An epic epicurean challenge, in 1851

These days, if you want to impress your food-obsessed friends from New York with the culinary prowess of Philadelphia, you'd have no trouble dropping five figures on a ridiculously elaborate dinner at any one of this city's fine restaurants.

But you might be surprised to hear that same boast was made by a group of well-to-do food enthusiasts from Philadelphia in 1851, and the bill from the resulting meal was in the same ballpark: between $1,000 and $1,500 (or between $29,000 and $47,000 today, depending on how inflation is calculated).

This long-forgotten meal is deliciously dissected in The Thousand Dollar Dinner: America's First Great Culinary Challenge (Westholme Publishing), by local author Becky Libourel Diamond.

Diamond first came across hints of this grand sit-down while writing her first book, Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America's First Cooking School. That historical work focused on Elizabeth Goodfellow, a Philadelphia sweets-shop owner who was the first person to operate a cooking school in America. In her digging, Diamond, a former research specialist who holds a master's in library science from Rutgers, kept coming across the name of one of Goodfellow's primary contemporaries and competitors, James W. Parkinson.

Parkinson, son of nationally renowned confectioners, trained with world-class talent from boyhood on, becoming perhaps the city's top chef by his 30s. His eponymous restaurant, which once stood at Eighth and Ranstead, was considered the best in the city. That made it the logical choice for the epic meal.

Parkinson's benefactors were a group of 15 wealthy food enthusiasts who competed with a group of New Yorkers who held their city's culinary talent in the utmost regard. This prideful clash of epicurean egos led to a tradition of oneupmanship. "Upper-class residents of each city felt their metropolis had the best chefs and superior restaurants," writes Diamond. "This competitiveness was the driving force in bringing these fifteen wealthy New York gentlemen to dine at Parkinson's."

Several months before Parkinson's dinner, held on April 19, 1851, the New Yorkers had feted their Philly friends at Delmonico's, then considered one of the finest restaurants in the country. An impressive experience - but it was nothing Parkinson couldn't top.

An early and vocal advocate of American ingredients, Parkinson was vehement about local sourcing. ("It's neat how things come full circle," said Diamond.) Despite such dedication, the timing of this high-pressure meal was unfortunate - between Pennsylvania growing seasons. So he got creative, sourcing food and wine from Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, and Maine, as well as from overseas.

Each chapter is dedicated to one of the 17 total courses Parkinson prepared for the eager group of 30, who dined, uninterrupted, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. In the opening chapter, she explores the particulars of oyster consumption in the day; Parkinson's bivalve overture consisted of Maurice River Cove oysters from New Jersey. We learn about the popularity of green sea turtles and diamondback terrapins in the preparation of delicate dishes ("gourmands described its meat as having a unique, rich flavor, comparable to lobster or veal").

Subsequent chapters deal with archaic yet fascinating topics like roasted game birds (jack snipe; teal duck), cold savory entrees (a completely deboned turkey stuffed with forcemeats and set in aspic), and Parkinson's family specialty, pastries and desserts. He was particularly famous for his Champagne frappe à la glacé - a frozen wine-based treat - the ancestor of modern water ice.

By the end of the marathon meal, according to various reports, the New Yorkers were blown away by Parkinson's prowess, declaring Philadelphia the undisputed champ.

"It's funny how cooking today is considered a pleasurable thing - an interest or a hobby for a lot of people," she said. "Back in the 19th century, it was simply a necessity."

But chefs like Parkinson, along with his fans, did their part to highlight the most artful aspects of the profession, setting the groundwork for the popularity of today's celebrity chef competitive-cooking TV series.

Diamond will speak to the East Falls Book Club on Jan. 25 and to Yardley's Spoke & Handle Questers on Feb. 9. Two groups are working to re-create the Thousand Dollar Dinner in the spring. The Historic Foodways of the Delaware Valley hopes to host a local meal in March; and the New York dining club Edible History will share its take on Parkinson's menu in March or April. Details will be available at beckyldiamond.com.