The Spot: Ms. Tootsie's

We always hear about the shiny, new restaurants. This is one in a series about the Philadelphia area's more established dining establishments and the people behind them.

As he was growing up in the West Philadelphia projects, Keven Parker learned to cook via telephone.

His mother, Joyce Parker, worked two jobs, so each night between shifts, she'd call her son and instruct him on what to prepare for dinner. Keven was learning from a master — Joyce's food was so good that she was considered the "community cook," and every Sunday what seemed like the whole housing project gathered at her house for supper.

Decades later, when guests at a church men's club fundraising breakfast wouldn't stop raving about the food he'd prepared, Parker at first brushed it off. But he'd enjoyed the event so much that he decided to try his hand at doing it professionally. Within two years, he quit his corporate position at Comcast and turned Simply Delicious Catering into a full-time job.

In 2000, he showed up at one of his favorite restaurants and found it closed. Even though it was on one of the seediest blocks of South Street, and even though he knew nothing about running a sit-down restaurant, Parker saw opportunity. He bought the building and opened an 18-seat BYOB. Named after his mother - known as "Ms. Tootsie" because of her lifelong love of Tootsie Rolls - the soul food restaurant was a hit.

Opportunity knocked again in 2005, when next door neighbor Henri David decided Parker's operation should expand and helped him buy the adjacent building. After a year's renovation, Ms. Tootsie's Restaurant Bar Lounge reopened with three dining rooms and a full bar.

In 2013, Parker found an even wider audience for his "feel good fast food" when he launched a Keven Parker Soul Food Cafe in Reading Terminal Market. He also bought a third building on the rapidly improving block (now home to NYC cult-favorite Big Gay Ice Cream and Kevin Sbraga's Juniper Commons) and turned it into a boutique hotel.

Now 50, Parker is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his original storefront with characteristic zeal. He's continuing to honor his mother (who died in 2011) with a monthlong campaign to give back to the community in various ways, and he's also planning a party. He took a few moments out of a typical 15-hour day to look back on his humble beginnings and describe how he built a respected brand out of nothing but drive - and a little bit of motherly love.

You learned to cook from your mother?

Yes. I grew up in a housing project in West Philly, and in the projects, every woman has something they're known for - it's like a village. You had one parent that took you to school, a parent that picked you up, somebody who watched you play on the monkey bars, somebody who took you to the corner store. My mother was the neighborhood cook. She really, really could cook. She learned it from her family - my grandfather was a great cook, my great-grandfather was a great cook.

And then you became a cook.

My mother was a single parent, and always worked two or three jobs. Starting when I was 7 years old, she would call me on her breaks and tell me what to take out of the refrigerator, how to prep the food, how to make the marinades, what to put in it, what to do. Turkey wings, macaroni and cheese, pot roasts, fried chicken. Everything. When you have humble beginnings, you learn early on.

So did you know you would eventually open a restaurant? 

No, I went to school - my mother and I both worked two jobs to put me through Drexel - and I got a job with Comcast. I was started out designing call centers, and then got into public relations and community affairs.

Why did you leave?

One year, to raise money for men's day at my church - the First African Baptist Church at 16th and Christian - I decided to host a breakfast. My mother and two of my friends and I cooked all this food. Shortly thereafter, my pastor called me and said, "Keven, all these people are asking me for your information - they want to hire you as a caterer."

So you started catering?

I decided to try it. I knew nothing about that business, so I went around and asked some restaurant people who were really notable at the time if I could work for them for free. But I didn't find anyone who would even consider it. No one was willing to help. Finally, I found someone through the Internet - a man named Mike Roman. He helped me and eventually I left Comcast and got into catering full time.

And the next step was a restaurant?

I didn't know it, but yes. What happened was, I used to come all the time to a restaurant in this building, where Ms. Tootsie's is now. It was called Mom's Soft Touch. One Sunday I came by and found it closed. Later I found out "Mom" - that's what everyone called here - had gotten very sick and died. Then her daughter tried to run the restaurant, and her son tried to run the restaurant, but it didn't work and the restaurant closed. So I said to myself, "Gosh, it's such a legacy, such a wonderful place, I wonder if I could open this up and pay homage to my mom."

How did you manage to buy the building? Did you get loans?

At that time, 20 years ago, you could get a building on South Street for around $18,000 or $25,000 - $30,000 would have been spending a lot. But the man who owned this building had been renting for 31 years, and he didn't want to sell. So he set the price at $67,000.

Now, my mother didn't want me to open a restaurant, because I was making great money and had a beautiful home. But I said, "Mom, what's the worst that could happen?" If it doesn't work, I'll get another job, I'm employable. Two weeks later, she gave me an envelope with a check. She gave me all of her 401k money.

So I put it with all of my 401k money, and we bought the building - at the exorbitant price. My mother didn't know I was going to name the restaurant after her until opening night, actually. And little did I know that all these years later, South Street would come together like this.

It used to be a bad area?

There were abandoned lots all over. You didn't walk on this block. You'd walk up to Lombard and then come back down - 13th and South was what they called the seediest block on the strip. Because you had the housing project behind us, you had the bar on the corner. Now, the crazy part is, this is the block to be in.

But people came for your food.

We would open at 4 p.m. and close at 11 p.m. and have a line outside, because it was only 18 seats. At one point, I had to close for a whole year, because the front of one of the buildings next to me collapsed, and when I opened back up, there was a line stretching down the street.

When did you get the idea to expand next door?

Nine years ago, Henri David came to me and said, "I want you to buy this building." I said, "Henri, I don't have that kind of money." He said, "Whatever money you have, we'll make it work." He took on the mortgage. He wanted me to have that building.

How did you end up with a stand at Reading Terminal Market?

I had been thinking about it even before this, but when Delilah's left, I didn't want that void. I wanted soul food to be represented in the market. You know, out of 89 merchants, there's only three African Americans. I just wanted the culture to be represented in the food.

Has your menu at Ms. Tootsie's changed, over the years?

Oh, yes. As I look around, and I see the demographics of my neighborhood change, the income bracket of my neighborhood change, the pulse of my neighborhood change - then I know we need to change as well. For instance, years ago we probably never would have done prosecco. Years ago, would not have done a lot of bourbon. Years ago we wouldn't have had as many salads.

What I've found is that not everyone embraces the word "soul," but they will embrace "comfort." When Paula Deen called "soul food" "comfort food," the world said it was OK to eat it now. We get people from all walks of life that come here. Everyone loves our fried chicken. Fried chicken is an American favorite. I don't care if you're purple, you want fried chicken.

Your fried chicken was even on the Food Network. How did that happen?

They were doing a search across the country for the best fried chicken. Each show host got to pick a favorite. And Robert Irvine had come here - I didn't even know who he was - and he said this was his pick. So the all judged all the places, and we won. It was just amazing. That was three years ago, but even now, when the reruns come on, we get an influx of people. The staff can tell when it ran, because everyone orders fried chicken.

Where does the recipe come from?

My mother. Actually, it's not even my mom's; it's my grandmother's. When people ask what's in it, I always say, "Imagine, if you can, being poor - you used what you had, and you made it work." Who would have thought it tastes amazing. I think it goes back to the love you put in it. That's why when I hire for my culinary team, it's not about the skill set. Because we can train anyone. It's all about the passion and love that they have for the food.

Ms. Tootsie's

1312 South St., 215-731-9045

Hours: 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday; 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to midnight Sunday