When I worked at Sisters, I’d hear the usual grousing people do in this city and I’d always warn, “Philadelphia is one of the few cities with a lesbian bar open seven days a week with a bar and dance floor. Some day this might not be here and then you’ll wish you’d been more supportive!”
Well, since the day Sisters folded I’ve had people coming up to me lamenting the lack of spaces for women in Philadelphia and expressing their distress at the closing. It wouldn’t be very adult of me to say, “I told you so,” so I just shrug my shoulders and say, “What did I tell you?” Much better.
But shortly after Sisters shuttered, there were rumors of a new bar opening. A Facebook page popped up and we began to wait … and wait … and wait. Sadly the wheels of the powers that be in this city grind slowly for businesses and it took a little longer than anticipated, but finally the new bar, Toasted Walnut Bar & Kitchen, had its grand opening New Year’s weekend and people showed up in droves. Boasting split levels, the 3,800-square-foot club has three full-service bars, plenty of TVs for catching sporting events and an ever-expanding menu.
Happy hour starts at 4 p.m. and I stopped in for a ginger ale (I was working, after all) and a taste of the happy-hour food put together by this week’s Portrait, chef Diana Sabater. Many of you may have seen Sabater on your own tellies, as she beat the competition to become the winner on the popular Food Network show “Chopped.”
PGN: How did you get into cooking?
DS: When I was a kid, I would always watch the cooking shows with my mom. I especially looked forward to Saturday mornings and “The French Chef” with Julia Child. We’d take notes of whatever she made and afterwards we’d go to the supermarket, buy all the ingredients and come home and recreate the dish. Me, my mom and my two siblings lived in a one-bedroom apartment in the West Kensington part of North Philly. My mom was on a fixed income so she used food as a way to entertain us. My brother and sister preferred watching TV while she cooked but I loved being in the kitchen with her. Cooking was a creative outlet for me. Because of my mother’s love of cooking, I developed a diverse palate at a young age. We learned French cuisine, then Italian and Greek, all sorts of varieties of foods.
PGN: Do you remember the first major meal you cooked?
DS: Yes! It was beef bourguignon. It was one of the dishes that we watched Julia Child prepare. We were so excited, my mom went crazy getting all the ingredients together for me. It became a favorite Sunday meal.
PGN: I read your bio and you are quite the renaissance woman! You started cooking for enjoyment and then went to school for …
DS: [Laughs] I’ve been to school for everything under the sun!
PGN: I see that!
DS: I started off with my undergraduate in Latin American Studies at Temple. After that, I went to Manor College in Abington and got a post-baccalaureate paralegal certification in civil litigation. After that I went to the University of Phoenix to get my master’s degree in psychology. And in between I went to bartending school!
PGN: You didn’t know what you wanted be when you grew up!
DS: You know what, it was like I wanted to do everything. I’d have an interest in one thing and I’d do that, then I’d switch up and I’d want to try something else. But I’ve been able to use it all along the way. So it paid off. [Laughs] I got my money’s worth!
PGN: I’m sure. And you didn’t even mention your time in blue.
DS: Ah yes, I was also a police officer for 10 years. The psychology definitely came in handy there.
PGN: So let’s back up. What were you like in high school?
DS: Oh, I was always off in another world. Always thinking bigger, always dreaming, There’s got to be something more than what’s at this high school. My friends, the people close to me will tell you, “Diana would sit on the swings at the park and say, ‘Look at the sky, there’s got to be something better out there.’” I always wanted to find something bigger so I was always thinking, OK, what can I learn? What can I explore? And I’m still like that. I love learning and finding new things.
PGN: What was your first big excursion out of Kensington?
DS: I’d say it was the first time I went to Puerto Rico. It was a last-minute, spontaneous trip. As in, I woke up on a Friday morning and said to my mom, “I’ve never been to Puerto Rico, let’s go.” I had an uncle there who’d invited us to come. My mom said, “Definitely, let’s plan something soon,” and I said, “No, I mean today. Grab your stuff, we’re going!” My mom thought I was crazy but by six o’clock that night I was on a plane and it was the best weekend ever. We traveled the whole island, anywhere and everywhere, and ate our way through from coast to coast. And drank, and ate — real food from little stands on the road where they made chicharrón and empanadas and small restaurants for the best seafood ever. We barely slept!
PGN: What made you decide to get your degree in Latin American Studies?
DS: I had a need to understand my culture better and the idea was to come back to the Hispanic community and give back. I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish so I designed my major so that most of my classes were in Spanish to help me learn it thoroughly. Understanding my background helped me to become more grounded. I loved it. It’s funny, before I even thought about becoming a chef, any time I had to do a paper or presentation in school, I always seemed to do it on food. I’d talk about a specific culture, do a PowerPoint show and then bring in a dish to complete the presentation. I guess I’ve always gravitated to food no matter what I was doing. I’m always in the kitchen and I never get tired of it.
PGN: What was something surprising that you learned?
DS: A lot of my studies covered African religion in the Caribbean. I studied Voodoo and Santeria and Candomblé and it was very interesting, learning about how the African slaves ended up in the Caribbean, which is why we have such a variety of people — dark-skinned, light-skinned, my complexion. It all intrigued me and I began to study my family history. I found out that on my grandmom’s side, they’re from Spain. She’s fair with green eyes and on my grandfather’s side, his parents were African. It was such a good feeling to learn where you come from. On my dad’s side, it turns out there are a couple of chefs too, so maybe it’s genetics that brought me to the kitchen. My father’s an amazing musician; he plays and composes and works with a lot of other musicians and bands.
PGN: How did you end up in the police force?
DS: After Temple I wanted to become a special agent for the FBI. I thought maybe I could get a job traveling to Latin American countries. I didn’t pass the test so someone suggested I join the police department to get some law-enforcement experience and then I could reapply.
PGN: What were the best and worse parts of being a cop?
DS: The best part was helping people. I remember times when trying to get help was like “Mission Impossible,” so as a cop, I would go out of my way to help others. You run into different situations but it doesn’t take much to be kind to someone. The challenging part was not being appreciated for what I was bringing to the department: the fact that I’m bilingual, the fact that I had a college degree, those things are important in doing a job effectively. But being a minority female in the police department, you don’t get respect and that was hard to rise above. I got to a point where I finally said, “OK, I think my time is done here.” Trust me, it taught me a lot of lessons. I had to learn to value myself when others didn’t. And to take chances; don’t let the conventional things like a steady paycheck and pension benefits keep you from going for your dreams. At the end of the day, they don’t matter if you’re not happy. Doing what I’m doing now, working here as a chef with people who value and appreciate me, is amazing. Having a boss who says, “I see so much in you and I’m going to give you a chance to run my kitchen” lets me know I made the right decision.
PGN: And now you’re a straight mom who works in a lesbian bar.
DS: Yes! It’s great. I may not be a “member” of the LGBT community, but I am a supporter and grateful to be accepted as an ally. This is a community of strong women who are forward-thinking. That means that I can grow in this environment and I’m able to be my true authentic self, which is a free-spirited creative individual. [Laughs] I’m a member of a team, which is part of the LGBT community, so I’m a member by extension.
PGN: That’s what we call an honorary lesbian. Are you ready to get hit on? I already had a friend mention that the new chef was hot.
DS: [Laughs] I can handle it! I used to bartend at a Colombian nightclub and I’d always get hit on by women there. At first I was like, “Oh wow. That’s happening, OK then.” It’s no big deal. I’m so excited to be in this positive environment. In my previous career, I was not allowed to grow and evolve despite what was on my résumé. But Denise looked at my résumé and all my work and education experience and decided that I would fit right in here. It’s nice to work for someone who sees you as an asset instead of a number.
PGN: Will you be doing a Sunday brunch?
DS: Oh yes, we’re working on it now.
PGN: How did you end up on “Chopped?”
DS: One day when I was struggling with the decision to leave the police force, I saw that “Chopped” was casting for a themed episode and they were looking for creative moms. “Chopped” is my favorite show — I watched it religiously — and jokingly I said that I was going to apply for it. But then I decided to do it for real. They brought me in for an audition and I got picked out of 1,000 applicants. It was exciting until the day that we began to film. I was so scared and stressed, I couldn’t believe that I was actually on the show. And then I found out that two of my competitors had both gone to culinary school! I thought, I’m done! You really don’t know what you’re making until they start that clock and you open up the basket. I just became inspired to Latinize every dish. I figured I’d stick to what I knew best. I wanted to tell a story to the judges through my food and they liked it.
PGN: Nice.
DS: Yeah, so after that I decided to leave the police department and started working as a private chef.
PGN: What can we look forward to seeing on the Toasted menu?
DS: There will be a variety of things. Latin food is my specialty but I like studying other cuisines. We currently have everything from Vietnamese hoagies to beef sliders to empanadas. I’ve become known for them and even cooked them for Jennifer Lopez.
PGN: What?!
DS: Yes, I got the job through Scott Conant, who was one of the judges. He’s a great person who loves to see people do well. One day he called me and said, “I have a major celebrity who is looking for a chef to cook dinner for a night.” He didn’t tell me who but I got a call and they told me that Scott told them my story, that I was a cop and specialized in Latin food and could I come to New York and have dinner ready by 7 p.m. for J-Lo. I was like, “What? Jenifer Lopez? I can’t cook for her! Me? Are you sure?” They assured me that she was going to love it so I flew out of there and went shopping and zoomed up to New York and did my thing. She loved it and her twins were hanging out with their little kitchen tools helping me make dessert. The dinner was at Loren Ridinger’s apartment, which was absolutely beautiful. She’s the jewelry and fashion maven who you see palling around with Kim Kardashian, etc.
PGN: Biggest catering disaster?
DS: It was probably that night. I’d parked my car as instructed in front of the building. When I came down it was gone and I was standing there going, “Oh my God! Where is my car?” I guess the doorman who was on duty when I came in forgot to tell the next guy and they towed my car. Thank God Loren was so sweet. She said to her assistant, “Give her whatever it costs to get the car out and have my driver take her to the impound lot. Don’t let him leave until she’s inside her car and safely on her way home.” That was really cool of her, but it made for a long night.
PGN: Tell me about your kids.
DS: There’s Danielle, who’s 23 and just got licensed for cosmetology; she loves doing hair and makeup. And my son Gerardo, who’s 21. He’s an artist, a graphic-design major at the Art Institute in New York. He wants to be a tattoo artist. They are both amazing artists in their chosen crafts. I’m proud that they’ve both pursued something that they’re passionate about. I always believed find something that you love and the money will follow.
PGN: Other interests?
DS: Well, I’m acting in a web series called “The Book of Nimrod,” which is exciting. My sister plays my mother in the series and my nephew has a role too. He plays the main character in flashbacks. It has a story arc with members of the LGBT community.
PGN: Who would you contact at a séance?
DS: Prince. I’m so sad he’s gone.
PGN: What actress would you do a love scene with?
DS: Salma Hayek.
PGN: [Laughs] You’d have to fight me first!
Writer’s note: OK folks, we have a new LGBT club in the ’Hood. Let’s get out there and support it. Go to events there, have events there, stop in for a bite during happy hour, bring your friends. I don’t want to have to not say “I told you so” again.
For more information about Toasted Walnut, visit https://www.facebook.com/toastedwalnutphiladelphia/.
To suggest a community member for Family Portrait, email [email protected].