She may be best known as a competitor on Bravo’s Top Chef, but it is her quirky personality and the fact that she cooks with love that keeps us tuning in to ABC’sThe Chew every weekday at 1 p.m. If you’d like a chance to get up-close-and-personal with this incredible woman, check out the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America: The Philadelphia Food Evolution.

The gala event Carla is hosting is on Friday, October 4 at Peche, a Peachtree & Ward venue at 3502 Scotts Lane in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. The dinner features about 25 local culinary stars, many James Beard Award winners. If you can’t make it to the dinner but can get to Sur La Table in King of Prussia on Saturday, October 5, Carla will be signing books and offering tastings to everyone in attendance.

For more information, log onto http://www.jbftasteamerica.com/event/philadelphia.