Bite for the Fight returns for its 7th year on Saturday, September 19, 2026, bringing dozens of regional restaurants, three nationally known celebrity chefs, and a room full of Philadelphia food lovers together for one afternoon that funds real support for kids fighting cancer. The dine-around tasting festival runs 12 to 4 PM at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

Bite for the Fight is hosted by the Fight On Makenna Foundation, draws more than 400 guests annually, and lands during National Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month with a fundraising goal of $200,000. Every dollar supports quality-of-life programs for pediatric cancer patients and their families at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Bite for the Fight’s Celebrity Chef Lineup

Chef Brian Duffy returns as chef and emcee, a Philadelphia native known for founding the Duffified Experience Group, serving as an expert chef on Spike TV’s Bar Rescue, competing as a Fan Favorite on Food Network’s BBQ Brawl, and judging on Beat Bobby Flay. He’s joined by Chef Ariane Duarte, a Culinary Institute of America graduate and Top Chef and Beat Bobby Flay alum whose New Jersey roots show up in food she describes as bold, direct, and unpretentious.

Rounding out the lineup is Chef Kenneth J. McDuffie, a chef, restaurateur, and culinary educator recognized nationally from Season 19 of FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen and Food Network’s Chopped, cooking the soulful flavors he learned from his great-grandmother. All three will lead live cooking demonstrations and take part in meet-and-greets throughout the afternoon, alongside demos from area chefs and craft cocktail sessions with premium distilleries.

What’s on the Tasting Floor

The Bite for the Fight vendor lineup spans the region: The Blue Elephant, Sophie’s Sweets, De Ro Premium Cello, Not Pizza It’s a Vodka Drink, Robert Ryan Catering and Design, Bald Birds Brewing Company, Ktor Etair, Ciera’s Sweets, Brick & Blaze Pizza Company, Bucktown Beans, Care Package Bakes, Angies Vietnamese Cuisine, Harvest Seasonal Grill, and Dad’s Hat, among others, alongside craft cocktail demos, local brews, fine wine, a DJ, and a silent auction stacked with Philadelphia-only experiences.

Every part of that afternoon, the tastings, the auction, the ticket price itself, traces back to a family’s own experience at CHOP. Rich and Michelle Massi of Pottstown founded the Fight On Makenna Foundation in 2018, naming it for their daughter Makenna, after finding a gap in the support available to families during her cancer treatment. “We are gearing up for a record year,” Rich Massi said of this year’s goal.

Tickets, sponsorships, and auction access for Bite for the Fight are available now at biteforthefight.com, alongside details on this year’s full sponsor list. It joins a small circle of Philadelphia’s dine-around food events that turn a single afternoon of eating into something that actually funds care for the families who need it most.

Come hungry, bring your appetite for a good cause, and know that every bite you take on September 19 goes straight back into the hands of families who need it most. Philadelphia shows up for its own, one plate at a time.

About Post Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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