LDEI ANNOUNCES 2025 LEGACY AWARD WINNERS
Les Dames d’Escoffier International Presents Six Women with Career-Transforming Experiences in Food, Beverage, and Hospitality
New York, NY (May 7, 2024) – Les Dames d’Escoffier International (Les Dames) and The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and Culinary Arts are proud to announce the 2025 LDEI Legacy Award Winners. The LDEI Legacy Awards are curated industry experiences designed specifically to enhance the careers of women in food, beverage, and hospitality. The winners are Kisha Washington, Carley Kammerer, Samantha Bonfiglio, Monique Karabach, Liu Fang, and Adeola Sokunbi.
The six outstanding individuals chosen for the Legacy Award exemplify excellence, innovation, and leadership in their respective areas of expertise. Their dedication to culinary arts, sustainable practices, community engagement, and education has left an indelible mark on the industry and inspired countless others.
"We’re so excited to announce the six incredible winners of the Legacy Awards this year,” says Stephanie Jaeger, President of Les Dames. "These women have immense passion, expertise, and commitment to excellence that inspire us all and reflect the core values of Les Dames."
St. Louis: Journalism Award
Kisha Washington
Chef Kisha Washington is a visionary culinary artist and mental health advocate transforming lives through food and purpose. As Executive Chef and Founder of TheKeyIngredient and the Cookzcreed Foundation, she combines culinary excellence with a mission to promote wellness in and beyond the kitchen. With a passion for mindful cooking, mentorship, and cultural storytelling, Kisha is recognized for elevating vegetarian cuisine and championing mental health in hospitality. Her accolades include being a 7-time Top 10 finalist at the World Food Championships, a James Beard Foundation Legacy Network Program Advisor Alum (23–24), and a two-time People’s Choice winner. Kisha also serves as a judge for MD ProStart and the National ProStart Invitational, and holds multiple certifications in suicide prevention and mental health crisis response. A published author and award-winning chef, Kisha brings heart, resilience, and authenticity to every plate, believing that food can nourish the body and the soul.
New England: Culinary Entrepreneurship Award
Carley Kammerer
Carley Kammerer is a licensed social worker with a decade of experience supporting youth experiencing homelessness. Her work has spanned roles including Case Manager, Street Outreach Worker, Shelter Worker, and Drop-in Advocate. In 2017, she co-founded Wildflyer Coffee in response to the barriers her clients faced in finding and maintaining employment. As CEO of Wildflyer Coffee, Carley leads organizational strategy, development, community engagement, and growth initiatives. Under her leadership, Wildflyer has earned several accolades, including the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award, the St. Paul Business Award, and the 2024 Mission Award for Innovation. Carley has been recognized as a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree, a Woman Venture Social Entrepreneur Award recipient, and a Sprudge 20 Honoree for her impact in social enterprise and advocacy.
Michigan: Zingerman’s: Culinary Hospitality Award
Samantha Bonfiglio
As Executive Pastry Chef at The Pier Sixty Collection, Samantha leads the pastry production team with expertise and creativity, crafting innovative menus that delight guests year after year. A 2010 graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Samantha launched her career at the historic Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank, NJ, where she discovered her passion for high-volume production. Driven to expand her horizons, she made the leap to New York City in 2014, joining Pier Sixty as a pastry cook. Over the next decade, her talent, dedication, and leadership propelled her through the ranks to her current role. Outside the kitchen, Samantha treasures quality time with her family, indulging her love for exploring new restaurants and cuisines.
Dallas: Culinary Education: Nutrition and Culinary Medicine Award
Monique Karabach
Monique Karabach is a passionate private chef, wellness advocate, and culinary educator dedicated to helping others reconnect with food as a source of joy, healing, and empowerment. With almost a decade of experience, she brings intention to every meal, infusing her work with creativity, compassion, and cultural depth. Through her online cooking club and coaching, Monique helps busy individuals nourish themselves and their families with ease and presence. She offers bespoke dinner and small event experiences, uniquely tailored to each client’s needs – one of the few chefs in the area providing this level of personalized service. As a mother, holistic chef, and collective visionary, she believes that food is one of the most powerful ways we care for ourselves and others. Monique was born and raised in Texas and currently lives in Austin with her husband and young daughter.
Hawai’i: Restaurant & Agriculture Award
Liu Fang
Liu Fang was born in a coal-rich area of Shandong Province, China. After losing her father to complications during open heart surgery, she was raised by her paternal grandparents. Taught never to doubt her abilities by her grandfather, Liu Fang became the youngest director for Hock Weber in the male-dominated mining industry. She fell in love with a longtime friend following the Beijing Olympics and quickly became engaged. A food and beverage visionary, in 2010, Liu Fang cofounded what would become China’s largest and most successful craft beer brand, Great Leap Brewing. Following COVID-19’s global disruption, Liu Fang relocated her family to America, where she began training in Chinese cuisine as a way to stay connected to her culture and history. Her passion, rooted in a desire not to lose herself, quickly became a commercial expression through various pop-ups and catering events. Abundance Culinary soon evolved into a residency at the James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Larder Delicatessen and Bakery, and by 2023, Liu Fang opened her first brick-and-mortar location in Cleveland Heights, OH.
Washington D.C: Food Policy & Advocacy Award
Adeola Sokunbi
Adeola Sokunbi is an Atlanta native with over 15 years of experience whose work spans events like the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Super Bowl LIII, and several marquee festivals at Centennial Olympic Park. With a Master’s in the Study of Law from the University of Georgia, Adeola brings a deep understanding of labor laws and regulatory frameworks affecting the food industry. Her nonprofit leadership at the Navigate Foundation, an organization focused on mentorship and workforce development, provides youth culinary training that feeds directly into paid internships at Compass Group USA. She is also deeply committed to education by co-owning the training kitchen and incubator, C.H.E.F. Academy ®️, as well as serving as an Adjunct Professor at her alma mater, Georgia State University, teaching Hospitality Law.
Adeola’s unique blend of business acumen, legal insight, and community-focused leadership, positions her as a passionate advocate for the culinary and hospitality industry.
Each LDEI Legacy Award winner earns a five-day experience working alongside accomplished Les Dames members. Experiences take place between June and September 2025 For complete details and itineraries of each experience, visit ldei.org.
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About Les Dames d’Escoffier International
LDEI is an international organization of women leaders who create a supportive culture in their communities to achieve excellence in the fields of food, beverage, and hospitality. The organization’s 2,600 members in 40 chapters in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Italy provide leadership, educational opportunities, and philanthropy. Since its founding in 1985, LDEI chapters have raised and donated more than $10 million to educational, community non-profits, and philanthropic organizations. For more information, visit www.ldei.org and follow LDEI on Instagram @lesdamesintl and Facebook @LDEIdamesdescoffier.
Madeleine Nasch