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July 31, 2018

Hungry Pigeon in Queen Village has a good problem with fresh eggs

Food & Drink Brunch
Hungry Pigeon Source/Hungry Pigeon

Hungry Pigeon is located at 743 S Fourth St. in the Queen Village neighborhood of Philadelphia.

When Hungry Pigeon quietly opened in Queen Village in January 2016, the farm-to-table brunch spot was on course to reach a level of popularity that can make keeping all ingredients locally sourced an added challenge.

Two and a half years later, owners Scott Schroeder and Pat O'Malley haven't let success change their commitment to surviving as a small business that supports local farms.

But they will admit that one of their ingredients arrives so fresh that it's become a bit of an issue for them.

In an interview this month with Food & Wine, Schroeder and O'Malley explained that the eggs they're getting from family co-op Lancaster Farm Fresh are almost too fresh to serve particular requests from customers properly.

“When you crack an egg, there’s the yolk, the white, and that little stringy thing is attached to shell,” Schroeder told the magazine . “It attaches to the shell wall so that the yolk stays in the middle. But when it’s super fresh, it’s so attached to the shell that when you crack it, it hangs on to the shell and rips the yolk, causing it to break.”

The problem is that this stringy substance, known as the chalaza, makes it difficult to pull off sunny-side-up and over-easy orders without breaking the yolk and looking like amateurs.

One possible option the owners are considering is finding the space to age some of the eggs they get from Lancaster Farm Fresh, giving the the kitchen more flexibility and cutting down on frustration with fresh eggs.

As the pair makes clear, they have no intention of changing how they operate and where they get their ingredients. It's hard to believe anyone would complain about meals like these.

Chorizo con papas! Sorta chorizo hash guys!! #neversaybrunch

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