philly

Aimee Olexy

One of the most recognized personalities in Philadelphia dining, Aimee has the ability to send the “fine-dining elite into effusions of breathless adjectives,” according to Philadelphia magazine. Her dynamic restaurant brand has evolved dramatically over the past 20 years, growing into a family of distinctive restaurants that celebrates food at its most elemental.  

Talula’s Table, her hybrid gourmet café and BYOB in Kennett Square, hosts nightly 12-person tastings, so incredibly coveted that it has been dubbed it “The Toughest Table in America.” Talula’s Garden, which Olexy opened in partnership with Stephen Starr in 2011, aims to capture a small-town sense of community on an ambitious downtown scale. Talula’s Daily, the bright and sunny café that opened next door in 2013, provides coffee, local artisanal groceries, fresh-baked breads and wholesome take-home meals in a space that transforms into a homey supper club by night. Olexy and Starr opened The Love in Rittenhouse Square in 2017.  

No matter where you’re dining, don’t be surprised if you catch Olexy tableside, rhapsodizing about her newest cheeses to groups of enchanted diners. “I work a lot and I love it,” says Olexy. “My work is who I am — and that is the only way I know to live.”