Terence Feury, acclaimed chef of Fork in Old City Philadelphia for nearly four years, has announced his leaving in favor of a Head Chef/Partner position at Tavro 13, formerly Olde Swedes Inn.
A Jersey native (originally from Middletown Township in Monmouth County,) Feury studied at the Academy of Culinary Arts in Mays Landing, then moved to New York City to conquer some of the area’s most famous kitchens. The Waldorf Astoria and La Bernardin in New York City, as well as Striped Bass and Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia, are among Feury’s former places on employment.
“This guy is big time. He’s like the Michael Jordan of chefs. He’s one of the top chefs in the country. Feury is like the major league,” said Constantine “Gus” Tzitzifas, Tavro 13’s owner and Feury’s new partner.
Olde Swedes Inn has been a town landmark since 1771, and was a popular restaurant from 1979 until last year when Tzitzifas purchased and began renovating the property. The interior has been completely gutted, restructuring the plumbing and electrical systems and designing a fresh, new restaurant environment while holding onto pieces of Swedesboro’s rich history. Maintaining the exterior of the building has been one of Tzitzifas’ priorities since beginning construction. “The building is almost 250 years old. Why would you want to change that?” he said. “You want to keep that historic feel.”
Tavro 13’s renovations include a 33-foot bar with eight microbrews—including one Feury created with his brother called Fighting Feury—a lounge set up for live music performances, a formal dining room and rooms for private parties on the second floor.
Tzitzifas is dedicated to creating a dining location in Swedesboro unlike anything else in the area, which is why he chose Feury to lead in the kitchen. “Why drive to the city when you have a top chef and a top restaurant here?” he said. “He’s very respected in the field and his food is always consistent. We’re very excited.”
It seems as though Feury couldn’t be an more excited about this new partnership himself. “It’s a little tiny main street of a town, but it’s only 25 minutes from Center City and seems to be a thriving area,” Feury said. “I think we can provide a great space that people who live in the area can use in a lot of different ways and add a lot to the community down there.”
Tavro 13 is expected to be open by the end of August.