What's Cooking on 1060: The Beauty Of Bread
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The first ever "Outstanding In Her Field" food event takes place on September 25. The honoree will be a woman who changed the way Philadelphia eats.
Lynn Buono, a member and past president of Les Dames d'Escoffier, an organization honoring women in the food industry, says Esther McManus will be honored at their inaugural "Outstanding in her field" dinner.
"Esther is really the perfect first person. She was part of the restaurant renaissance in Philadelphia. She was the mother of sort of the artisan bread movement in Philadelphia and she was one of the first chefs of a major hotel."
While she was telling me of her ex-husbands and her travels, McManus says there's one more enduring story in her life.
"Bread is my love story."
What's the beauty of bread and women?
"Magic happens when you put water and flour, and it happens all over the world. And usually women, because the women were the first ones to cook -- the men hunted -- and so every woman created something amazing with flour and water from the beginning of ages."
McManus recalls when she first learned to make baguettes, she sold them to George Perrier at Le Bec Fin and soon everyone was buying from her.
"Georges actually gave us kind of a passport."
She says former organization president Kathy Gold reached out to her to be the honoree, citing the DNC in Philly and Hillary Clinton receiving the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
"And she said to me, it has never been a year more important for women."
Tickets for the event are still available and can be found here.
Hear the full podcast (runs 15:38)…
And for this week, that's "What's Cooking on 1060!"
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