Join us on Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30 PM for Part II of our pasta explorations. Dame Meryl Feinstein, author of "Pasta Every Day" and ThePastaSocialClub.com, will focus on "Italy's Tagliatelle," the flat, ribboned noodles of the country's Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions. She will show us how to make the simple egg dough and roll it into sheets by hand. No special equipment required.

Registration in advance is required.  Click here to register.  

Meryl's session follows Les Dames DC April 24 presentation by historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi on "How Pasta Became Italian." We'll be continuing this occasional series, so stay tuned.

Meryl Feinstein is a chef, pasta maker, and food writer. After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education, she got her start at the renowned New York establishments Lilia and Misi, where she was part of the pasta production team. While there she founded Pasta Social Club, a platform that brings people together over a shared love of food, learning, and making connections both on- and offline. Meryl now lives in Washington, D.C., where she develops recipes and teaches pasta-making workshops. She is the author of Pasta Every Day, a guide to making pasta doughs, shapes, fillings, and sauces with joy and confidence for all home cooks, which will be published in September 2023. Her writing and recipes have also been featured in Food & Wine and Food52, for which she was the website’s Resident Pasta Maker, and she has been quoted as an expert in pasta making for BBC Travel, La Cucina Italiana, Martha Stewart, New York magazine, and more. Her dishes draw on her travels in Italy, ongoing research into the rich history of traditional pasta making, and her Jewish heritage. Follow her on Instagram @pastasocialclub

The program is free to all but a $5 donation is welcome, and will go toward our fund for grants and scholarships for women in culinary fields.

Note: We have a waitlist set up on Eventbrite. If you are unable to register for a ticket, please be sure to add yourself and your email info to the waitlist drop down menu. We will contact you by email and help you register as well as provide you with the zoom link a few days before the event. We have plenty of room for everyone!

Photos by Nico Schinco, with food styling by Judy Kim

Join us on Saturday, March 23, for a multi-sensory event hosted by Les Dames d’Escoffier Washington D.C. Regional Chapter and the Common Grain Alliance, We'll enhance your understanding of the regional grain supply chain, introduce you to local millers and producers, and show you how to incorporate more local flours in your home cooking and baking. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the Mid-Atlantic Grain Movement that is reinvigorating local grain production for food and beverages.  Tickets must be purchased in advance by clicking here. 

The packed afternoon program will feature: a panel discussion with local grain farmers, millers, and bakers,; a virtual mill tour;  a regional grain product tasting; a pop-up mini grain shop/grain showcase offering local flours, grain products and beverages; a hands-on class comparing commercial all-purpose flour vs. local flour in cookie making (14 participants only; first-come, first-serve). 

ON THE PANEL
Madelyn Smith, executive director, Common Grain Alliance, panel moderator
https://www.commongrainalliance.org/
David Sachs, of family-owned Grapewood Farm, producing organic  small grains and stone-ground flour in Virginia’s Norther Neck
https://www.grapewoodfarm.com/
Gabriel Key, founder, Foggy Mountain Pasta and Milling 
https://foggymountainpasta.com/
Abby Levine, owner of Maple & Rye Bakery, opening in a brick
 & mortar store in downtown Brunswick, Md., later this spring.
https://mapleandryebakery.com/
PLUS representatives from: Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery, Saatva Bakery, Seylou Bakery and more!

WHERE: Hill Center DC at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE; Eastern Market Metro station is a block away. Street parking available nearby.

WHEN: Saturday, March 23, 1:30-5 pm
1:30 pm-2:45 pm for limited-space cookie class; 15-minute break; 3:05 pm-4 pm panel discussion; 4-5 pm, regional grain tasting and showcase

TICKETS:  (Choose either with or without cookie class)
Panel discussion, sampling and 1 beverage (beer or barley tea), grain showcase, pop-up shop access, WITH cookie class (14 participants only for the class, first-come, first-serve): $70 for Dames and CGA members; $80 for general public

Panel discussion, sampling and 1 beverage (beer or barley tea), grain showcase, pop-up shop access (WITHOUT cookie class): $50 for Dames and CGA members; $60 for general public

A portion of the proceeds from this event will go toward funding grants + scholarships for young women in the culinary field, and to the CGA.

We've gathered experts from our Les Dames DC chapter and elsewhere to enhance your chocolate knowledge just in time for Valentine's Day.  Please be sure to register in advance so we can email you to zoom link.  Here's what to expect:
Winnette Ambrose McIntosh, owner of Souk Bakery in DC, will highlight Trinidad’s contributions in the world of chocolate.
Sheilah Kaufman, cookbook editor and author, will fill you in the surprising cultural connection between Jews and chocolate.
Fran Costigan, vegan cookbook author, will guide you to the best options for vegan chocolate.
Carolyn Crow, former pastry chef and chocolatier, will offer a primer on how to choose the right chocolate (while you could be nibbling on a sample from her recommended list!).
Rabia Kamara, owner of Ruby Scoops Ice Cream & Sweets in Richmond, Va., will demo one of her favorite recipes.

Your registration confirmation will include a list of Carolyn's favorite chocolates, so you can buy a few in advance to sample during her presentation!  ​This session is free for all! But if you're in a giving mood....a $5 donation will help support our mission to nurture the careers of women in the culinary, hospitality, and related communication disciplines.  Thank you!

Join us in our FREE crowd source-style session where we'll be sharing tips and offering strategies for holiday and winter entertaining. 

Among the topics we'll be tackling:
simple kitchen tips
favorite seasonal dishes
beverage recipes/wine recommendations
social media/photographic advice
tried-and-true party organization
recycling/reusing
seasonal charities and nonprofit opportunities
even a good smattering of lessons-learned "don'ts" 

We expect this to be a lively, interactive online presentation that highlights some of the many skills, talents, and the expertise Dames have to offer. So register to join us and spread the word!

Registration is required. Zoom link will be emailed to registrants a few days before the event.
​
Click here to register.  

We hope you will join us on November 15th for this fascinating online presentation.  Find out how Black Marylanders made sauerkraut their own, learn about beaten biscuits, and much more! Holiday foods are even more satisfying when you get a taste of the history behind them.  Registration in advance is required.  Click here to register!

Join us for a day of learning and community building with Les Dames DC! 
Meet the DMV's leading women in food, beverage, and hospitality
as they share their expertise in advocacy, content creation, and kitchen wisdom. 
Participants include Joan Nathan, Tambra Raye Stevenson, Jamie Leeds,
Bonnie Moore, Mary Beth Albright, Amy Brandwein, Susan Barocas, Charissa Benjamin, and many more.  Proceeds of this generously sponsored forum, held at DC’s historic National Union Building,
will go toward supporting women and women-led food-related organizations
in the DC area, through grants, mentoring, and scholarships. Advance registration required. 
Click here to register.  Click here to learn more about the full day of activities.  

Please join us for a virtual conversation
Vegan Means Business: Embracing Plant Power
Wednesday, August 9, 2023 | 5:00 to 6:30 PM

Tickets must be purchased in advance. 
Click here for your tickets!

Cost: General Admission $25, Free for Members of Les Dames d'Escoffier International. Zoom link will be emailed to registrants a week before the event.

Join Les Dames DC chapter for a fun and informative pupusa-making workshop in honor of World Refugee Day, on June 20, 2023. Dame Ana Reyes, owner of El Tamarindo, the nation’s first El Salvadorian restaurant, will share her family’s history from leaving El Salvador to establishing a community landmark in Washington DC. You’ll learn to make mouthwatering pupusas from scratch and about the cuisine and culture of El Salvador. Our Global Culinary Initiative Chair, Dame Amy Riolo, will discuss the mission of World Refugee Day and how to help during the current crisis. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Cost: General Admission $55; $45 for Members of the DC Regional Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier. Ticket price includes workshop, 2 pupusas, 1 non-alcoholic beverage & gratuity.  Click here for your tickets! 

Dame Ana Reyes is a first-generation Salvadoran American entrepreneur, community activist, and operator of El Tamarindo, her family’s 40-year-old Salvadoran and Mexican restaurant located in Washington, D.C.'s Adams Morgan neighborhood. El Tamarindo has become a community staple and is credited with popularizing pupusas, El Salvador’s national dish, a thick flatbread that can be stuffed with various fillings. Ana is passionate about sharing her family’s legacy and culture through food. 

6:30 pm Welcome, Meet & Greet
7:00 pm Workshop begins
​
There is very limited street parking available.
The closest Metros are U Street Cardozo and Dupont, each .5 miles away. The closest parking garage is Colonial Parking at 2421 18th St NW.
​
A portion of the proceeds will go to support Les Dames d'Escoffier DC's Regional Chapter's fundraising for grants, mentoring, scholarships, education programs and operations to support women to succeed in culinary-related industries.

Chef Todd Gray and Dame Ellen Kassoff, our hosts with the compost, will share their sustainability journey and pass along valuable tips on how you can start composting and save money by rescuing valuable ingredients you’re probably tossing. Wasting food wastes all kinds of resources and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. By embracing seed-to-stem cooking and diverting food waste into compost, we can help reduce methane emissions and produce an invaluable resource — often referred to as “black gold” — for growing food and maintaining healthy soil.
The afternoon will begin with a tour of Equinox’s composting system, followed by a cooking demo with Chef Todd where you’ll get to taste some surprisingly scrappy snacks. We’ll toast to compost with cocktails and mocktails made with ingredients that often go to waste, and end with insights from a panel of sustainability experts:
Caroline Howe, Aspire Program Coordinator, Innovation & Equitable Development, DC Department of Small & Local Business Development
Jeffrey Neal, Founder & CEO, Loop Closing
Lela Singh, Retail and Social Media Manager, Teaism Tea Shop
During the event, you’ll have the opportunity to bid on sustainable lifestyle items at the silent auction and raffle. Proceeds of the auction and raffle will fund the Les Dames DC Chapter’s grants and scholarships program in support of the advancement of women in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries.
Metro accessible via Farragut West and Farragut North stations.
Cost: $35 for members and non-members and includes passed bites and one drink.  Tickets must be purchased in advance, click here to buy your tickets.