Thank you to everyone who came to Dish It Up and helped make it a smashing success!

We’re thankful for support from talented local female chefs and bakers, who brought great taste and exceptional flavor to the night!
 

Click to learn who participated in this year’s event:

 
• hosts
 
• chefs
 
• cupcake competitors
 
• beverage providers
 
• judges, and
 
• sponsors!

 

Images courtesy of Coleman Yunger Photography.
Click here for the full album!

 

Hosts Bill Henley, from NBC 10, and Jay McCarroll, renown fashion designer.

 

 

 

A night of excitement, entertainment and exquisite cuisine!

 

 

Purple Dish Award Winner Ann Jamavan, from Jasmine Rice, and Purple Cupcake Award Winner Kristen Piano, from Social Sweets with WAA Executive Director Jeannine Lisitski.

 

 

Bridget Foy.
Bridget Foy’s | 200 South Street

 

 

By Brooke Higgins.
Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse | 7500 State Road

 

 

Avocado crab cake, purple potato crisp, roasted beet risotto, with preseved lemon aioli. By Susan Schlisman.
Smokin Betty’s | 116 South 11th Street
 

 

 

 
 Thanks to the wonderful chefs who made the night possible!

 

 

 

A Starry Night, purple-themed cocktail of the night. By Katie Loeb.

 

 

Craft beer supplied by Dock Street Brewery.
Dock Street Brewery Company | 701 South 50th Street

 

 

Congratulations to the Purple Style award winner, Karis Yusavitz!

 

 

Special thanks to our sponsors!

 

Media Sponsor: 

 

Gold Wisk
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

 

Silver Platter
Milton and Beatrice Wind Foundation
Sherick Project Management
Julie Mostov
Brendan Smith

 

 

 

Event Information

March 22, 2012 | 5:30-8:30 PM

Moore College of Art and Design

 

Live from the purple carpet… Jay McCarroll!

Fashion designer and winner of the inaugural season of Project Runway.

Jay McCarroll is a fashion designer who is internationally recognized for winning the inaugural season of the Emmy nominated competitive reality television show, Project Runway.  Jay studied fashion design at the former Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Philadelphia University, where he currently teaches. He also studied at the London College of Fashion.

Fabric, color, pattern, and texture are among the great loves of Jay’s life. According to Jay the greatest part of his job is manipulating those elements into functioning products for people to use and enjoy. Jay finds inspiration for his work in many different things. He’s always been drawn to the vastness and the beauty of nature and is also fascinated by how other humans utilize nature so industriously.

Jay recently launched his new website, Jay McCarroll Online, which contains information about Jay, his product lines, and an online store for the Jay McCarroll Label.

 

 

 

Meet this year’s talented chefs!

 

Ann Jamavan, Jasmine Rice

Chef Ann Jamavan was born in the south of Thailand and raised in Bangkok, where her passion for cooking and strong work ethic began as a child. While she earned her masters degree in political science, Ann worked in her family’s businesses, managing apartment buildings, a small restaurant and a bakery. Ann immigrated to the United States in 2010 and married her husband Tom Jamavan. Ann and Tom had a dream to open a restaurant where they could combine the traditional tastes of their homeland with their original creative culinary twists. Their dream came true when they opened a small Thai Restaurant, Jasmine Rice in Rittenhouse Square in September 2011. It is a family business that is a labor of love with a commitment to providing their customers with delicious, healthy meals in a relaxing atmosphere at reasonable prices.
   

Effie Bouikidis, Effie’s Greek Restaurant
When Effie opened her restaurant, it was a family affair – dad found the location, and mom was head chef, introducing Center City to magical recipes straight from Macedonia, Greece. Twelve years later, Effie’s still serves up delicious baklava and moussaka that Zagats calls ‘to die for.’

 

   

Francesca Kauffman and chef Franca DiRenzo, Tre Scalini

Tre Scalini is an Italian BYOB built on a culinary tradition handed down through generations. Chef Franca DiRenzo and her daughter Francesca Kauffman currently operate the Passyunk area restaurant. DiRenzo, who is from the Molise region on Italy’s central Adriatic coast, reveals the secret to her success: “Whatever I do, it’s the way my mother taught me.”

 

Susan Schlisman, Devil’s Alley / Smokin’ Betty’s

Susan Schlisman, owner and operator of the Sam’s Grills in Wynnewood and Jenkintown, also operates the popular Devil’s Alley and Smokin’ Betty’s restaurants in Center City. At Devil’s Alley, Schlisman focuses on clever cocktails and comfort pub food, often with an exotic twist. Smokin’ Betty’s offers bar bites, barbequed meats and an extensive selection of beers on tap.

 

Ali Waks, AHW Consulting

As Chef at Delicatessen, Ali Waks cooked the food of her childhood, bringing the tastes and smells of her family’s kitchens to life. Now in this new chapter she is focused on developing recipes for an upcoming writing project and teaching custom cooking classes.

A passionate home cook, Ali translated this love for all things edible in to a career in and around the restaurant business. Ali was the Owner of Bella, an American Bistro a short lived though valiant effort. The restaurant, named for her paternal grandmother focused on local seasonal product. After closing Bella, Ali worked at Tria, delving into the fabulous world of cheese, until joining up with the gang from The Smoked Joint, A Barbecue Experience for whom she worked from the beginning, focusing on promotions & public relations.

Ali’s recipes has been featured in The Jewish Exponent, The Faster Times, NBC 10! Show, and Food52, where she has received numerous editors picks. Amanda Hesser & Merrill Stubbs will feature three of her recipes in an upcoming book.  

 

Rachel Klein, Miss Rachel’s Pantry

Rachel Klein is the owner/operator of Miss Rachel’s Pantry, a 4-year-old Philly-based vegan meal delivery and catering company serving up homestyle eats for weekly meals and special events. Blending eco-friendly sensibilities and all things adorably kitsch, her sustainable company offers mom-and-pop-style attention evocative of years past. When she’s not cooking, planning weddings and delivering food like a cab driver, she’s scheming ways to open a cat sanctuary in her South Philly neighborhood.

 

Brooke Higgins, Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse

Brooke Higgins grew up in Northeast Philadelphia in a foodie family. On Saturday afternoons, her dad would take everyone to the Italian Market to experience the flavors of cheeses from around the world, fresh seafood, and top grade meats.Brooke loved these trips, and after graduating from Indiana University of PA, she moved to Colorado and began her culinary career. There she met her husband Jim, and the culinary couple fell in love while cooking together in the kitchen. They moved to Hyde Park, NY where Brooke attended the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and graduated with Honors and a degree in Culinary Arts. The couple moved to Boston, and Brooke worked under the acclaimed Todd English at Olives Restaurant. With Brooke and Jim’s hectic schedules, they missed cooking together. In 1999, they returned to the kitchen together and started Food Matters, a personal chef and catering company. There they cooked for Boston’s top socialites. In 2002, Jim’s long-time craving for BBQ began to grow, and Brooke wanted to return to her family in Philadelphia. They packed their bags and moved back to Brooke’s hometown to open a BBQ restaurant.
  

Bridget Foy, Bridget Foys

Bridget Foy is co-owner of the eponymous restaurant Bridget Foy’s at 2nd & South Sts along with her parents, John & Bernadette Foy. A graduate of the renowned restaurant and culinary school, Johnson & Wales in Providence Rhode Island, Bridget got her feet wet in the hospitality industry at the tender age of 7! Helping out one unexpectedly busy lunch with hostess duty, Bridget was hooked on hospitality. After working her way up the ranks at her family’s restaurant, Bridget decided the restaurant business was for her. After college, Bridget worked at Dos Camino Soho and ‘Inoteca in New York City. Several years later, she returned home to Philadelphia to take over the management of the family business. Bridget develops menu concepts, orchestrates private parties, puts together beverage lists and a myriad of other tasks at the restaurant. She has appeared on numerous TV food programs.

Meet the cupcake competitors

Kylie Tsai, Cups & Chairs Tea Cafe

Kylie Tsai left her career as an IT specialist to open Cups & Chairs Tea Café in Queen Village.  Growing up drinking ooglong and black teas at home and in the many cafes of Taiwan, Kylie knew she wanted to experience the same pleasure of quality tea preparation in the US.  After years of research and preparation, she finally found the right opportunity to open a café here in Philadelphia.  A year and a half ago, Kylie started offering the neighborhood over 50 types of loose leaf teas from around the world, specialty tea drinks, coffee, and of course, freshly prepared baked goods.  Her customers love to sample the quality teas and creative tea drinks, along with fresh red velvet and green tea cupcakes, muffins, and pastries.

 

Kristen Piano, Social Sweets

Kristen is the creator and pastry chef behind Social Sweets. Social Sweets is a specialty and custom cake business that creates cakes that range from classic to unique. In addition to being the force behind Social Sweets, Kristen is also currently the pastry chef at the Capital Grille and Chick’s Cafe and Wine Bar, where she is responsible for both restaurants’ dessert menus. Kristen has a Bachelors Degree in English and an Associates Degree in Pastry Arts. Social Sweets is her true passion.

Cinda Blake, Lil Miss Cupkakes

Tucked away in a lil shop off of South Street in the City of Brotherly Love is where you will find Lil Miss Cupkakes. We start every morning baking our Cupcakes daily from scratch with the use of fresh ingredients such as unbleached flour, pure extracts, fresh fruits and unsalted butter to create our delectable Cupcake and creamy Frostings. We take pride in every aspect of our Cupcakes and want you to taste it in every bite. Our labor of love keeps our customers coming back time and time again. Simply put, our Cupcakes are the real deal!!!

 

 

Purple Drink: 

Katie Loeb

Enjoy this year’s purple cocktail “A Starry Night" created by Katie Loeb; courtesy of Belvedere Restaurant Group and featuring Penn 1681 Vodka donated by Philadelphia Distilling. Cocktail volunteers provided by Nella Genovese, MG Real Estate Group.

 

Rosemarie Certo, Dock Street Brewery Company

In pursuit of hoppiness….. Dock Street Brewing Company, founded in 1985, was the first microbrewery in the City of Brotherly Love and one of the first in the country. Dock Street continues to be a pioneer in the American Microbrew Revolution by constantly striving for innovation and pushing the boundaries of the craft brewing movement. Dock Street’s artisanal beers have been the recipients of many major awards and remains committed to the constant pursuit of hoppiness. Once a revolutionary, always a revolutionary!

 

 

 

Meet the judges!

Maria Valetta | Food writer, Weekly Press/University City Review and former host of the online food show ‘The Philly Dish’

Maria Valetta is the author and creator of the blog SipsBitesandSites, a flavorful destination for discovering wine, food and travel. Her epicurean interests led her to host ‘The Philly Dish’, the highly viewed online food and restaurant show that was featured on Philly.com, the most trafficked website in the Philadelphia region. Prior to that she was recruited by Philly.com to be the co-host of their original wine show ‘Philly Uncorked’.

 

Drew Lazor | Food writer, City Paper

A 2006 graduate of La Salle University, Drew Lazor is currently the food editor at the Philadelphia City Paper, overseeing the alt-weekly’s dining coverage and running its food and drink blog, Meal Ticket. In addition to his work with CP, Drew contributes writing to Saveur and Zagat and has appeared on Food Network and Travel Channel. He won national first-place honors for food writing in the 2011 AltWeekly Awards.

Collin Flatt | Editor, Eater.com

Marcie Turney | Winner of 2010 Purple Dish Award (Barbuzzo/Lolita/Jamonera)