Ms Tootsie’s Restaurant Owner: Local Black Restaurant Pioneer Keven Parker Has Died At 57

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) – A pioneer of the black restaurant community died on Friday.

Keven Parker was the owner of Mrs. Tootsie’s restaurant on South Street and another location at Reading Terminal Market.

Parker was known for his soul food, and in particular his mac and cheese.

Last year, in an interview with Action News, he said he made “the best food in South Philadelphia.”

Former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith and Patti Labelle have sampled Parker’s winning cuisine.

Parker’s successful South Street restaurant name came in honor of his mother and her famous fondness for buns.

Parker was 57.