by Kevin Dicciani

The longest-serving college president in the Philadelphia area can now help you jumpstart your morning.

Poppy’s Café in Chestnut Hill recently unveiled the Sister Carol Jean Bean, a red velvet latte named in honor of Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D., the president of Chestnut Hill College. A press conference to mark the occasion was held on Apr. 26 in the Market at the Fareway. Sister Carol and members of Chestnut Hill College were in attendance alongside Ron Loux, the owner of Poppy’s Café, and Amanda Yoder, the manager of the café and Loux’s granddaughter.

After tasting the red velvet latte, Sister Carol said it perfectly encapsulates the essence of the College.

“It’s delicious,” she said. “Our colors are scarlet and gold and white, and this is scarlet and white — the gold is the taste.”

The Sister Carol Jean Bean is a chocolate-based drink suffused with hints of vanilla and cream and tinted with the same scarlet hue as the College’s signature color. The latte, available iced or hot, is made from organic, fair-trade beans that are fresh roasted in New Jersey.

Loux said he wanted to pay tribute to Sister Carol and the College because the school has been a vital part of the community for nearly 100 years.

“We thought it would be a fun way to honor Sister Carol, whose presence and outreach within the community over the years has been a constant,” Loux said. “It’s also a nice way to introduce community members to the college and acquaint students with the town, because the relationship between the two is important and beneficial to everybody.”

Coffee mugs and T-shirts were given out at the press conference that feature the Sister Carol Jean Bean logo. Both were produced by Neil Jacob, the owner of Neil’s Sharpening Service, a business located in the Market at the Fareway.

Sister Carol is the longest-serving college president in the Philadelphia area. During her 27-plus-year tenure as president, Chestnut Hill College went coed; purchased and renovated SugarLoaf and nearly doubled the size of its campus; became a NCAA Division II school in athletics; and added to the curricula its first doctoral program and several new majors. Sister Carol has also increased the number of international students at the school, which is part of her quest to make the College an institution of the world.

Poppy’s Café sells fresh, locally roasted coffee in a family friendly environment. Along with drip coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, teas, and nitro brew, the shop carries an assortment of baked goods, such as pound cake, donuts, and cookies.

Sister Carol said she was flattered to have one of the world’s most consumed beverages named after her.

"It’s enjoyed by so many people, from all socioeconomic classes, so I think that’s a pretty good thing to have named after you,” she said.

The Sister Carol Jean Bean is now available at Poppy’s Café in the Market at the Fareway, located at 8221 Germantown Ave. The café is open Thursday through Sunday.

For Poppy’s Café’s hours and more information, please visit www.marketatthefareway.com/poppys-cafe/.