Les Dames d'Escoffier San Francisco (LDEI-SF) is the Bay Area’s powerhouse community of women leaders across food, wine, and hospitality. We’re chefs and bakers, farmers and food writers, winemakers, restaurateurs, educators, caterers, retailers, event pros, and innovators of every kind — all committed to lifting up the next generation of women shaping our industry.

Our mission is rooted in education, advocacy, and philanthropy, but our heart is in championing women who are dreaming big, building bravely, and nourishing their communities through food. Through hands-on programs, mentorship, and community-driven giving, we help emerging women leaders grow, thrive, and take their businesses to the next level.

The LDEI-SF Female Entrepreneur Grant and Mentorship Program carries that mission forward by offering TWO winners $7,500 in funding plus 6 months of hands-on leadership coaching to support SF Bay Area women-owned culinary, food, and hospitality businesses. Whether you’re scaling production, developing a new product, opening a space, or building the systems that will support long-term growth, we want to help you get there.

Congratulations to our 2026 Female Business Grant and Mentorship Winners!

Jen Musty, Batter Bakery  

Jen Musty, owner and founder of Batter Bakery, has been baking for as long as she can remember — literally standing on a chair beside her mother just to reach the kitchen counter. That lifelong passion led her to launch Batter full time in May of 2008, growing from a one-woman operation into one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most beloved bakeries, with a production bakery in Berkeley, a retail kiosk, a Ferry Plaza farmers market stall, and a thriving wholesale business.

Batter Bakery blends nostalgia and innovation, classic, memory-evoking treats elevated with locally sourced seasonal produce, unexpected flavor combinations, and a sophisticated flair. Jen's philosophy is simple: baked goods shouldn't be reserved for special occasions. Whole grain flours and "nutritionally specific" options ensure there's something delicious for everyone.

Jen is using the grant to invest in Batter's future by updating over 100 recipes for labeling and nutritional transparency, modernizing food safety and compliance systems, and working with an outside consultant to strengthen their food manufacturing program. These upgrades will set Batter up for continued growth while giving customers greater confidence in every treat they enjoy.

 

Terah Bajjalieh, Terah Wine Company 

A Bay Area native, certified sommelier, and classically trained enologist, Terah Bajjalieh didn't find her way to winemaking through a vineyard, she found it through a kitchen. A lifelong love of food, culture, and travel led her to enroll in a wine studies program after earning her B.S. in Finance from San Jose State University, a decision that quietly changed everything. She went on to earn a Master's degree in Enology and Viticulture from Montpellier SupAgro in France, accumulating harvests across six wine regions on four continents before founding Terah Wine Co. in 2020 in a friend's garage, with 120 cases, and a clear point of view.

As a Palestinian American, LGBTQ+-led winemaker, Terah brings a perspective to California winemaking that is both rare and necessary. Terah Wine Co. was built on three principles: minimal intervention winemaking, partnerships with small independent growers who farm organically or biodynamically, and a focus on Mediterranean grape varieties — Syrah, Grenache, Vermentino, Barbera, and others — that are uniquely suited to California's evolving climate yet vastly underrepresented on shelves and wine lists. In six years, the label has grown from 120 to 1,800 cases annually, earned Wine Enthusiast's 2024 Future 40 Tastemaker recognition, and was invited to pour at Blair House in Washington, D.C. during Arab American Heritage Month.

Terah is using the grant to invest in professional label design and production equipment — upgrades that will strengthen Terah Wine Co.'s shelf presence, support a new premium tier, and help scale the brand from 1,800 to 3,000+ cases as it deepens distribution and builds long-term sustainability.

Meet our Past Winners