Les Dames d’Escoffier Philadelphia will present one of the most celebrated culinary events of the year in the Philadelphia region.
The 2026 Outstanding in Her Field Heritage Dinner will return at a new venue to honor iconic women in food in the region.
This enchanting, open-air communal feast will take over Glen Foerd Sept. 13 with culinary delights from over two dozen top chefs and bakers.
“Les Dames’ Heritage Dinner focuses on our mission of uplifting women in the culinary and hospitality fields,” said Les Dames Philadelphia Co-President Lynn Buono. “Though there is much good work done by our chapter and honorees during the other 364 days of the year, on this night the communal meal and awards create a laser beam of attention on that mission. While we do raise scholarship and grant money, certainly, our primary goal is to promote even more activity in our drive to highlight and promote women who work with and about food.”
Women have always been integral to the development of restaurants, catering companies, farms and food production since Philadelphia was founded.
In order to honor this heritage, Les Dames d’Escoffier Philadelphia developed Outstanding In Her Field in 2016 to recognize Philadelphia-area women for their accomplishments in the food, beverage or hospitality industries. Past winners have included Claire Boasi, Susanna Foo, Aliza Green, Ann Karlen, Esther McManus, Kathleen Mulhern, Judy Wicks, Ellen Yin, Lisa Calvo, Melissa McGrath and Valerie Erwin.
This year’s winners are:
• Rose Levy Beranbaum is an internationally known food and baking expert. Beranbaum has published 15 books. The Cake Bible was inducted into both the IACP and James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame. Her memoir, Ma Vie en Rose, includes time capsules of the evolving golden age of the food world, interwoven with her career.
• Christopher Hirsheimer was founding editor of Saveur Magazine. She helped define a new kind of American food journalism and photography focused on the connections between food, place, memory, and culture. Melissa Hamilton later joined the magazine as test-kitchen director and food editor, further aligning their professional paths. Together they established Canal House in Lambertville, N.J. Through their Canal House Cooking series, photography, recipes, and later Canal House Station, in Milford, N.J., they developed a style rooted in the Delaware Valley: seasonal, unfussy, and attentive to the pleasures of farms, markets, kitchens, and shared meals. With their Canal House Studio, they continue to influence the culinary geography between Philadelphia and New York through the fertile corridor between them.
• Michele Leff is a visionary hospitality leader and the founder and principal of 12th Street Catering, one of Philadelphia’s most respected caterers. She began in 1982 with the opening of 12th Street Cantina in the Reading Terminal that has evolved into a dynamic catering company that does weddings, corporate events, galas and large scale events. All the while, Leff is always giving back to the community.
“Beranbaum, (of the “Cake Bible” fame), Hamilton and Hirsheimer (of the Canal House Station and Studio) and Leff (owner of 12th Street Catering), crafted their careers by very different paths and, on the surface, are very different people,” said Buono. “What is important is what unites them: amazing integrity, blazing work ethics, their contributions to the food world, and a commitment to caring for their community. When talking to the culinary world, they are all so respected and dare I say beloved.”
The meal will be served family style with each chef emphasizing the Sunday Dinner concept that the Canal House Studio authors, Hamilton and Hirsheimer promoted at the former restaurant. Each dish honors one of the award winners and shows the diversity of our area’s food culture.
The event will feature a grand cake and sweet table in honor of Beranbaum. Pastry chefs, bakeries and restaurants from across the tri-state region will contribute offerings for a once-in-a-lifetime spread,
Tickets and more information are available at lesdamesphilly.org/events.
Dining and Cooking