A gourmet garage sale featuring hard-to-find collectibles is sure to delight Vancouver foodies this weekend — and raise money for a worthy cause.

The B.C. chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, a society of professional women associated with the culinary arts, is hosting the garage sale to provide funds for its scholarship program for culinary students.

Cate Simpson, one of the event organizers, says over 50 chefs and food professionals have donated hundreds of items to a gourmet garage sale.

"We have beautiful donations," she said. "We have cookbooks — signed cookbooks, limited edition cookbooks — cooking tools, baking equipment."

Some of the highlights of the sale include contributions from Nicky Major — a.k.a. Major the Gourmet — one of the first gourmet caterers in Vancouver known for her gorgeous food displays.

Some of Martha Sturdy's resin pieces from chef Nicky Major's collection. (Cate Simpson/Les Dames D'Escoffier)

Simpson said during her career, Major bought a number of resin pieces from then up-and-coming artist, Martha Sturdy.

In the time since, Sturdy became increasingly well-known and is a particular favourite for collectors. Major has contributed a number of Sturdy pieces for the sale.

"We're pretty thrilled about that. I think we're going to have some collectors here on Sunday looking for that," she said.

On the more sentimental side, the sale will also feature a collection of cookbooks from the late, highly acclaimed Vancouver chef Tina Fineza.

"She kept every single cookbook that she had," Simpson said. "You would see the stages of her cooking. You can see where she first got started, and then as she got into the different ethnic cuisines.

"She's got a big collection of Spanish cooking books and Asian cooking books."

Fineza — who was a Les Dames D'Escoffier scholarship winner herself — was renowned for her ability to mix different cuisines and build innovative menus.

"Tina's career in Vancouver is something that we all sort of watch with absolute glee from a Les Dames point of view," Simpson said.

Fineza passed away from breast cancer in January 2016. Les Dames D'Escoffier has established a scholarship in her name.

Tina Fineza led many kitchens in some of Vancouver's top restaurants, paving the way for other female chefs to start their own restaurants in a male-dominated industry. (Earls Restaurant and Bar)

Looking through some of the memorabilia, Simpson said it's incredible to see how far women have come in the industry.

"These are gals who the bank managers wouldn't give them a loan [because] they were women. They wanted their husbands to co-sign their loan to start their businesses for them," she said.

"They laid the ground for a lot of other women and [other] chefs in Vancouver as well."

The sale takes place Sunday, Sept. 17 from 11 to 3 p.m. PT in the parking lot of the Lazy Gourmet at Fifth Avenue and Fir Street.

With files from Margaret Gallagher