On Yin, a fitted black tank and knit pants are the essence of elegant simplicity. She is as she appears: flexible, unflappable, generous - and, yes, happy.
This "Chinese girl from Central Jersey," as she describes herself, is credited with igniting the Old City restaurant scene.
Amada, Buddakan - none of the esteemed eateries that define Old City as a destination now were around a decade ago when Yin rode down Market Street on the Raleigh three-speed bike that was a gift from her father on her 11th birthday, searching for a suitable site for her dream bistro.
She picked a place within shouting distance of Pants Corner Plus and next to a Dollar Store, and succeeded in changing the way people in Philadelphia and beyond thought about the nascent neighborhood.
Now, to celebrate Fork's 10th anniversary, Yin and her business partner, wine specialist Roberto Sella, have published Forklore: Recipes and Tales From an American Bistro. It is a lushly photographed cookbook with recipes that represent the seasons as well as the regions of the world they've traveled.
"Ten years is such a big landmark and a wonderful achievement, with everything you have going against you," says Jose Garces, the chef/owner of Amada, which debuted in 2005.
Chef David Ansill, who was working across the street at Lucy's Hat Shop when Fork opened and now has his own highly regarded restaurant and wine bar, says Fork "was the first little-more-upscale restaurant in the neighborhood. And then all of a sudden Old City just started going crazy."
By 2000, Stephen Starr had opened Continental, Buddakan and Tangerine within a four-block radius in Old City.
"Ellen provided a stepping-stone for expanding the boundaries of Center City," Ansill said. "Opening a restaurant in general is a risky business. But Ellen seems to have vision. She knew what she was doing. It's always been a great place."
