We Is
“ It is the livingness in art that makes it art. Form, style, structure, craftsmanship, are of the highest degree of importance to the creative mind in man, for meaningful ideas have nothing to say to the man who has not mastered the tools of his trade.”
- Fela Sowande
Omar Tate
Founder of Honeysuckle
Omar Tate is a Philadelphia rooted artist and chef. Omar has worked fifteen years in the restaurant industry in some of the best restaurants in New York City and Philadelphia. During his time as a cook he found that the lack of diversity and representation of African Americans and other people of color to be unbalanced both in the kitchen and on the plate. In a profession where the product is a direct representation of cultures from around the globe Omar found that modern aesthetics of Black American culture to be severely limited , if not non-existent. In the spring of 2017 he decided to tackle this unbalance by diving into his experience as a self taught artist and writer to broaden the scope of his work.
Through travel and research Omar developed a unique perspective on approaching cuisine through the lens of contemporary Black America. As a result of his study Omar launched Honeysuckle Pop Up as a traveling dining concept in the winter of 2018. This concept uses food and art simultaneously as vehicles to explore several nuances of Black life and culture.
Honeysuckle has received critical acclaim not only as a food concept but also as a leading philosophy of the future of food thought in America. Partnered with his wife Cybille St.Aude-Tate, Omar is currently seeking funding to open Honeysuckle as a food focused community center in his neighborhood in West Philadelphia. You can find Omar’s work featured in The New York Times, Esquire Magazine, Okayplayer, Eater, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and other publications.
