First-time visitors to 1149 South Ninth Street have been a bit confused of late: Depending on the day and time, the space might house a pop-up brunch or an art show, straddling definitions of a restaurant, events space, and art gallery. It’s actually all of those things, in what once was the home of El Compadre, the sibling restaurant to famous Philadelphia Mexican restaurant South Philly Barbacoa. But most crucially, 1149 is a worker-owned cooperative, and it’s precisely this ownership model that allows the space to be a restaurant, gallery, community space, and more.
The co-op at 1149 is focused on food and social justice. Ailbe Pascal, founder of Fikira Bakery, and Jena Harris, the creator of catering company Food Everyone Deserves, started the co-op after working together for a few years. “Both of us, having aligned missions, found collaborating exciting and fruitful,” explains Pascal. “I had worked in some co-ops before and [was] curious: What would it look like if we became a co-op?”
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