Tasty Tuesday: Chef Delilah Winder

Tasty Tuesday Features: Chef Delilah Winder

If Oprah Winfrey hails you, so does everyone else. And in 2003 Oprah did just that by naming Philadelphia’s very own Delilah Winder’s creamy macaroni and cheese “The Best.”

Born in Richmond, VA, Delilah was raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia in a home where the intoxicating aromas of good old-fashioned Southern soul food were lovingly prepared by her mother and her grandmother. “She'd make fried chicken every Sunday morning, along with biscuits, gravy, bacon and eggs,homemade preserves—and grandma worked, too!"

Following high school, Delilah pursued a degree in interior design from the New York School of Design. Though after much success in her chosen field as well as a subsequent profession as an award-winning business analyst at a Philadelphia insurance company, Delilah was ready to return to her soulful routes.

Delilah’s inherent love of cooking drove her to master the art. From vigorously studying cookbooks and experimenting with recipes, to attending The Restaurant School, 1984 proved to be her year to break out. With financial assistance from her family—and visions of soul food dancing through her head—Delilah leased her first booth at the renowned Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia, thus launching Delilah’s Southern Cuisine Company.

Delilah’s business—with eventually four locations—launching her into the national spotlight and showered her with praise. She was recognized in 1997 by the City of Philadelphia as Retailer of the Year; 1998 awarded her a Women of Distinction award by the Philadelphia Business Journal; the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Association of Women in Business Owners awarded her 1999’s prestigious Woman Business Owner; and 2007 brought her the Most Influential African American Leadership Award.

On the small screen, she was as natural as they come. Delilah’s has been featured on the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, The Best of Southern Cuisine, Throwdown with Bobby Flay and the Mac ‘N Cheese Challenge; on CBS’ Chef on a Shoestring, chatted with the ladies on ABC’s The View; and Al Roker called her Mac & Cheese "a must for the holidays" on The Today Show.

Beyond the acclaim and recognition, Delilah has proven she is a culinary force to be reckoned with on more than one level. In August 2000, Delilah raised more than $500,000 to open Bluezette, a Latin, Caribbean and Southern cuisine restaurant in Philadelphia’s Old City. Then, in 2006, Delilah penned over 100 of her comforting and soul-warming recipes into a cookbook, Delilah’s Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking With Style. Containing a bevy of dishes favored by celebrity clients Patti LaBelle, Denzel Washington and Danny Glover, and with a forward by Oprah’s Personal Chef, Art Smith, her 275 page cookbook, which she has promoted on QVC, is an outstanding fete all on its own.

Through all of her success, Delilah has not forgotten where she came from, continuing to give back by participating in charitable activities such as Pie-In-The-Sky for MANNA and Meals on Wheels for Action AIDS. Firmly believing in the power of role models, Delilah mentors young women at Girl Scout camp every summer, and serves on their board. In 2006, Delilah was appointed as chairwoman of the African American Chamber of Commerce, as the point person in representing African American business interests in the city of Philadelphia. Of her own unbelievable success, she says, "What I can do is give whatever I have got, or whatever I have experienced, to another African American business person which I feel could help them."

Keep the Faith!

Until next time,

~E