Nourish, a vegan cafe on South Street, is destroyed by fire

"Just know we are now closed... until we rebuild ... and yes the whole place is gone," Nourish's management wrote on Instagram.

In a southern view from an apartment near Washington Square, smoke billows from the fire at Nourish at Seventh and South Streets.Read moreDiane Mastrull

by Michael Klein

Published Sept. 13, 2020, 11:15 a.m. ET

Nourish, a vegan cafe that opened about eight months ago at Seventh and South Streets, was destroyed by fire Saturday.

“I don’t have words right now ... just thankful everyone is OK," an Instagram post said. "Just know we are now closed ... until we rebuild ... and yes the whole place is gone.”

The fire, reported shortly after 6 p.m., was under investigation, a Fire Department spokesperson said. The building at 650 South St. also housed apartments upstairs. The spokesperson said no employees, customers, or firefighters were injured.

Nourish opened Jan. 26 in a storefront that had seen assorted cafes in recent years, including Spice End, Steve’s Steaks, and Dickey’s BBQ.

View this post on Instagram

I don’t have words right now ... just thankful everyone is ok... Just know we are now closed .. until we rebuild .. and yes the whole place is gone

A post shared by @ nourishphilly on Sep 12, 2020 at 6:33pm PDT

Nourish’s menu included an assortment of plant-based dishes, most notably juices, super-food smoothies, breakfast burritos, and a fried “chicken” sandwich. On Friday, Nourish had begun to offer a “meal prep” program that would provide a week’s worth of food for pickup.

Owner Sarah Scandone, who previously owned Hibiscus Cafe in West Philadelphia, did not return a message seeking comment.