The Birthplace of our Chef of the Month, Chef Brian Rutherford

May’s Chef of the Month, Chef Brian Rutherford was born in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is close to Philadelphia, just an hour away and 1½ hours from New York. This town has a vibrant cultural history with a thriving arts community.

According to Doylestown Township, “the name “Doylestown” was apparently derived from the innkeeper William Doyle who obtained a license to keep a public house in 1745 known as “Doyle’s Tavern”. This building, once the Fountain House and currently a Starbucks, is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Main and State streets in Doylestown Borough. From its earliest days as an unnamed colonial wilderness, Doylestown grew along with America into a quiet country town. In 1792, a stagecoach route sprang up along the Philadelphia-Easton Road (now Main Street), and Doylestown remained a stopover along the route.Because of its geographic location, Bucks County became the crossroads of the American Revolution.”

Population: 8,365 according to the U.S Census Bureau 2013 estimate

Interesting Facts about Pennsylvania taken from 50states.com

1. Pennsylvania is the only original colony not bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.
2. Pennsylvania is the first state of the fifty United States to list their web site URL on a license plate.
3. In 1909 the first baseball stadium was built in Pittsburgh.
4. In 1913 the first automobile service station opened in Pittsburgh.
5. Bob Hoffman of York is hailed the world round as the Father of Weightlifting. Hoffman started York Barbell Corp. in 1932 and preached the gospel of physical fitness throughout his life as an U.S. Olympic coach, businessman and philanthropist.
6. In Hazleton, there is a law on the books that prohibits a person from sipping a carbonated drink while lecturing students in a school auditorium.
7. Penn Township, officially referred to as the Township of Penn, was named after the founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn.

Museums and Attractions:

Fonthill Museum
Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
Bryn Athyn Cathedral
Kid’s Castle
Natural Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa
Michener Art Museum

Fonthill Museum

Who else is from Doylestown?

Pink – Pop rock star

James A. Michener – author of Tales of the South Pacific, Hawaii, The Drifters

William Edgar Geil – author and first person to traverse entire path of the Great Wall of China

Oscar Hammerstein II – songwriter, producer, director

Pearl Buck – nobel Prize winning author

Margaret Mead – anthropologist

Christian Bauman – novelist and NPR commentator

Alan Campbell – actor and author

Stefan Avalos – motion picture director

Mike Senica – NASCAR and ARCA Series Race Driver

Mike Pettine – Cleveland Browns Head Coach

The next time you are in Pennsylvania, check out Trip Advisor’s Top 10 Most Recommended Restaurants:

Honey

Hickory Chicken

Best Taste of India II

Cross Culture

Quinoa Peruvian & Mexican Restaurant

Nonno’s

Ooka

The Zen Den

Cross Keys Diner

Have anything else to add? Leave a comment below! We’d love to hear from you!