South Orange - Maplewood Artists Headline Hat City Celebration

Hat City Kitchen marks three years with a show of local artists. The opening is Saturday, Feb. 2, from 5 - 7 p.m.

Familiar local faces include Terry Boddie, Bill Cofone, Porl Gordon, Kathleen Heron, Jody Leight, Robert Lach, Susan Lisbin, Mansa Mussa, Jeremy Moss, Robert Ramos, Lisa Suss , Heidi Sussman, Sylvia Boe Taylor, Elizabeth Winchester, Florence Weisz and Sybil Archibald among others. 

Hat City Kitchen opened early in 2010.  When nearby businesses closed in the late 1920s and took with them Orange's designation as hat-maker to the world, the factories remained. Between Orange's Highland Station and South Orange's Mountain Station, narrow streets are lined with homes, businesses that once served the hatters, and, now, a restaurant that is a collaboration of Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc. (HANDS) and Valley Arts. 

The agency targeted 100 art spaces as part of the Valley Arts project, including the site of Hat City Kitchen. The restaurant is owned by HANDS, and its profits return to the community in support of the Valley Arts District.

The address is 459 Valley Street at the corner of Forest in Orange. For info: www.hatcitykitchen.com.