New chef series at Jose Garces’ Volvér starts with ‘Big Rube’ Harley

The chefs showcase signature dishes on Volvér’s a la carte menu for six to eight weeks. This year, Garces’ menu will be inspired by Portugal.

Chef Reuben Harley, who is also a photographer, gets chef Jose Garces to pose at Volvér before dinner service on Sept. 21.Read moreMICHAEL KLEIN / Staff

by Michael Klein

Published Sept. 27, 2022, 4:00 p.m. ET

Jose Garces has just launched his second season of chefs’ residencies at his restaurant Volvér at the Kimmel Center, in which he showcases emerging chefs from underserved constituencies and helps them financially through his foundation.

The chefs showcase signature dishes on Volvér’s à la carte menu for six to eight weeks, alongside Garces’ dishes. This year, Garces’ menu will be inspired by Portugal.

First up is Reuben “Big Rube” Harley, the photographer, street-style creator, and cook known for what he calls “Black folk-style cooking.” Harley, whose residency will end Nov. 13, operates Chef Big Rube’s Kitchen at Pitchers Pub in Manayunk, and will support the Anderson Monarchs, the South Philadelphia sports-based youth-development organization.

Harley met Garces while photographing his events. They also had ghost kitchens side by side in West Philadelphia during the early part of the pandemic. Two decades ago, Harley turned the Center City store Mitchell & Ness into a national brand for designing vintage “throwback” sports jerseys. As a street photographer, his “Street Gazing” photos appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News from 2011 to 2017.

Harley’s menu at Volvér, listed alongside Garces’, includes crispy okra, meat loaf (with beef, braised cabbage, barbecue sauce, potato puree, and confit shallot), “dynamite turkey rolls” (confit turkey, Jimmy Nardello pepper, and mumbo sweet and sour sauce), battered white fish, and his signature fried chicken, served with braised greens and pimento mac and cheese. Desserts include milk and cookies with Madagascar vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips, and lemon cake with lemon butter cream and berries. Entrées are $26 to $29.

Some dishes are also part of a pretheater menu.

Also on the chef’s roster are Chance Anies of the soon-to-open Filipino restaurant Tabachoy (Nov. 16 to Jan. 8); Juan Lopez of On Point Bistro (Jan. 11 to Feb. 12); private chef Tonii Hicks (Feb. 15 to March 19); Ryan Elmore and Kaitlin Wines of Mom-Mom’s Kitchen (March 22 to April 23), and Sally Song of Dim Sum Garden (April 26 to June 4). Another chef will be announced for the finale.

Volvér’s hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday, with a pretheater menu served from 4 to 6:30 p.m.