Please join us for this educational and delicious tour! Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance.  For more information, see below.  To order your tickets, please click here. 

We hope you will join us for this event!  Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance.  Click here to print the program below.  Click here to register for your tickets on Eventbrite!

​SAVE THE DATE AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS
 
VIRGINIA WILLIS SHARES "SECRETS OF THE SOUTHERN TABLE"
Join Virginia Willis as she showcases her latest cookbook "Secrets of the Southern Table" and enjoy a feast of her recipes prepared by Ris Lacoste and her staff.
DATE: Wednesday, August 8
TIME: TBA
PLACE: Ris Restaurant, 2275 L St NW, Washington, DC 20037
 
EDEN CENTER CULINARY WALKING TOUR
Join us for a docent-led culinary tour and tasting of the foods of Vietnam. The Eden Center is Northern Virginia's premier Asian center comprising approximately 120 stores. The Center is the heart and soul of the Vietnamese-American Community for the entire East Coast.
DATE: Saturday, September 22
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Eden Center, 6751 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044
PRICE: TBA

​DATE: Tuesday, May 15, 2018
TIME:  10 am until 1:00 pm
PLACE:  Sotterley Plantation, 44300 Sotterley Lane, Hollywood, MD  20636
PRICE:  Members of the Public $45, Dames d'Escoffier Members Only $35
RSVP: Click here to buy your tickets on Eventbrite!  Ticket cost includes docent-led tour and lunch as described below.  

As a follow-up to the Les Dames d'Escoffier tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, what could have a stronger impact than a tidewater plantation tour? We tend to think of Maryland as a Mid Atlantic state, but it is actually south of the Mason Dixon Line and bears the shameful history of slave labor that reverberates in social relationships to this day.  The Sotterley Plantation, founded in 1699, is a testament to all those that lived, labored, and resisted here. It is older than Mount Vernon, watch video: Historic Sotterley

At 10 a.m., on May 15th, visitors will meet at the Sotterley Plantation, about an hour's drive south of Washington, D.C. A docent will talk with our group about slavery, resistance and freedom as we tour the house and gardens, including behind-the-scenes areas upstairs and in the kitchen that are not included in most tours.

We will have a lunch, including samples of two variations of Southern Maryland stuffed ham and a choice of sandwiches, salads, dessert and beverages on the portico.  After lunch, everyone is free to meander the grounds on their own.

The plantation has limited access for people with disabilities and cannot accommodate wheelchairs. Please wear walking shoes.
Ticket cost includes tour and luncheon.
No refunds after May 2, 2018. L
 Sotterley Plantation
44300 Sotterley Lane  ● St. Mary’s County  ● Hollywood, Maryland 20636  
Tel. 301-373-2280
www.sotterleyplantation.com
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LUNCH MENU  (Please make your lunch selection of sandwich or salad when ordering your ticket)

Choice of Sandwich
(Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, Chicken Salad, Veggie Wrap)
Sandwiches are accompanied by a side salad
~or~
Choice of Salad
(Chef or Cobb)
Salads are accompanied by a roll

Unsweetened Ice Tea, Lemonade, or Water
Dessert

SPAIN AND THE FOOD OF THE NUEVO SOUTH
Spanish colonizers brought forth ingredients, techniques, and culinary language that helped shape what we now recognize as both Southern and Latin American foodways. Sandra Gutierrez (NC) will share how Spanish culinary influences made it possible for Latin and Southern foodways to meld. All the while, you will enjoy a traditional Spanish meal made with the most prized ingredients at the base of the new Southern-Latino table. Sandra is the author of four books including The New Southern-Latino Table; Latin American Street Food: The Best Flavors of Markets, Beaches, and Roadside Stands from Mexico to Argentina; and Empanadas: The Hand-Held Pies of Latin America. A former food editor of the Cary (NC) News, she won LDEI's 2017 M.F.K. Fisher Award grand prize of $1,000.
DATE:    Saturday, May 5, 2018
TIME:   12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m.
PLACE: Jaleo Crystal City 2250-A Crystal Drive at 23rd Street
               Arlington, VA 22202  www.jaleo.com
PRICE:   $35 for Members of Les Dames,  $45 for public
(non-members' price includes a $10.00 tax-exempt donation for LDEI-DC scholarships) Includes menu below below.  Alcoholic and soft drinks for separate purchase.
RSVP:   Tickets must be purchased in advance.
​               Click here to buy your tickets on Eventbrite!

​DUMPLINGS ALONG THE SILK ROAD
Join culinary experts Janet Cam and Amy Riolo for a virtual journey along the Silk Road to learn the roles and recipes of dumplings in various times and cultures.  Beginning in Chang'an (now Xi'an) China and ending in Venice, Italy, Janet and Amy will discuss Chinese, Central Asian, Turkish, Middle Eastern and Italian Dumplings.  Enjoy samples prepared by Janet Yu while gaining an appreciation for the evolution of the dumpling and historical significance as evidenced in today's global menus.  Following the presentation, we will enjoy a multi-course Chinese menu which includes one-of-a-kind 8 course menu from the Chinese province of Taishan.  Each dish incorporates symbolism and Traditional Chinese Medicine which highlights the underlying theme of the presentation.  Tea Specialist, Laurie Bell, will discuss the Pu-erh tea that will be served.

DATE:  Monday, April 16, 2018
TIME:  6:30 p.m.
PLACE:  Hollywood East Cafe, Westfield Wheaton Mall, 11160 Veirs Mill Road, Wheaton, MD  20902
PRICE:  $65 Members of Les Dames, $75 Public (non-members' price includes a $10.00 tax-exempt donation for LDEI-DC scholarships). Price includes presentation, dumpling samples and 8 course one-of-a-kind dinner!  Alcoholic and soft drinks purchased separately.
RSVP:  Tickets must be purchased in advance.  Click here for more information at www.lesdamesdc.org or click here to  buy your tickets on Eventbrite!

​NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE: VIP Curator-led Tour of Foodways Exhibits with Dutch-treat brunch following at the Sweet Home Café  
DATE:  April 20, 2018
TIME:  8:45 a.m.
PLACE: National Museum of African American History and Culture, 1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560
PRICE:  Dames  Members $10 (for tax deductible donation to the Les Dames Scholarship Fund), Non-Members: $15 (includes tax deductible donation to the Les Dames Scholarship Fund)
RSVP:  Registration information coming soon

​DINE WITH FREDERICK DOUGLASS: Curator-led Tour of Cedar Hill, Fredrick Douglass' home in celebration his Bicentennial Birthday with lunch following by Chef Shaw Lightfoot at the ARTdrenline Café
DATE:    February 23, 2018
TIME:    9:45 a.m.
PLACE: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site,1411 W Street SE, Washington, DC 20020
PRICE:   Dames Members:  $25; Non-Members: $35 (includes a $10 tax deductible donation to the Les Dames Scholarship Fund)
RSVP:  Click here to buy your tickets on Eventbrite!