LES DAMES D'ESCOFFIER-DC
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Join us for this in-person event in February.  Waste Not Want Not: How Composting & Zero-Waste Cooking Can Green Your Life

1/23/2023

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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.  
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Join us for our first in-person event in 2023! Unraveling the New Social Media Landscape: Reels, IG Live and Blogs! January 19th at 6pm

1/5/2023

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There’s always something new in social media and the food blogging world. This is your chance to learn from three successful bloggers/influencers how to maximize your brand, business or blog in the ever-changing online business world. Our panel includes Dame Anina Belle Giannini of Le Chef’s Wife, Britney Brown-Chamberlain of “Britney Breaks Bread” and Shani Whisonant of “Begin with Butter.” The panel will be moderated by Dame Bonnie Benwick.

Cost is $25 for members, $35 for non-members, and includes appetizers, soft drinks and wine donated by RATIONAL USA, courtesy of Dame Cindy Selby. Dame Kim Bryden has donated use of her office space for the event.

Street parking is available. There is also 90 minutes free parking with purchase at the Whole Foods at 600 H St., NE.

Click here to register!
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A portion of the proceeds will go to support Les Dames d'Escoffier DC Regional Chapter’s fundraising for grants, mentoring, scholarship and education programs to help support women to succeed in culinary-related industries.

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Wine & Stories:  A Conversation with Dana Cowin, Sept. 20 6pm at the Four Seasons Hotel

9/1/2022

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Click here to buy your tickets!
Join us for a sommelier-led wine flight and canapes reception followed by a conversation with Dana Cowin, former Food & Wine editor in chief, conducted by Anna Spiegel, Washingtonian food editor. 

This event celebrates Cowin’s just-launched zine Broadly Speaking based on her popular podcast, which highlights “the generosity of women and awe of the whole human experience, bringing together in one place everything from heartbreak and humor to recipes and empowerment."

Ticket Cost:  $85 per person (Members of the Public)
                     $75 per person (DC Dames Only)
Tickets include a complimentary issue of Broadly Speaking
Valet parking for $15 at Bourbon Steak is available to everyone who attends this event.

A portion of the proceeds will go to support Les Dames d'Escoffier DC Regional Chapter’s fundraising for grants, mentoring, scholarship and education programs and operations to help support women to succeed in culinary-related industries.  Advance registration required. f
Dana Cowin is a tastemaker and innovator in media, food and branding. Her work spans advising creatives, founders and non-profits and creating editorial content through podcasts, social, video, zines and books. With more than twenty years’ experience as the Editor in Chief of Food & Wine magazine, Cowin has curated collections of extraordinary food, bringing attention to the remarkable women behind the products. An award-winning influencer in the food world, she is a sought-after speaker on topics from trendspotting to lifestyle and motivation, entrepreneurship and of course, good food! She is host of Speaking Broadly, a podcast that features visionary women at the intersection of creativity, sustainability, and food.
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Anna Spiegel is a Food Editor at Washingtonian magazine. She has spent over a decade covering Washington’s dynamic dining and drinking scene for the monthly print publication and online—reviewing restaurants, writing features, and covering a variety of culinary happenings. Prior to joining Washingtonian, Anna earned a degree from the French Culinary Institute in New York and an MFA degree from Columbia University, often splitting time between professional cooking and jobs in journalism.
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Nourishing the District - From Nutrition Programs to Food Policy - March 28 at 7pm via Zoom

3/7/2022

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​The pandemic exposed food and nutrition insecurity across the country and in the Nation's Capital. Les Dames DC is hosting this Zoom program to highlight the work being done in the community by women who have taken on this public health challenge. This important panel will be moderated by Tambra Raye Stevenson, founder/CEO, WANDA; Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture. Panelists are Cheryl Bell, executive chef of Miriam’s Kitchen, the DC-based organization whose mission is ending chronic homelessness in the District, Mary Blackford, whose Market 7 gives underserved communities in Wards 7 and 8 a place to buy prepared food and fresh produce from Black-owned businesses, and Amanda Stephenson, whose Ward 8 Fresh Food Factory’s market sells affordably priced local products.

March 28, 7 p.m.

Register in advance for this meeting: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctduqrrTgiEtzCONMr2H1sMBiwTLNI_Zqu

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

THIS IS A FREE EVENT - PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION
While this event is free of charge, we respectfully ask that you consider a donation. Your generosity supports our scholarship program, which underwrites the professional studies and advancement of women in the food, beverage and hospitality industries and our grants program, which funds tax-exempt charitable or educational organizations that are making a difference in the global food community. If you would like to donate to Les Dames, please click here.  Thank you!
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Join us on Sunday, February 20th at 6 pm for a virtual Mardi Gras Celebration!

2/10/2022

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You don't want to miss this!  On Sunday, February 20 as New Orleans natives, Simone Rathle and Chef David Guas take you on a MARDI GRAS culinary (and cocktail!) journey. Chef Guas, the award-winning founder of Bayou Bakery, will create a favorite Mardi Gras dish – New Orleans Style Shrimp & Grits. Those who sign up will get the recipe in advance so that you may cook along with Chef Guas (and have that delicious recipe for dinner that night.) To whet your Louisiana whistle, Simone will craft a cocktail so that you may toast the Mardi Gras celebration as though you were right there on Bourbon Street. And… there will likely be King Cake involved. Sunday, February 20 at 6 pm.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED IN ADVANCE TO OBTAIN ZOOM LINK.  
Click here to register.

Please sign up by Saturday, Feb 19 so that we may forward the recipes to you.
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Recap of The State of Restaurants and Recording

11/17/2021

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State of Restaurants Panel: While restaurants are still struggling amidst the pandemic--with staff shortages, exhaustion and supply chain delays as added complications--the panelists who participated in the engaging October 26 panel, “The State of Restaurants,” seemed hopeful that the worst is behind us. Moderator Charissa Benjamin, founding partner of Savor PR, moderated the conversation with Kathy Hollinger, president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington; Micheline Mendelsohn, deputy chief executive officer of the Sunnyside Restaurant Group, and Jeanine Prime, co-owner of Cane and St. James restaurants. On the silver lining side, the women agreed that they had made stronger connections with others in the restaurant industry, and that as busy working mothers, the time they spent at home made them realize how to slow down and say ‘no’ to non-essential projects. Trends likely to continue: QR codes for ordering, delivery services, alcohol-to-go. Is the honeymoon over for the public’s compassion towards restaurants? “Way over,” said Micheline. “That ship has sailed.”  Click here if you missed this event but would like to watch it now. 
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Join us on October 10th for an Afternoon at a Veteran's Farm

9/23/2021

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Join the Les Dames d’Escoffier DC Chapter on Sunday, October 10 as we spend the afternoon at Fields 4 Valor, a small, not-for-profit Community Supported Agriculture farm in Brandywine, MD.  Veteran Peter Scott, a trained Chef-Butcher-Cheesemaker, found that farming with a mission brought him peace that was hard to find in other work. For the last 3 years he has been providing fresh farm food to financially stressed Veterans and their families. The farm relies on volunteers to harvest and deliver to those in need; requests for his help have increased,  and therefore, his need for some extra volunteer hands has increased too.
 
We’ll be spending the afternoon at the farm helping to build box frames for bees, rake leaves and prepare the vegetable patch for the spring. Peter will talk to us about how a sustainable farm is created.  There will be a bee keeper on hand to introduce us to bee keeping and an environmentalist who will introduce the youngest among us to bugs that help and hinder a farmer. 
 
After some hard work in the field, everyone is invited to gather at the fire pit to roast hotdogs and eat some sweet treats made by Dog Tag Bakery.

Click here to buy your tickets for members of the public. 
Click here to buy your tickets - DC Dames only please 
 
When: Sunday, October 10, 1:30-5:30 p.m.
Where: Fields 4 Valor, 14411 Baden Westwood Road, Brandywine, MD
What to Wear: Sturdy shoes with over the ankle socks, long pants, long sleeve shirt, ball cap
What to Bring: Sun screen, small water bottle, a folding chair or blanket
Optional: gardening gloves, a rake, spade, hoe
 
Tickets: $17 Members of LDEI; $20 Nonmembers.
Tickets support Fields 4 Valor, and the scholarship and grant programs of Les Dames d’Escoffier-DC
If it rains, the reschedule date will likely be Sunday Oct 24th. If a guest has to cancel, their ticket will be considered a donation.
Kids are free but children over 12 would be most appropriate. No dogs are allowed.
 
For more information, see:
Fieldsforvalor.org
www.facebook.com/fields4valorfarms
https://today.advancement.georgetown.edu/georgetown-magazine/spring-2021/2021/from-battlefield-to-bakery-to-business/

Sponsored by Green Tables Committee.
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Join us on September 30 at 7pm for The State of Restaurants: A Conversation with Three Industry Leaders - POSTPONED

9/15/2021

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This event has been postponed but will be rescheduled shortly.

We’ve made it through the hard part. There’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve pivoted, we’ve adapted, we’ve changed and we’ve learned. The state of restaurants today doesn’t look the same as it did a year ago, and certainly not two years ago. We are a resilient industry and the road ahead, while it still holds challenges, looks promising.
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Join Les Dames Escoffier DC on Thursday, September 30 as three industry leaders talk about what the future can hold, what lessons were learned and the situation as they see it. 

Moderated by Charissa Benjamin, founding partner of Savor PR, a DC-based full-service, woman-owned public relations agency representing hospitality and lifestyle brands, the panel will include:

Kathy Hollinger, president and CEO of The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and the preeminent voice for the industry in DC.

Micheline Mendelsohn, deputy chief executive officer of Sunnyside Restaurant Group, which operates and franchises six successful restaurant concepts nationally and internationally including We The Pizza.

Ashleigh Pearson, owner of newly opened Georgetown chocolate shop Petite Soeur, is a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, who has worked at Marcel’s in DC and Thomas Keller’s Per Se, as well as being a Les Dames scholarship recipient. 
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Join us for Our Luscious Planet, Virtual Cooking with Chefs from Around the World, Every Wednesday in June at 7pm

5/13/2021

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Take a culinary journey of Our Luscious Planet hosted by the Washington, D.C. Chapter of Les Dames d’ Escoffier. We’ll travel via Zoom each Wednesday in June to a new corner of our globe, unlocking the mysteries of exotic ingredients and novel cooking techniques. Led by five celebrated chefs, renowned cookbook authors and expert culinary instructors, guests will be whisked away on a virtual tour, complete with in-depth cooking demonstrations and expert wine or bespoke cocktail pairings from a member sommelier or mixologist.

These demonstration classes offer a chance for you to sit back, take notes and ask questions in real time as you watch a pro at work. Recipes will be sent to you before each session. Get your tickets early--don’t let the journey begin without you!
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MAKE A DONATION! FOR EVERY $5 DOLLARS YOU DONATE YOU WILL RECEIVE A GIFT OF A RAFFLE TICKET. AS PART OF THE REGISTRATION PROCESS, YOU CAN DESIGNATE THE RAFFLE BOX THAT INTERESTS YOU. THERE WILL BE FIVE RAFFLES, ONE FOR EACH SESSION.
Each virtual excursion will feature a hand-selected gourmet gift box of native spices and sundries to be raffled off. Thank you raffle tickets will be available for metropolitan DC/MD/VA area residents. The winning raffle ticket will be drawn at the conclusion of each workshop and the winning ticket holder will be notified by email. Check out photos of the raffle boxes below!
Proceeds from Our Luscious Planet will benefit our fundraiser partner, Thrive DC, as well as Les Dames DC's grants and scholarships programs for women in the culinary arts. Thrive DC's meal program and re-entry program meets the needs of vulnerable women in the District of Columbia. There couldn’t be a more worthy organization for us to support.  
Click here to buy your tickets! 
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​​GREECE June 2, Maria Kopsidas, Owner of Cookology Cooking School
All Things Phyllo, Learn the Ancient Art of Creating Phyllo Dough Pastries (Lacto-ovo vegetarian)
  • Flakey Honey-Nut Pastry (Baklava)
  • Flakey Pastries with Spinach and Feta Cheese Filling (Spanakopita Triangles)
  • Flakey Pastries with a Filling of Mixed Cheeses (Tyropita Triangles)
Working with phyllo dough can be tricky. Let Maria Kopsidas show you how, using techniques she learned growing up in her Mediterranean-heritage family. After this class, you'll have the confidence to try her methods in your own kitchen. 
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​ISRAEL June 9, Joan Nathan, Cookbook Author and PBS Series Host
From Israel with Love, Joan Nathan’s Home-Cooked Favorites (Pescatarian)
  • Bulgarian Eggplant Soup with Yogurt
  • Arctic Char Simmered in A Spicy Tomato Sauce (Aharaimi)
  • Apricot Meringue Kuchen
Joan Nathan’s love for Israeli food goes back to the early 1970’s when she was working for the Mayor of Jerusalem at that time. She noticed that every ethnic group had different foods – Christian, Muslim, Jewish – and that most Jewish foods were nothing like those she grew up with. On June 9th, join Joan as she shares what makes Israeli food different, how varied it is and how Jewish food varies from country to country and region to region.
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IRAN June 16, Najmieh Batmanglij, Cookbook Author and Culinary Instructor
Nush e-Joon, May Your Soul Be Nourished
  • Saffron Chicken & Barberry Braise (Geymeh Zereshk-e Kordi)
  • Persian Rice with “Golden Crust” (Chelow)
  • Quick Pickle of Persian Cucumbers and Toasted Coriander Seed(Torshi Hazeri-e Piaz)
Esteemed cookbook author Najmieh Batmanglij will demonstrate how to cook rice with its golden crust/tahdig, the jewel in the crown of Persian cooking; served with a saffroned-chicken and barberry braise. Barberries are the berries of an indigenous shrub and are one of the ingredients and specialties of Iranian cooking.  
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​THE PHILIPPINES June 23, Chef Evelyn Bunoan
From Start to Finish: A Quintessential Three-Course Meal of The Philippines
  • Crispy Vegetable Egg Rolls (Lumpiang Shanghai)
  • Sautéed Vegetables with Bihon Noodles (Pancit Guisado)
  • Fricassee of Chicken Thighs in Rich Tomato Sauce (Chicken Apritada)
  • Chewy Cassava Dessert Patties Rolled in Grated Coconut (Pichi-Pichi)
Chef Evelyn Bunoan will be your guide to the traditional Filipino palate. Philippine cuisine is a fusion of different cultures that tickle ones taste buds, climaxing to a burst of culinary experience: Malay, Spanish, Chinese, South East Asian, the Middle Eastern, Indian, European and American. Through these influences – with a potpourri of sauces and spices – the Filipino palate has gone through a long process of evolution, with many of the provinces having a unique dish or two.


 
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LITHUANIA June 30, Chef Justė Židelytė
Garden to Table, a Lithuanian Feast of Summer Produce (Lacto-vegetarian)
  • Chilled Summer Beet Gazpacho (cold pickled beetroot soup/cold borsch/šaltibarščiai)
  • Creamy Mushroom “Risotto” of Heirloom Barley Finished with Whipped Cultured Butter (Kastinys) and Shiitake Mushroom “Bacon” Bits
  • Lithuanian Gira, a Kombucha/Kvass style fermented nonalcoholic drink
Lithuanian food is deeply rooted in unadulterated, simple ingredients and recipes developed over millennia of history. While archaic, time consuming techniques and rare (in this part of the world) ingredients might look intimidating, with Chef Juste’s tips and tricks Lithuanian flavors can become familiar, comforting and easy to achieve. During this vegetarian class learn the basics of fermentation with kvass (sparkling non alcoholic drink or Lithuanian kombucha), refresh with a cold summer soup recipe, experiment with making risotto (the Lithuanian way) and get inspired by a heritage recipe from the chef's grandmother, adapted to modern times.
 
​COST: Individual classes are $35 and the entire five series package may be purchased for $140, a discount of 20%.
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You only need to purchase one ticket per session per household. Ticket sales are final and will not be refunded. If necessary, email us no later than 2 days in advance of the class (info@lesdamesdc.org) and we will assist you in applying your credit to another session. If you wish to transfer your zoom link to a friend or family member please notify us in advance.

LOGISTICS: All global cooking classes are held via Zoom, and you will receive instructions for logging in via email after registering. Please download the Zoom application in advance.
Cooking classes are recorded, and you will receive the link to the recording within a week after the class takes place. The link will be available for two weeks.  As part of the registration process you will be asked to acknowledge that your face may be recorded, if your personal video screen is on when the meeting is in speaker mode.
Les Dames DC and Thrive DC are partners on the fundraiser, Our Luscious Planet. Thrive DC's programs for women going through hard times will benefit from the fundraiser proceeds as well as Les Dames DC's culinary grants and scholarship programs for women.

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Spring Foraging Walk with Matt Cohen, May 1st at 1:50 p.m.

4/23/2021

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Deepen your connection with nature’s web of life.         
Join us for a mid-Spring foraging walk with Matt Cohen, founder of Matt’s Habitats.             
The November and April walks had rave reviews, don’t miss an opportunity to
Participate!  Click here to purchase your ticket. 
 
Saturday, May 1st
Meet-Up: 1:50 pm       Forage: 2-4:30 pm
Probable Meeting Site: Takoma Park at the Public Works Department Parking Lot  
Final confirmation of meet-up site will be sent a day or two before the event.
 
Some great edibles are in season in early May: pokeweed, milkweed and bamboo shoots, black locust flowers, field garlic, and lots of wild greens. Depending on location and weather conditions, winecaps, wood ears and oyster mushrooms might be around too.  This event is limited to 15 tickets; Dames and guests are welcome to the limit allowed by leader Matt Cohen.  Tickets are $40 for the general public.
 
Bring your walking stick, camera, and maybe a zip-lock bag for your finds, and join Matt Cohen for an afternoon of foraging along the hills and trails of Takoma Park.  You’ll learn to identify an array of mid-spring edible flowering plants, many of which are in your neighborhood and just waiting to be included in your spring salads!
 
Have a family member who doesn’t eat enough fresh anything? You can take them for walk on the wild side! They’re not weeds, they’re not just beautiful, they’re edible!  Our conversations will include not just “the where, but also the why and the how.”  Let’s walk and talk sustainability, simple gifts, and grass-root cooking!  
 
The Saturday May 1 Walk will Highlight mid-spring flowering plants, greens, and possibly, some edible fungi.   At the end of the walk, we'll share a wild-side salad! 
 
Meet at 1:50pm; forage with Matt from 2-4:30          
Make your reservation early
Matt Cohen started Matt's Habitats in 2003, specializing in sustainable gardening practices with an emphasis on native plants, wildlife habitats, and edible gardens. In 2009 he began to lead walks throughout the year on wild edibles and plant/mushroom identification, and he continually exercises his knowledge of the natural
world through conferences, personal study, and lots of time outdoors. The headquarters of Matt's Habitats is a 120-year-old farmhouse in Silver Spring. Rooftop solar panels generate most of the electricity, and vegetable and fruit gardens generate a lot of produce. His 1/4-acre yard also serves as a test plot for many of the native plants that he uses in his clients' yards. Matt donates 10% of his net profit to environmental and humanitarian NGOs including Anacostia Watershed Society, Casa of Maryland, and the Capital Food Bank. He currently serves on the board of the Mycological Association of Washington, DC. 
 
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