Signature ‘Bites’
Road to food history started at local farmers market
Not even a worldwide, oncein-a-lifetime pandemic could stop Charisse McGill.
It might have slowed down the chef and owner of French Toast Bites by Lokal Artisan Foods, but the coronavirus shutdown made McGill more determined and, eventually, lead to a bit of history. McGill is the first Black female operator to open at one of the most popular area summer destinations.
“In March, I went a little nuts,” said McGill, a Delaware County resident. “Everything I went into business for was getting cancelled. I love taking our food truck to festivals and concerts.
I always say, I’m in the people business, not the food business.”
Now, McGill is back in both as French Toast Bites takes over a spot at Philadelphia’s Spruce Street Harbor Park along the Delaware River. On the menu, look signature French Toast Bites with unlimited toppings, vegan French Toast Bites, new French Toast Milkshakes, bacon on a stick and other summer-time treats.
“I had applied to open there, but when Covid hit, they said they weren’t taking new customers,” McGill said. “Two weeks ago, I got a call saying HipCity Veg was not coming back and would I want the spot.”
It probably took less time for the question to be asked before
McGill jumped at the opportunity.
“It was definitely on my bucket list,” said McGill, who will be selling the sweet treats into September “We had about a weekand-a-half to put it all together. We are a speed boat, not a cruise ship so we went to work.”
Since then, French Toast Bites, located right in the center of the walk, has become so popular they stayed open later to make sure everybody was happy.
“People would come up and say, ‘I read about you,’” McGill said. “I don’t want to turn anybody away. During the day, it’s not so bad. By the time the sun went down, we had a line across the boats. We stayed open until 11:30 p.m.” The social-distanced lines continued through the first weekend and she hopes it doesn’t stop all summer.
“We had to adapt for the coronavirus,” McGill said. “We make sure everything is cleaned all day. We have gloves and masks. We make it totally safe.”
In March, when everything started to close down and events were cancelled, McGill had to find a new way to keep the business going.
“I had to step back and find out what to do, because I wasn’t going to give up,” said McGill. “A friend of mine has a popular restaurant and said we could use their kitchen and delivery service.”
So, McGill teamed up with The Better Box (which has sites on Frankford Ave. and Spring Garden streets in Philadelphia), a food truck and restaurant that serves everything from spring rolls to cheesesteaks.
“They added us to their dessert menu,” said McGill. “We were able to make up about 55 percent of our normal sales.”
The road to getting a prime spot this summer started at the Lansdale Farmers Market. McGill was the main organizer of the Market while also working all week as the Director of Special Events at Valley Forge Military Academy.
“I had the opportunity to meet independent food distributors and see how it was done,” said McGill. “I took a lot of notes and started to think I was on the wrong side of this business.”
McGill’s daughter Madison would hang out at the market and eventually had an idea.
“She sourced fruit and other stuff from those at the market and started selling lemonade,” McGill said. “She became so successful, I was getting jealous.”
So, with an investment from Madison, McGill quit her “day job” and opened up French Toast Bites at the Holiday Market in Dilworth Park outside Philadelphia’s City Hall in November 2018.
After launching, McGill became one of the most recognized and sought after vendors in the market. She has been open at Made in America, the former Pod Park in Northern Liberties, and all over the region.
“We are a little tired, but it’s a good tired,” said McGill, who is one class away from graduating from St. Joseph’s Haub School of Business, with an MBA in Food Marketing. “I am looking forward to the whole season being on the water.”