Four Female Chefs, Four Delicious Dishes to Elevate Your Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, we’re giving thanks for the momentum we're seeing towards gender equality in commercial kitchens! We chatted with five rising stars to get their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just adding something special to your holiday table, these recipes bring warmth and a dash of professional flair to your holiday table!

Angelika Douckova, Pastry Chef, Camelback Resort | Tannersville, PA

Originally from Slovakia, Angelika Douckova discovered her love of baking through her mother and grandmother—both incredible home bakers. After moving to the U.S. in 2004, she turned that family passion into a career, joining Camelback Resort in 2015 and rising to Head Pastry Chef in 2022. Her artistry has earned her the resort’s Cake Boss Award, and this Thanksgiving she’s sharing a dessert that perfectly captures her creative spirit: a Deconstructed Pumpkin Pie layered with crushed tart shells, silky pumpkin filling, and no-bake cheesecake.

Deconstructed Pumpkin Pie

Courtesy Camelback Resort Pastry Chef, Angelika Douckova

Crust

• 410 g All Purpose Flour

• 60 g Confection Sugar

• 200 g Cold Butter

• 3 lg Egg Yolks

• 1 lg Egg

• 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

  
  

Instructions Combine all ingredients to make a dough, roll it on flat surface until width is around ¼”. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and transfer rolled dough onto it. Bake at 325°F for ~15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool, break into small pieces, and pulse in a food processor.

Pumpkin Pie Layer

• 2 Eggs

• 15 oz Pumpkin Purée

• ½ c Granulated sugar

• ¼ c Dark Brown Sugar

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

• 1 ½ tsp Pumpkin Spice

• ¾ c Half and Half

• ½ c Evaporated Milk

• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

  
  

Instructions Mix eggs and pumpkin. Combine sugars, salt, spices; add to pumpkin. Add dairy and vanilla. Bake at 350°F for ~45 minutes. Cool, then whip smooth and place into piping bag.

Pumpkin No-Bake Cheesecake Layer

• 8 oz Cream cheese, softened

• 7 oz Sweetened condensed milk

• 1 c Heavy cream

• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• 1 c Pumpkin pie filling, baked and chilled

  
  

Mix cream cheese and condensed milk. Add cream and whip to stiff peaks. Add vanilla and pumpkin filling; whip gently.

Assembly Layer crushed crust (1/3 of glass), pumpkin pie filling (1/3), then pumpkin cheesecake (final 1/3). Finish with caramelized pumpkin seeds or nuts.

Brittany Snyder, Executive Chef, Diner Ross Steakhouse, Las Vegas, NV

After more than a decade in the Vegas culinary scene — with stints at Park MGM, MGM Grand, Aria, and The Cosmopolitan — Brittany Snyder brings warmth, precision, and personality to her work. Now Executive Chef at Diner Ross Steakhouse, she returns to a beloved childhood classic each Thanksgiving. She shares, "Growing up, I always remember my mom making 'Buckeyes' on the holidays… I still love making them now.”

Buckeyes

Ingredients

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

• 2 Tbsp light brown sugar

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 ¼ tsp vanilla extract

• 3 ¼ cups powdered sugar

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 tsp coconut oil or shortening

Instructions

Mix peanut butter and butter. Add sugar, salt, vanilla. Add powdered sugar gradually. Roll into balls and freeze 15–20 minutes. Melt chocolate with coconut oil in microwave. Dip chilled balls using a toothpick, remove toothpick mark, and allow chocolate to harden.

Emily Brubaker, Executive Chef, Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, CA

A Carlsbad native, Chef Emily Brubaker oversees Omni La Costa’s seven dining outlets and more than 100 culinary staff. For her, food is storytelling — especially at the holidays. “The smell of roast carrots… reminds me of cold nights and a warm house… I get very sentimental around the holidays, and I love how flavors can bring you back to a simpler time of life.”

Roast Carrot Salad with Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings — Allergies: dairy, sesame

Roasted Carrots

• 15 Rainbow carrots

• ½ tsp Ground coriander

• 3 Tbsp Olive oil

• Salt, as needed

  
  

Orange & Coriander Labneh

• 6 oz Labneh

• 2 Oranges, zested and juiced

• 2 tsp Ground coriander

• Salt, as needed

  
  

Dukkha

• 1 Tbsp Coriander seed, toasted

• 1 Tbsp Cumin seed, toasted

• 2 Tbsp Sesame seeds (black & white), toasted

Maple Apple Cider Vinaigrette

• 2.5 oz Maple syrup

• 2 oz Apple cider vinegar

• 3 oz Olive oil

• Salt, as needed

• 2 oz Smoky harissa

  
  

Prep Instructions

• Toss carrots with coriander, olive oil, salt; roast at 375°F for 15–20 minutes.

• Whisk labneh with orange zest/juice and coriander; season.

• Grind dukkha ingredients to semi-fine.

• Assemble: swoosh labneh, top with roasted carrots, sprinkle dukkha, drizzle vinaigrette.

  
  

Sierra Preston, Chef de Partie, Hilton Austin | Austin, TX

Growing up in Santa Rosa, California, Sierra Preston found calm in the kitchen from the age of twelve. Today, as Chef de Partie at Hilton Austin, her food reflects intention, precision, and a comforting sense of place. For Thanksgiving, she softens the traditional pumpkin pie into something silkier and dreamier.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

Makes one 9-inch tart

Crust

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar

• 1 tsp salt

Filling

• 1½ cups white chocolate, chopped

• ½ cup heavy cream

• 1 cup pumpkin purée

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ginger

• ¼ tsp nutmeg

• ½ tsp salt

Instructions Make crust; chill 20 minutes. Heat cream, pour over white chocolate, whisk. Add pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, spices. Pour into crust; chill at least 6 hours.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at hertelier!

Whether you’re sticking to tradition or adding something fresh and unexpected, these women remind us that the best dishes come with a story...and a whole lot of heart.

Wishing you a warm, delicious, gratitude-filled holiday!