Josh Kesler is a musician-turned-entrepreneur and the visionary behind some of Pennsylvania’s most community-defining projects. As the founder of The Millworks—a hybrid art collective, farm-to-table restaurant, and craft brewery—Josh has helped transform an underutilized urban neighborhood into a thriving hub for food, art and culture.
Josh was a recent guest on Forktales where he talked about the risks and rewards of betting on a neighborhood, how amenities can drive revitalization and how ramen, beer and creativity continue to fuel his work.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE MILLWORKS AND WHAT IS IT?
“Millworks is an art collective. We have 35 working artists and almost 20 studios. And then on the other side of the building is a restaurant. We have a beer garden on the roof, a brewery in the back. It’s in an old no-work factory built in the 20s. I walked into the building and it was like when you fall in love for the first time when you’re 13.”
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR FARM-TO-TABLE APPROACH AT MILLWORKS?
“A lot of restaurants in Philly and New York are pulling farm-to-table products from our area. I thought, why don’t we serve that product here, 10 miles from where it’s grown? It was a challenge in year one. We were driving around in trucks, picking stuff up—no infrastructure. But if we can work the costing and make it work on both sides, that’s a fun moment. I wear my beef supplier’s hat everywhere I go.”
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING ON THE MILLWORKS MENU—AND WHAT DO YOU DRINK WITH IT?
“The 16-hour ramen. I don’t think you can get a broth like this until Philly or New York City. Chicken feet, pig trotters. Very gelatinous, silky texture. It’s a flavor bomb. I’d drink our Mexican lager, the Que Bueno Bueno.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
“We’ve got one more coming online, a bar called High Dive. Cocktail-focused, but also a cool neighborhood bar. Right around the corner from Millworks. I think Midtown will really feel like a night out.”
