On Thursday, September 26th the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) will host our annual premier culinary fundraiser, Main Course, at Cescaphe’s newest venue, The Switch House. In partnership with MANNA, Chef Chairs Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club – named Food & Wine’s 2023 Best New Chef — and Alex Kemp of My Loup –2024 James Beard Award Seminfinalist for Best New Restaurant — will bring together Philadelphia’s finest culinary talent, including several James Beard Award winners and semifinalists. This one-night-only event will provide guests with a top-tier offering of Philadelphia’s finest cuisine, all while benefiting MANNA’s work to provide medically tailored meals to those suffering from critical illnesses throughout Greater Philadelphia. The evening will feature a live auction, luxury raffle and a live performance from Philadelphia’s Most Legendary Drag Queen, Martha Graham Cracker.
“We’re so honored to co-chair MANNA’s 2024 Main Course event,” said Chef Chairs Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp. “Last year’s Main Course chef chairs, Chefs Omar Tate and Cybill St. Aude-Tate of Honeysuckle Provisions left huge shoes for us to fill. We’re beyond grateful to the incredible chefs who are contributing their time and energy to this year’s lineup.” Chefs from a dozen different restaurants will prepare and showcase unique dishes throughout the evening for guests to enjoy. Several of Philadelphia’s top chefs will be participating in this year’s Main Course, along with Chef Chairs Amanda Shulman (Her Place Supper Club) & Alex Kemp (My Loup), including Joey Baldino (Zeppoli), Melissa McGrath (Sweet Amalia), Marc Vetri and Matt Rodrigue (Fiorella), Jesse Ito (Royal Izakaya), Carlos Aparicio (El Chingon), Ian Graye (Pietramala), Dan Tsao (Emei), Randy Rucker (River Twice), Andrew DiTomo (Meetinghouse), Justine MacNeil (Fiore Fine Foods), Daniel Griffiths, Sam Kalkut and Jake Loeffler (Paffuto), as well as the MANNA and Cescaphe chefs.
“We’re so grateful to be partnering with renowned chefs and entertainers for an amazing evening that will benefit our mission of delivering nutritious meals and counseling to individuals battling critical illnesses,” said Sue Daugherty, MANNA’s CEO. “MANNA is very fortunate to have the incredible Philadelphia chef community, this year led by Chef Chairs Amanda and Alex, to help us shine a light on the power of food as medicine and bring further awareness to the importance of providing nutritious, medically tailored meals and counseling to our neighbors in need. We are also thrilled to welcome back Martha Graham Cracker — a champion of MANNA’s since our early days — for another showstopping performance.”
Main Course 2024 is co-chaired by MANNA Board member Jimmy Contreras and radio producer Marisa Magnatta. Sponsorship and table packages are available now at mannapa.org/maincourse24 or by emailing Kate Milicia (kmilicia@mannapa.org). Limited ticket sales will open on August 1.
Main Course 2024 is presented by Andréa W. & Kenneth C. Frazier Family Foundation. Main Course sponsors (as of 6/18) include: Cescaphe Black, John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Hamilton Lane, JPMorgan Chase, ChatterBlast, 20/20 Visual Media, Allan Schimmel, Bank of America, Independence Blue Cross, The Haverford Trust Company, Camden Apothecary, Martin and Monica Lupinetti, and McLaughlin Private Wealth.
