TV Restaurants

What Happened to Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe After Best Thing I Ever Ate?

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe has closed — confirmed via inquirer.com, January 15, 2021.

Primary source
inquirer.com ·
Secondary source
inquirer.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The Inquirer's obituary (2021-01-15) reports KeVen Parker's death, and a follow-up Inquirer report (2021-02-08) says Ms. Tootsie's and Parker's Soul Food Café closed following his death; Yelp's South Street listing continues to show the location as permanently closed.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

The Best Thing I Ever Ate's 'Fried Chicken' episode (Food Network) featured Ms. Tootsie's fried chicken, part of the restaurant's Southern soul food menu on South Street. Ms. Tootsie's was opened in 1999 by KeVen Parker, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's obituary of Parker, and it operated for more than two decades as a fixture of the South Street corridor in Philadelphia. The Inquirer reported on January 15, 2021, that Parker had died at age 57, and a follow-up Inquirer report on February 8, 2021, said Ms. Tootsie's and Parker's related Soul Food Café closed as his businesses regrouped following his death. Yelp's listing for the South Street address continues to mark the restaurant permanently closed, with no reopening announced by the Parker family.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 5, Episode 2
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Fried Chicken
What was featured
soul food fried chicken plate
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe

Frequently asked questions

Is Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe has closed — confirmed via inquirer.com, January 15, 2021.

What happened to Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

The Best Thing I Ever Ate's 'Fried Chicken' episode (Food Network) featured Ms. As of September 2026, Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe has closed — confirmed via inquirer.com, January 15, 2021.

Is Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe has closed — confirmed via inquirer.com, January 15, 2021. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe located?

1312 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe?

Season 5, Episode 2 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Fried Chicken”.

Is Ms. Tootsies Soul Food Cafe still using the Best Thing I Ever Ate menu or branding?

Tootsie's fried chicken, part of the restaurant's Southern soul food menu on South Street. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
1312 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • inquirer.com — https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/keven-parker-soul-food-ms-tootsies-reading-terminal-south-street-philadelphia-obituary-20210115.html
  • inquirer.com — https://www.inquirer.com/food/ms-tootsies-keven-parker-restaurants-closed-temporarily-20210208.html
  • phillyvoice.com — https://www.phillyvoice.com/keven-parker-soul-food-cafe-mr-toosties-philadelphia-restaurants/
  • Yelp — https://m.yelp.com/biz/ms-tootsies-rbl-philadelphia

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Record btiea-0411 · last verified .