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James Beard’s Taste America dinner is set for Philadelphia

The Nov. 2 dinner at the Rittenhouse will be overseen by chefs Nick Elmi, Jonathan Cichon, and a "visiting all-star chef" who has not been announced.

Chef Nick Elmi completing a squash salad at ITV, his bar on East Passyunk Avenue.
Chef Nick Elmi completing a squash salad at ITV, his bar on East Passyunk Avenue.Read moreDavid Swanson / Staff Photographer

The James Beard Foundation's Taste America series will stop in Philadelphia Nov. 2 and 3, and plans are shaping up for a collaborative dinner at the Rittenhouse Hotel featuring some of Philadelphia's top chefs as well as free events at the Sur La Table store in King of Prussia.

The foundation is taking Taste America on the road to 10 cities this fall to focus on its food-waste and sustainability initiatives. The events also are benefits for the foundation's scholarship programs.

The Nov. 2 dinner at the Rittenhouse will be overseen by Nick Elmi (Laurel, ITV, Royal Boucherie), host chef Jonathan Cichon (Lacroix at the Rittenhouse), and a "visiting all-star chef" who has not been announced.

Local chefs and restaurateurs — including Diana Widjojo (Hardena), Eli Kulp and John Patterson (Fork), Joey Baldino (Palizzi Social Club, Zeppoli), Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran (Barbuzzo), and Michael Loughlin (Scarpetta) — will collaborate on the cocktail reception.

Camille Cogswell (Zahav), Tova du Plessis (Essen Bakery), and the Rittenhouse's pastry shop will prepare the desserts. The after-party will be at Scarpetta, in the hotel.

Dinner tickets are $300 and $600 a head; after-party tickets are $50.

Nov. 3's events at Sur La Table in King of Prussia Mall will include a cooking demonstration by Elmi and the visiting all-star chef; book signings; tastings from local producers and artisans; and product demos and tastings from national sponsors. Reservations for the free cooking demos will begin Oct. 19 www.jamesbeard.org/taste-america.