Aiyah
1809 Fairmount Avenue, Pennsylvania 19130Do we have to eat and cook “like a man” to have our appetites taken seriously? Or can we eat and cook in a way that is true to ourselves, that roots us in the places we’ve called home, and that helps define our politics and ethics?
Alicia Kennedy (No Meat Required) explores these questions and more with her new memoir, On Eating: The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites. Through her story, she celebrates desire while challenging each of us to consider our own relationship with food and how our need to eat—to live—impacts the world. Join us in the garden at Aiyah (1809 Fairmount Ave) for a thought-provoking conversation with Kennedy and local writer Mindy Isser, and a lively celebration of On Eating.
Guests may choose a ticket with or without a copy of the book. Prices are inclusive of light refreshments and fees. This is an outdoor venue with uneven terrain; ramp access to the garden is available on Shirley Street between Fairmount Ave and Francis Street. Please contact us at hello@bindingagentsphilly.com with any questions or accessibility needs; we'd be happy to help.
About On Eating
As a girl, I ate like a king.
So begins beloved author and journalist Alicia Kennedy’s captivating new book. On Eating:The Making and Unmaking of My Appetites is a deeply personal work about being a girl who loved to eat but worried that cooking could derail her life. Would it mean ceaseless domesticity and service?
From eating her grandma’s lamb chops and picking apples with her mom on Long Island, to an interest in chocolate leading her to open a vegan microbakery and mushroom reporting in Puerto Rico steering her toward the love of her life, Kennedy has always been guided by curiosity and a hunger for flavor and experience. On Eating teaches us that we don’t have to choose between what is delicious and what can sustain our planet and ourselves. But it’s also about the deep hunger of loss, grief, families, and the stories we tell each other in order to survive.
About Alicia Kennedy
Alicia Kennedy is a writer from New York based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her weekly newsletter on food culture, politics, and media, “From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy,” has been mentioned by The New York Times, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Magazine, W, Food52, Coveteur, and Vogue Australia. Her writing has appeared in Eater, British Vogue, The Guardian, and Harper’s Bazaar. Kennedy has appeared on Good Morning America, the BBC World Service, and many more radio shows and podcasts to talk about issues of food media, culture, and meat consumption. Her previous book No Meat Required is a bestselling culinary and cultural history of plant-based eating in the United States that delves into the subcultures and politics that have defined alternative food.
About Mindy Isser
Mindy Isser is a life-long Philadelphian. She works in the labor movement and writes a newsletter about culture, labor, and politics. Her writing can also be found in Jacobin, In These Times, The Nation, Slate, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She's a pescetarian and thinks about it a lot.
About Aiyah
Nestled in the beautiful neighborhood of Fairmount, Philadelphia, Aiyah is a celebration of stories, design, and community with objects meticulously and thoughtfully curated to resonate with your own story. The idea that thoughtful and intentional objects can not only help us connect with the authentic parts of ourselves, but also help us move through our spaces and life more broadly with comfort and ease is what moved us to create Aiyah.
Our founder, Rachael Compton, embarked on her journey as a jeweler, crafting a handmade line known as by ren. Through her practice as an artisan, she discovered the profound ability of objects to reshape our internal and external spaces. This realization inspired her vision: a place where curated jewelry, homewares, and accessories intertwine, weaving a rich tapestry of stories, each piece resonating with its own artistry and significance.
Woman owned and operated, Aiyah serves to be a safe space for the community we have built and love in the city that shaped us, Philadelphia.
Fri, Apr 17, 2026 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Aiyah
1809 Fairmount Avenue, Pennsylvania 19130
Binding Agents is Philly's bookshop for cooks and eaters. Located in South Philly’s culinary epicenter, the 9th Street Italian Market, we’re your go-to source for new cookbooks and food-focused reads, plus gifts and goods for making, serving and enjoying. We’re independent, women-owned, fun & funky. Learn more at bindingagentsphilly.com.
Find more Binding Agents Events