Stephen Starr Gets the New York Times Treatment

Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr, who is the subject of a profile in the New York Times (Getty Images)

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The New York Times Lands a New Stephen Starr Profile

Longtime Philly Mag contributor Christine Speer Lejeune just published a nuanced profile of Philadelphia restaurant mogul Stephen Starr in the New York Times. And if you think you know everything about Starr, her profile will show you that you almost certainly don’t. You can read the whole thing here.

But one of my favorite parts of it is when he explains his early success with Philly restaurants thusly: “It wasn’t so much that I was that good, it was that things here in Philly were very boring. And I had an eye for design, so design kind of became my main thing.”

Some fun numbers Stephen Starr numbers from the New York Times profile:

$400 million: That’s what the New York Times says is the annual revenue generated from all of Stephen Starr’s restaurants. That’s a whole lot of crispy calamari salads!

5,000: That’s the approximate size of employee roster of the Stephen Starr empire.

$90,000: That’s what Stephen Starr spent on the two-story fresco at his new Rittenhouse Square restaurant, Borromini.

As for some other Stephen Starr Quizzo fodder that didn’t make it into the New York Times story…

• Stephen Starr was the concert promoter behind Madonna’s first big show in Philly, her 1985 Like a Virgin tour stop at the Spectrum.
• Then a 30-year-old Temple dropout, Stephen Starr was among those backstage at the Philadelphia edition of Live Aid in 1985. “Everybody who was anybody was back there,” Starr once told us. “Mick Jagger and Tina Turner were there. Jack Nicholson kept popping up everywhere. And, for some reason, George Segal. I have no idea why.”
• One of Stephen Starr’s first endeavors (if not the first) in Philadelphia was Grandmom Minnie’s, in which he transformed a daytime deli into a 200-seat club at 239 Chestnut Street. The first performer to headline there was Richard Belzer, later of Homicide and Law & Order: SVU fame.

On the Market

Maybe you’re looking for some new digs and you’re a big history buff. Should that be the case, look no further than George Washington’s former headquarters in Fort Washington, which is for sale for $3,295,000. Granted, the original property was completely gutted and Washington only stayed there for some small number of weeks. But it’s still a good conversational piece, and you’ve gotta love a soaking tub.

Happy Birth Day

We could all use some cute animal photos right about now, I think. So I give you sloths Beanie’s Baby and mother Beanie:

Beanie’s Baby was born a month ago and will make its public debut on Wednesday at Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. By the way, the zoo is hosting its annual Beast of a Feast on October 9th. No, you’re not dining on zoo residents. (Ew.) Food and drink are being provided by some of the finest restaurants in Montco.

By the Numbers

49 degrees: Forecasted low in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Brrrr. If you’re going to that $10 Phillies game, I’d bring a hoodie! Gonna be a bit nippy up in the 300s.

8: Weeks left before the Philadelphia Marathon. Fortunately, we came up with this guide on how to train for the marathon in just eight weeks. I think I should probably start with a couch-to-5k program.

85 months: Federal prison sentence for 33-year-old Wharton grad Charlie Javice, who defrauded JP Morgan of $175 million. She actually got off easy. Prosecutors wanted 144 months. I did enjoy this part of the New York Times piece on all of this: Among the 114 people who wrote letters of support to the judge “were four rabbis, one cantor, a formerly incarcerated judge, two doormen and a person who works at the marina near Ms. Javice’s Miami Beach residence.” Meanwhile, can somebody please compile a list of all the Wharton grads who went on to do bad things?

Local Talent

If you’re one of those people who eschews chain booksellers in favor of the independents, you are no doubt familiar with Harriett’s Bookshop, the Girard Avenue shop named after Harriett Tubman that focuses on women authors and activists. The store is the brainchild of UArts grad Jeannine Cook. (You can read all about Cook in my interview with her here.)

Jeannine Cook in 2021 (photo by Linette & Kyle Kielinski)

Now, Cook has a book of her own. It’s Me They Follow came out on September 23rd and, yes, is available on Amazon. On Wednesday, Cook sits down with Inquirer reporter Elizabeth Wellington to tell us all about it. Registration is free, and books will be available for purchase at the event.