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Memorial service will be Friday for Charisse McGill, founder of Lokal Foods

Entrepreneur Charisse McGill, who died earlier this month, will be remembered Friday during a memorial service at St. Joseph's University.

Charisse McGill of Lokal Artisan Foods at Headhouse Farmers Market at Second and Lombard Streets on July 23, 2023, as she had been selected to head the Farmers Market Coalition.
Charisse McGill of Lokal Artisan Foods at Headhouse Farmers Market at Second and Lombard Streets on July 23, 2023, as she had been selected to head the Farmers Market Coalition.Read moreMichael Klein / Staff

A memorial service will be held Friday for Charisse McGill, the founder of Lokal Artisan Foods and its signature product, French Toast Bites, and executive director of the Farmers Market Coalition.

McGill, 42, who lived in Delaware County, died unexpectedly Jan. 15 of what her family described as natural causes.

Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. at the Chapel at St. Joseph’s University, 2525 Cardinal Ave. in Wynnefield. The memorial is due to begin at 11 a.m.

Organizers said parking is limited. Because of construction near the chapel, signs will direct mourners. The service will be streamed on the St. Joseph’s Campus Ministry YouTube page.

The family has asked for donations in McGill’s name to the Farmers Market Coalition, which is also helping to arrange a college fund for her daughter, Madison.

In 2018, McGill quit her job as director of special events at Valley Forge Military Academy to open her French Toast Bites food stand at Philadelphia City Hall’s Christmas Village.

The fluffy, spice-sprinkled treats became an instant staple of the market, along with her sunny personality and infectious energy. She aspired to be “the Auntie Anne of French Toast,” she told The Inquirer that winter.

» READ MORE: Charisse McGill's obituary

French Toast Bites’ debut was followed up by hundreds of appearances at special events such as the Roots Picnic, Made in America festival, and the Bronx Night Market. Demand soon led her to open permanent seasonal stands at Spruce Street Harbor Park — where she was the site’s first Black- and female-owned business — Cherry Street Pier, and Eastern State Penitentiary, and a year-round stand at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

By 2021, she had furthered the success of French Toast Bites with a branded spice mix, beer, and coffee, tapping collaborators along the way.

Last summer, she was named to lead the Farmers Market Coalition, which advocates on behalf of about 9,000 farmers markets and strengthens their place in communities. She had caught the coalition’s attention several months before during an appearance with her daughter on NBC’s Today show.

Inquirer reporter Jenn Ladd contributed to this article.