Charisse McGill lands on Cherry Street Pier with her French toast bites

Charisse McGill has taken another step in her journey to becoming what she calls “the Auntie Anne of French toast.”

McGill and her company, Lokal Artisan Foods, have a permanent home, at Cherry Street Pier on the Delaware; initial hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday. On May 7, McGill will open for a second season at Spruce Street Harbor Park; effective that date, both stands will be open daily. McGill is the only Black woman-owned food operator at the sites.

Besides the French toast bites (regular and vegan), her menu includes French toast milkshakes and bacon on a stick. (Her company is Lokal, not low-cal, mind you.) She also sells spiced coffee, in a partnership with Obel Hernandez Sr.’s Bean2Bean roasters.

Like most businesspeople, McGill, 39, is recovering from an interesting year, as the pandemic clobbered her festival business, which included such high-profile venues as Piazza Pod Park, Made in America, South Street Spring Festival, and East Passyunk Flavors on the Avenue. Over the winter, she vended at City Hall’s Christmas Village, did pop-ups at Cherry Street Pier and the 700 Club, and turned her French toast spice into a popular ale created by Doylestown Brewing Co.

McGill, a former director of special events at Valley Forge Military Academy who organized the Lansdale Farmers’ Market, got into the French toast bites business in 2018 after quitting VFMA. With an investment from her now-15-year-old daughter, Madison, she opened a pop-up near City Hall during the holiday season. With the funds raised there, she invested back into her business and exploded in 2019 with the debut of her spice.

That led to stands at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Montgomery County, followed by the Bronx Night Market in New York, and a return to the holiday market. All the while, she taught entrepreneurship classes at Montgomery County Community College and pursued an MBA in food marketing at St. Joseph’s University.

She set up a takeout and delivery business out of the Northeast Philadelphia location of the Better Box, also a Black-owned food business. She became the first paid vendor on the Black and Mobile delivery service. McGill was one of 60 recipients of a grant from Black People Eats. She raised all of her funding goal through a community Kiva loan, and was awarded a Magic Johnson forgivable loan. McGill also won a grant from the Pennsylvania30 Day Fund.

She’s looking forward to the lifting of restrictions on outdoor events. “I just want to be where the people are,” she said.