PHILADELPHIA, PA — A riverside lawn, more than two dozen chefs and bakers, a table full of cakes, and a shared meal honoring women who helped shape the region’s food culture will come together this September at Glen Foerd.
Les Dames d’Escoffier Philadelphia will host its 2026 Outstanding in Her Field Heritage Dinner on Sept. 13, bringing the annual celebration to the historic estate along the Delaware River for an open-air communal feast benefiting scholarships and grants for women pursuing careers in food, beverage, hospitality and agriculture.
This year’s honorees are baking authority and “The Cake Bible” author Rose Levy Beranbaum; Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, the founders of Canal House; and Michele Leff, founder and principal of Philadelphia-based 12th Street Catering.
The dinner will feature dishes from chefs including Joncarl Lachman, Adam Delosso, Chris Nguyễn, Valerie Erwin, Olga Sorzano, Angie Brown and Rachel Klein, along with a raw bar from Sweet Amalia Oysters and a sprawling dessert presentation honoring Beranbaum.
“Les Dames’ Heritage Dinner focuses on our mission of uplifting women in the culinary and hospitality fields,” Les Dames Philadelphia Co-President Lynn Buono said. “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.”
The event began in 2016 as a way to recognize women whose work has had an impact on food, beverage and hospitality across the Philadelphia region. Proceeds support the organization’s annual scholarship program.
Three Culinary Careers in the Spotlight
Beranbaum has spent decades changing how home bakers approach recipes through an emphasis on precision, ingredient science and technique. She is perhaps best known for popularizing the reverse-creaming method and for “The Cake Bible,” which was inducted into both the IACP and James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame.
Her newest book, the memoir “Ma Vie en Rose: My Sweet Life,” is scheduled to debut the same week as the dinner. A special $300 ticket package includes a personalized advance copy.
Hirsheimer and Hamilton are being honored for their work through Canal House, which grew out of careers in food journalism, photography, editing and recipe development. Together, they established Canal House in Lambertville, New Jersey, and developed a body of work centered on seasonal cooking, farms, markets and shared meals across the Delaware Valley.
Leff is being recognized for more than four decades in hospitality. She launched 12th Street Cantina in Reading Terminal Market in 1982 and went on to build 12th Street Catering into a major Philadelphia-area operation serving weddings, galas, corporate functions and large-scale events.
“Rose Levy Beranbaum, Melissa Hamilton Christopher Hirsheimer and Michele Leff crafted their careers by very different paths and, on the surface, are very different people,” Buono said. “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.”
A Menu Built Around the Honorees
The family-style dinner will lean on locally sourced ingredients and include vegan and gluten-free options.
Lachman will draw on his Dutch roots with herring and Amsterdam pickled vegetables, while Delosso will prepare 12th Street Cantina chicken mole with queso fresco, grilled scallion and Mexican rice in Leff’s honor.
Other planned dishes include seared salmon with chanterelle ragout, a Canal House recipe associated with Hirsheimer and Hamilton; Nguyễn’s plant-based Vietnamese vegetable root curry with French baguettes; beef tenderloin from Erwin; Sorzano’s Royal Corona bean salad with olive tapenade, celery and pickled onions; and Mediterranean grilled vegetables from Brown.
Students from the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College will assist with preparations and event service.
A Grand Cake Table for Rose Levy Beranbaum
Dessert will become an event of its own.
A Grand Cake Table sponsored by Fantes will honor Beranbaum with sweets contributed by bakeries, restaurants, pastry chefs and culinary programs from across the region.
Participants include Frosted Fox Cake Shop, Night Kitchen, Isgro’s, Sunflower Bakeshop, Walnut Hill College, New June, Neo Bakes, Diane’s La Patisserie, Roux Culinary, Drexel, 12th Street Catering and John & Kira’s Chocolates.
Night Kitchen is creating a special cake inspired by its connection to “The Cake Bible,” while Eclat will bring a chocolate cart featuring selections including Calvados Caramel, June Bugs and Yuzu Hojicha.
Franklin Fountain will serve ice cream, including honeycomb and vegan chocolate varieties, and Linvilla will provide apples accompanied by local honey and challah.
Event Details
- What: 2026 Outstanding in Her Field Heritage Dinner
- When: Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, from 4 to 7 p.m.
- Where: Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
- Cost/Tickets: Tickets start at $200; a $300 ticket includes preferred reserved seating, recognition in the program, and a personalized advance copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Ma Vie en Rose: My Sweet Life”
- More Info: lesdamesphilly.org/events/
For Les Dames d’Escoffier Philadelphia, the gathering is both a celebration and a fundraiser. The organization provides scholarships and entrepreneurial support for women pursuing education and careers across food, hospitality, beverage and agriculture.
More information about the scholarship program is available at lesdamesphilly.org/scholarships/.
At Glen Foerd, that mission will take the form of a long shared table — one filled with dishes inspired by the women being honored, prepared by some of the region’s best-known culinary professionals and served with an eye toward opening doors for the next generation.
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