South Philadelphia restaurant celebrates Women's History Month with signature cocktails honoring trailblazers
A South Philadelphia chef is celebrating Women's History Month with handcrafted cocktails inspired by women who have redefined cooking and broken barriers along the way.
Insatiable by Chef Denise is the newest South Philly restaurant serving up a cuisine that has you craving more.
Denise Gesek opened her quaint restaurant in 2023 after graduating from culinary school and working in some of the country's best kitchens — like the Bostonian Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.
It's also where she met her idol, the great Julia Child, an American chef who introduced the nation to French cuisine.
"It was one of Julia's favorite restaurants. She would come in the kitchen all the time. Lovely woman," Gesek said. "To be a woman back then in the kitchen industry, she had it rough. And she oozed respect with American chefs."
Child is also known for her favorite cocktail, an upside-down martini.
"Julia Child was very heavy on the vermouth," Gesek said.
All month, Insatiable is featuring women-inspired cocktails. There's an upside-down martini (The Julia) to a rich, crisp tequila, an ode to feminist painter Frida Kahlo. Another drink honors activist and poet Maya Angelou.
"She drank rum, sherry and pineapple. It's on the sweeter side – I guess it's how she did her lovely poetry," Gesek said.
Gesek also whipped up a drink in honor of the woman known as America's blond bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.
"She drank champagne with apple brandy," Gesek said.
Gesek studied each woman's drink of choice. Always trying to quench her thirst for learning, she named her restaurant Insatiable. It's a name she says Julia Child also lives up to.
To check out her menu go to www.insatiablephilly.com.
