out.”
The BTW, It’s Vegan pop-up takes place Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The pop-up so far has been running successfully, recently upping from two to three days a week, and Chef Sunflower also works as a caterer and private chef. The stand is also a way to honor her family restaurant. She encourages any curious foodies to come by.
“I was surprised [30th Street organizers] were open to my concept,” Chef Sunflower said. “It’s just great food. It’s not even the fact that it’s vegan, but people will also like it because it’s so hard to find plant-based while traveling … It’s just been amazing.”