The Thousand Dollar Dinner: America's First Great Cookery Challenge

by Becky Libourel Diamond

In 1851, fifteen wealthy New Yorkers wanted to show a group of Philadelphia friends just how impressive a meal could be and took them to Delmonico’s, New York’s finest restaurant. They asked Lorenzo Delmonico to “astonish our Quaker City friends with the sumptuousness of our feast,” and assured him that money was no object, as the honor of New York was at stake. They were treated to a magnificent banquet, enjoyed by all. However, not to be outdone, the Philadelphia men invited the New Yorkers to a meal prepared by James W. Parkinson in their city. In what became known as the “Thousand Dollar Dinner,” Parkinson successfully rose to the challenge, creating a seventeen-course extravaganza featuring fresh salmon, baked rockfish, braised pigeon, turtle steaks, spring lamb, out-of-season fruits and vegetables, and desserts, all paired with rare wines and liquors. Midway through the twelve-hour meal, the New Yorkers declared Philadelphia the winner of their competition, and at several times stood in ovation to acknowledge the chef ’s mastery.

In The Thousand Dollar Dinner: America’s First Great Cookery Challenge, research historian Becky Libourel Diamond presents the entire seventeen-course meal, course by course, explaining each dish and its history. A gastronomic turning point, Parkinson’s luxurious meal helped launch the era of grand banquets of the gilded age and established a new level of American culinary arts to rival those of Europe.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Cookbooks, Foodie

231 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2015

About the author

A food writer, librarian and historian, Becky Libourel Diamond has had a varied career combining writing and research. Her latest book, The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era, launched in September 2025. Each recipe provides a colorful glimpse into the Gilded Age, featuring the history behind each treat, its ingredients and baking methods. Her third book, The Gilded Age Cookbook, was published by Globe Pequot in August 2023. Previously she wrote The Thousand Dollar Dinner, which tells the unique story of a nineteenth century “Top Chef”-style competition between Philadelphia restauranteur James Parkinson and the Delmonico family of New York. She is also the author of Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America’s Cooking School, a successful nineteenth century pastry chef who also ran an innovative cooking school for young woman – a Philadelphia first. She is currently working on a history of the City Tavern restaurant, to be published by Westholme in the summer of 2026.

Reviews

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Microhistories are among my favorite sub-genres of books, and food related micro-histories are easily my favorite sub-sub-genre. A challenge with a tightly focused history however is not to bore the reader, allowing the text to bog down. Becky Libourel Diamond’s Thousand Dollar Dinner is a great example of how to do it right.

In the first couple chapters, the author admits there’s very little primary documentation to work from, however, she delves deeply into gastronomic, economic, and natural history to bring us every bit of delight and wonder as those (largely) nameless diners who sat down to one of James W. Parkinson’s most exquisite dining experiences. This event was an entirely new one to me, and Parkinson was not well known to me either. There were a few moments I think Diamond may have felt she needed to reach a little *too far* back (i.e. caveman days), but I appreciated that desire for a complete look at many aspects of this event as it lead to *lots* of excellent footnotes, a thorough index, and bibliography. I will be adding more than a few books to my food history shelves because of this book. One subject touched upon perhaps too lightly, was in the area of social history – but that too is a challenge given that who attended the dinner is largely unknown. I found myself thinking not only of the diners and their wealth, but also about the kitchen staff, and others in the supply chain to get these foods to the table. This is a highly recommended book, and one that will sit on my food history reference shelf from now on.

Recommend to: American history buffs, foodies, and people who celebrity watch. And people from Philadelphia.

I received an advance reader’s copy of Becky Libourel Diamond’s Thousand Dollar Dinner from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. My book review policy.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting food/dining history that covers more than just this one evening on April 19, 1851. 15 guests and 17 courses that lasted from 6pm to 6am in Philadelphia. The author discussed likely wine pairings with each course. The head chef was James Parkinson. There is no known copies of the actual menu. However a transcription was provided by R.B. Valentine for a 9/8/1874 Philadelphia Press article. This appears on page 105. I think this would've been more appropriately placed at the beginning of the book.

There are also some rough sketches in the middle of the book of buildings and dishes from the time period. I looked a lot of things up as I was reading. Pictures or recipes would have been a great addition to this book. However the author has an extensive blog with recipes/events that can be found here: http://www.beckyldiamond.com/

The book is 231 pages but there are 46 pages of notes/bibliography & 6 page index. It is well researched.


1st Course Oysters
2nd Course Soups - Either Clear (Consomme) or Puree (likely turtle - very popular at the time) served in a tureen.
3rd Course Fish
4th Course Boiled

5th Course Cold Dishes - Elaborately shaped and embellished molded dishes. Savory "molded salads" using aspic jellies around cooked meat. The jelly prevented air and bacteria from reaching the meat and enabled it to be displayed. Hatelets or Attelets were used as decorative skewers threaded wtih meats or vegetables to created stunning displays. Today this has been replaced by a salad.

6th course Entree No. 1 - Included vol-au-vent a very light pastry filled with meat. Cockscombs are mentioned several times as a garnish

7th course Entree No 2. - Fancy dinners may have up to 10 entrees. Rich turtle steak & tender pigeon.

8th course - Roast - Spring Chicken on Toast. Serving food on toast was fashionable in 19th century America. Spring Lamb was also served. Spring Lambs were only milk-fed and2-3 months old when they entered the market.

9th course - vegetables with elaborate sugar sculptures called 'pieces montees' for entertainment were brought in. The vegetables were likely rare, early season, or out-of season vegetables.

10th course - Coup du Mulieu or midway pause in which a sorbet was served to cleanse the palate in pretty cups or glasses. Parkinson used a rare and expensive Hungarian Tokaji wine.

11th course - Game - likely roasted and served with vegetables. He probably used raw celery in an elegant vase. A cookbook author recommends "Celery should be scraped and washed, then put in ice water, to be made crisp, at least an hour before it goes on the table." Fried potatoes were also served which is interesting because they hadn't been "invented" for 2 years yet.

12th course - Diamond Back Terrapin (bay tortoises)

13th course - Pastry and pudding - Pudding was originally a savory dish served at the beginning of the meal. Typically a mix of starch, eggs, milk, and a flavoring. Examples included carrot, potato, and cheese pudding. Then a preference for sweet puddings began to develop. Parkinson served lemon & coconut pudding. Philadelphia, a port city received tropical foods from the Caribbean and citrus fruits from Portugal. Coconuts are not easily classified - are they a fruit, nut or seed? Technically they are a drupe - a fruit with a hard stone such as a peach or plum. Drupes have 3 layers, and when coconuts are brought to market, the fibrous outer layer have been stripped away, leaving the hard, woody layer that surrounds the edible seed, or kernel. Pies also started out as savory - beef, pigeon, veal, ham, fish , oyster, and potato pie. Parkinson had just one fruit pie - Peach. These maybe were fresh from Georgia or Bermuda or dried or preserved. Three cakes were served following the trend of being named after a geographical location. Gateau a la Parisiene featured an almond & pistachio flavored pastry base topped with a rich sponge cake. Gateau a la Napolitaine was made from layers of sweet pastry flavored with pounded almonds, or orange-flower water, and vanilla, sprinkled with course white sugar and then spread with fruit preserves. Gateau Allemanda was similar to a coffee cake. Meringue was probably used as a topping.

14th course - confectionery. The author discussed the history of dyes. See this youtube video on the red color from cochineal insects https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YzM1... The author admitted confectioners were more like chemists than cooks experimenting with artificial flavors and textures (boiling to precise temperatures). She mentions the confectionery trade had its roots in pharmacy- sugar was used as a preservative and to make medicines palatable. Until about the end of the 17th century only doctors and apothecaries made these confections. Confectioners mimicked the physicians' formula (omitting the medicine), selling their version of candy lozenges. This was an exciting time as sugar was becoming cheaper and no longer just a luxury item. There was a shift from rudimentary sweets like molasses and stick candies to high-grade confectionery. Steam power allowed manufacturing. Parkinson served 4 flavored candy drops: mint, cream, port wine, and brandy. These would have been small, round, and slightly chewy. Comfits were also served which are seeds or nuts coated in several layers of sugar. Parkinson served sugar coated Chinese Almonds and Celery Seeds. Sugar coating celery seed is tricky and time consuming since they are so small.

15th course - Ice Creams and Water Ices - Parkinson was an expert. He invented several flavors such as pistachio, ice cream punch and Brahma's ice (from india made with curacao and orange-flower water). At the Thousand Dollar Dinner he served carmel ice cream, biscuit glace (rich custardy desert made with sponge cake and vanilla liquor), and a Champagne frappe a la glace (a frothy ice made with sparkling wine). The author attempts to make her own Champagne frappe on this site http://www.beckyldiamond.com/beckys-b... One commenter mentions they were searching for wine frappes mentioned in Devil in the White City and led to that page.
In the mid-19th century, ice cream and other frozen treats were becoming more reasonable priced, but they were still a special treat mostly reserved for the wealthy due to the time and labor involved as well as the cost of the ingredients. Punches were severed as popular palate cleansers between courses.

16th course - fruit and nuts - The author discussed preserving and the history of the Mason Jar

17th course - Cafe Noir - Cup of Coffee accompanied by after-dinner liquor to speed digestion after a meal. The author discusses the history of coffee. Coffee houses were first established by the Arabs in the 16th century.

An Ovation - The author discussed James Parkinson's life after the dinner and analyzed the cost and details if this dinner would've happened today. $1000 in 1851 would now be about $32,000. There were probably many involved in the preparation and clean-up and may cost more today in labor. Some foods are not available today such as green sea turtle. Logistics are easier today with out of season fruits and vegetables. Food would not taste the same today with commercialization leading to blander poultry that is infused with saline. The Atlantic salmon would be farmed, not wild-caught. The oysters would be smaller. Some dishes would be odd such as cold dishes set in gelatin or the eating of tiny songbirds. Wines have evolved. About 10 years after the dinner Phylloxera vastrix was accidentally imported to Europe from America and attacked the roots of grapevines killing thousands of acres. The only way the vineyards were saved was through grafting to American rootstocks resistant to phylloxera. Wine experts believe the wine flavor texture and purity changed because of this. The author states it's hard to compare serving vintage wines to 30 guests but it could cost well over $10,000 today.

James Parkinson was a food innovator. He was an advocate of American foods and cooking.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

~I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review~

Recommended to: Foodies, History Buffs

This book goes into great detail about the food and the historical context of that food served at the thousand dollar dinner.

17 courses talked about in detail. It covers the preparation of the food, the flavor, the popularity and the context of the food in that time period. It goes over the beverages served at each meal as well in detail.

The middle of the book breaks up the course after course review with the menu and photos/drawings of various related places and foods.

Overall, if you aren't super into reading about the detail of food this is not the book for you. But if you enjoy understanding the how and why and seeing how food prep has changed this book is worth a looksee.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. This is the story of one fabulous meal in Philadelphia, hosted by Chef Parkinson. The meal was for 30 people, 15 from NYC and 15 from Philadelphia. The Philadelphians were treated to dinner in NYC on a visit, but told their NYC counterparts that they could do better back in Philadelphia, so they took them up on the challenge.

This book is entirely about the meal and spends maybe a chapter about the people at the dinner. The book is divided into chapters, one for each course and the author spends that chapter writing about the nuances of each entree. She also goes into some detail about the wines that were probably paired with each course. Reading a book about food always gives me the munchies, so grab a snack first.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The breadth of this meal is somewhat incomprehensible and the author's detailed explanation of the pain staking attention to detail that was made hammers this home resoundingly. However, I did find it getting a bit dry at times and went through a stretch where it was pretty hard to pick back up. Definitely worth a read, but nothing to write home about.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will delight foodies and historians alike. It has something for everyone, revealing the evolution of fine dining in the 19th century, wine making from around the world, and a peek into what life was like in the Philadelphia region and its influence here and abroad.

[Kristin Hallgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a terrific concept for a book. As a person who loves food and history, this was such a fun read. The author didn’t speculate who the guests were or what they talked about, but that could have been another dimension to the book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for foodies





If you like history and food then you will find this an interesting book. Bit of a slow read but good details throughtout.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part foodie, part history. I absolutely loved this book! The only thing that would have made it better is recipes and/or pictures. There were plenty of footnotes with book references though

[Emg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fact filled and interesting

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thousand Dollar Dinner: America's First Great Cookery Challenge; by Becky Libourel Diamond is an absolute delight for anyone interested in food history, American culture, or the grandeur of 19th century dining.

The story of the legendary 1851 rivalry between New York and Philadelphia beginning at Delmonico's and culminating in James W. Parkinson’s unforgettable seventeen-course banquet reads almost like culinary theater. Diamond brings the “Thousand Dollar Dinner” vividly to life, walking readers through each lavish course while skillfully weaving in historical context, social rivalry, and the emergence of America’s fine dining identity.

What makes this book especially compelling is how it elevates the meal beyond mere extravagance. The dinner becomes a turning point a bold declaration that American culinary artistry could rival Europe’s finest traditions. The detailed descriptions of turtle steaks, spring lamb, rare wines, and out of season delicacies make the reader feel as though they are seated at the table themselves.

Meticulously researched yet highly readable, this book is both educational and entertaining. It’s a must-read for food historians, chefs, and anyone fascinated by the origins of America’s gilded-age banquet culture.

A truly sumptuous read from start to finish.

[Tali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a history of a dinner that cost an absolutely astonishing $1000 in 1851 in Philadelphia, but the author goes into not just the dinner, but the history of each of the dishes and the wines and the history of how the preparations came about and the way the wines were created and ....

My little RHIM and history nerd heart was so happy.

It was *so* interesting. I would start to tell husband and kids some of the interesting facts and their eyes would just glaze over. I GET IT. Not everyone is into food and Gilded Age history like me.

Anyway. 17 courses for 30 people over 12 hours. So many dishes I'm amazed people didn't get sick. (Granted, the portions were small and a couple courses were "coffee" and "fruit and nuts." But still.)

And for the record, $1000 in 1851 is $32,000 in 2015. 😳 yikes. If this is your kind of thing, I recommend.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely clear on how this dinner came about, exactly. But anyway, it did. Some rich dudes from NY and PA decided to duke it out (via chefs) about which city had the best foodie culture. The NY dinner was held at Delmonico's, and there isn't any information about it in this book. This book covers the PA offering. The chef served 17 courses, and the dinner lasted 12 hours. Some courses consisted of several dishes. Rare and expensive wines, sherries, and liquers/liquors accompanied each course.

The author breaks down each course, describing the dishes and their histories. Both the food and the beverages are presented.

An interesting look at the foods considered to be the height of gourmet cooking in the US in the 1850s.

[Robert LoBiondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great guide and history for foodies and more.

Lots of illustrations and exhaustive in letting us understand this divinely decadent dinner and what foods they were.

My only quibble? I couldn't get a sense of what the portion size of each dish was--but there might have been no historic way to answer that question.

[Heather Gahres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was well written but would have preferred more information about the people rather than the ingredients and preparation.

[Tara O'Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fun! She has a tendency to go off on a tangent, but I learned so much. I highly recommend.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat trifling account but also interesting of an expensive dinner which some Philadelphians threw for some New Yorker gourmets. The sheer amount and diversity of the foods is astounding. At a lot of the material in the endnotes should have been incorporated into the main text. A few illustrations.

[Kurt]

A fascinating story of an opulent dinner that took place in Philadelphia in the mid 1800s. The author uses the menu as a jumping off point for discussing changing tastes and regional cooking and catering styles.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look into formal dinner parties from the 17 and 18th century. Although Becky Diamond uses the Philadelphia dinner to frame her book there is a ton of information on the history of formal dinner parties over the centuries. I plan to read this again and take more notes!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never expected to enjoy this as much as I did. Each chapter was interesting and had interesting facts I never knew.

[Matt Zantastic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting for foodies and history buffs alike. The amount of research to undertake this book must have been massive.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this book on an empty stomach!

(Full disclosure, I won this in a goodreads.com giveaway)

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food history buffs, this one's for us. The course-by-course story of a historic dinner which displayed Philadelphia's culinary superiority to New York in the 1850s.

The detail is fascinating. Well researched, this book crowds varied facts about every course and wine into each chapter. Includes some reflection on the impact of various practices, including farming, fishing, shipping, and marketing, in modern culinary styles.

A few quibbles with the writing (We need another descriptive word besides "rich", and far too many sentences start with the word "And".) I could have skipped the long bits about how to butcher turtles, but that's just personal.

Well worth the read. Really enjoyable.