Les Dames D’Escoffier Philadelphia will host its 2025 Heritage Dinner on Sunday, Sept. 28, at Bartram’s Garden. The open-air dinner will bring together more than two dozen of the region’s top chefs, bakers, and restaurateurs for a shared meal that celebrates women in the culinary field and raises money for scholarships supporting the next generation of female culinary professionals.
Celebrating exceptional women
During the evening, guests will toast this year’s Outstanding in Her Field award winners: Lisa Calvo, oyster farmer and owner of Sweet Amalia Oyster Farm and Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen; Melissa McGrath, chef and partner at Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen; and Valerie Erwin, longtime Philadelphia chef and social justice activist.
“Lisa Calvo, Valerie Erwin, and Melissa McGrath crafted their careers by very different paths and, on the surface, are very different people,” said Lynn Buono, co-president of Les Dames Philadelphia. “What is important is what unites them — amazing integrity, blazing work ethics, and a commitment to caring for the environment and their community.”
A legendary lineup
Guests will enjoy a menu curated by acclaimed chefs including Bo Neidhardt, Tanesha Trippett, Joy Stocke, Susanna Foo, Lynn Buono, Eli Collins, Chris Nguyen, Angie Brown, Adam Diltz, Diana Widjojo, Chaz Brown, Ari Miller, April McGreger, Marie Stecher, Kate Honeyman and Beth DeBruyn. Pastry offerings will be prepared by Hadley DeBruyn.
A raw bar will feature Sweet Amalia Oysters, shucked by Gary McGready of G-Shucks & Co and Philadelphia Oyster House. Students from the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College will assist with preparations and service, providing a hands-on educational experience.
And the honorees are…
This year’s Outstanding in Her Field award winners include Lisa Calvo, a marine biologist turned oyster farmer, who co-founded Sweet Amalia Market and Kitchen, bringing tide-to-table oysters to Philadelphia and the Jersey Shore. The Market was lauded as one of Esquire Magazine’s best new restaurants in America 2022, made Philadelphia Magazine and Philadelphia Inquirer top restaurant lists in 2021 and 2022, and New York Times America’s Best Restaurants 2024.
Valerie Erwin, a chef and social justice activist, previously owned Geechee Girl Rice Café, highlighting fare of the Low Country— the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Erwin managed EAT Café, a pay-what-you-can West Philadelphia restaurant, and now oversees Farm to Families, a produce access program of St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children. Erwin serves on the boards of Wyck, a historic house and farm in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, and The People’s Kitchen, a mutual aid kitchen.
Melissa McGrath, chef and partner at Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen, trained in California cuisine before returning to the Philadelphia region to lead acclaimed restaurants. Her work has earned recognition from Esquire, Craig Laban, and the New York Times, and she was a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic in 2022.
Supporting future culinary leaders
Proceeds from the Heritage Dinner will support Les Dames d’Escoffier International’s scholarship programs, aiding women pursuing careers in food, hospitality, beverage, and agriculture.
“Les Dames’ Heritage Dinner focuses on our mission of uplifting women in the culinary and hospitality fields,” finishes Buono. “Though there is much good work done by our chapter and honorees … on this night the communal meal and awards create a laser beam of attention on that mission.”
The 2025 Heritage Dinner will take place on Sunday, Sept. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard. Tickets start at $175 and are available at lesdamesphilly.org/events.
