​Nancy Baggett presented a well-received workshop, "Successful Lavender Culinary Products," to more than 100 attendees on January 25 at the bi-annual U.S. Lavender Growers Convention in Charleston. She provided tastings samples of a dozen potential gift shop products ranging from Lavender-Infused Balsamic Vinegar and Lavender-Pear Preserves to Lavender-Herb Popcorn and Pineapple-Red Sweet Pepper Chutney with Lavender. All were a hit.
 
Amy Brandwein will open Piccolina (little one in Italian) market and café next summer across Palmer Alley from her award-winning Centrolina restaurant. She plans to serve omelets, breakfast crepes, crostatas and eggplant lasagna at Piccolina which also will be outfitted with a wood-fired oven for a new bread program. Centrolina's market will move over to Piccolina to give the mother restaurant more dining and event space.

​CALL FOR NEW MEMBERS! Nominations due February 15.
 
Please consider nominating qualified colleagues and acquaintances who will bring their enthusiasm, talent, and ideas as active members to our Les Dames d 'Escoffier DC chapter.

Requirements for membership include, but are not limited to, a minimum of FIVE years as a distinguished professional in the food, beverage or hospitality industry. If you have a candidate you would like to nominate, please send her name and email address to Stacey Adams at stacey@tastingsgourmetmarket.com  by February 15, 2019

Later this week, a new online, fillable application will be available on the public section of the LDEI-DC Chapter website and an invite with links will be sent to nominees. Those completed applications will be due March 1.

​Ruth Gresser  opened a new Pizzeria Paradiso last November at 4850 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. near American University in Spring Valley. Ruth's first Pizza Paradiso debuted 27 years ago in DuPont Circle. Since then her chain-lette has grown to include branches in Georgetown, Alexandria, Hyattsville plus her newest Spring Valley addition.  The space, including the patio, seats 165; so it is much larger than her other sites. The pies are baked in wood (mostly oak) ovens that reach 650 degrees and diners have more than 13 toppings to consider including seasonal and weekly specials. At all her restaurants, Ruth has a robust beer program to complement the pies. "Yeast goes well with yeast," she says. 

Christianne Ricchi  celebrated the 30th anniversary of Ristorante i Ricchi on January 11. D.C. Council will also honor the restaurant with a special proclamation for its longevity as a bright light in  DC's culinary scene. 
 
Suzanne Simon  and Bettina Stern opened their second Chaia taco restaurant at 615 Eye Street NW, in DC's  Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood on January 8.  Open from   11 a.m. to 10 p.m.,  the new 2,000 square foot space is double the size of their  Georgetown location and will offer  craft beer, wine, and cocktails on tap.
 
Tambra Raye Stevenson , will co-lead a workshop, "Tone Deaf as F$%K: Incorporating Black History into Food Education" and exhibit at Rooting DC 2019, a day-long urban gardening forum, on February 23 at the Ron Brown College Preparatory High School in DC. See Of Interest for event details and tickets.

Annie Boutin-King is profiled in Alexandra Greeley's Local Cooks column in the December 2018/January 2019 edition of Foodservice Monthly.

Amy Brandwein has been named Foodservice Leader of the Year by Foodservice Monthly Magazine and is the subject of the publication's cover story.
 
Claudia Kousoulas and Ellen Letourneau will speak to the Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHOW) about their new book, Bread & Beauty, A Year in Montgomery County's Agricultural Reserve, on Sunday, February 10, 2019
 
CiCi Williamson was hired by the Association of Food Journalists' (AFJ) to manage its food writing and reporting competition comprising 16 categories. Clearly they heard about her 12-years' experience creating and running LDEI's successful  MFK Fisher awards contest.  

HURRAH!

Nonkran Daks and her lemon grass soup recipe were featured today in The Washington Post Food section's Voraciously column. The soup is a very popular dish at Nong's Thai Basil restaurant in Chantilly, Va.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2018/12/05/this-tangy-spicy-thai-soup-recipe-will-slash-your-takeout-expenses/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.16407021c070
​

Susan Barocas  is participating on a panel in Milan, Italy on December 5 discussing "Recipes Across Borders" as part of a two-day conference, organized by the University of Milan's Culinary Mind Network, European Network for the Philosophy of Food.  The conference theme is Framing Recipes:  Identity, Relationships, Norms. Susan will also present a workshop there on "Recipes for Cultural Integration" with Johanna Mendelson Forman.
 
Johanna Mendelson Forman is giving a plenary talk in Milan, Italy on December 5 entitled "Is Social Gastronomy a Recipe for Peace." The presentation is part of a two-day gathering, organized by the Culinary Mind Network, European Network for the Philosophy of Food at the University of Milan. The conference theme is Framing Recipes:  Identity, Relationships, Norms. She will also present a workshop with Susan Barocas on "Recipes for Cultural Integration."
 
Amy Riolo released her seventh book, Creating a Cookbook: How to Write, Publish, and Promote Your Culinary Philosophy, in October 2018. Amy demystifies the cookbook creation process for new and accomplished authors. So, whether you wish to preserve family recipes or create a best-selling cookbook, this volume will be a valuable guide. Sheilah Kaufman, Monica Bhide and Nancy Baggett are featured in the book. 
https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Cookbook-Publish-Culinary-Philosophy/dp/1720009414/ref=asc_df_1720009414/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312126476072&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16640364913235341285&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007795&hvtargid=pla-570969414141&psc=1
In October, Amy also completed successful boutique Italian cuisine and culture tour with Italian Sensory Experience.

Tambra Raye Stevenson will be the keynote speaker at the Institute of Current World Affairs'   https://www.icwa.org/event-semi-annual-dinner-and-keynote-speech dinner on December 7 at the Cosmos Club. In October, the board of trustees of the African Nutrition Society chose Tambra to serve as the first North American regional representative  http://www.ansnet.org/en/about/team/tambra-raye/  to the African Nutrition Epidemiology Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In addition, Tambra and her children, Elliott, 9, and Ruby, 8, did a Halloween segment on WJLA's Good Morning Washington making healthy treats for kids.

Suzanne Simon and Bettina Stern celebrated the third anniversary of their charming Georgetown eatery, Chaia Tacos, located at 3207 Grace Street on November 19! 

LDE-DC is a culinary sponsor of the 2018 Metro Cooking DC that takes place December 1 and 2 at the Washington Convention Center. Come out to support our local Dames! See Amy Brandwein and Carla Hall on the James Beard Cooking Stage! Sample Susan Soorenko's marvelous Moorenko's ice cream in the Grand Tasting Pavilion. Visit Katharine Mardirosian at her 100 Bowls of Soup booth, Maria Kopsidas at Cookology, and Debra Moser at Meatcrafters. Listen to Amy Riolo's presentation during her Taste Talk. See and taste LOTS more!  Get tickets at www.metrocookingdc.com.   

Najmieh Batmanglij was featured on the cover of the  Washington Post food section in the Wednesday, November 7 edition as "the Grande Dame of Iranian Food." It is a well-earned title reflecting Najmieh's dedication to sharing, teaching and writing about the glorious cuisine of her native Iran since 1983 and her widespread influence among the culinary luminaries including Yotem Ottolenghi and Jose Andres. Her latest cookbook " Cooking in Iran: Regional  Recipes &Kitchen Secrets " (Mage Publishers) is the culmination of three visits over the last three years to her homeland, the first since her exile in 1979, to visit, interview and gather recipes from mostly women across the country. 

Johanna Mendelson Forman  and Roberta Dyuff (St. Louis) appeared on a panel at the Food and Nutrition Conference Expo of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on October 23rd in DC to discuss "Gastrodiplomacy: The Transformative Power of Food. 

Susan Holt  celebrated the tenth anniversary of CulinAerie, her cooking school located on 1131 14th Street in D.C., on October 30. Susan and former business partner Susan Watterson opened the school, after years of teaching at L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda, to respond to the rapidly expanding interest in avocational cooking, food tv and culinary team-building activities.

Ris LaCoste  will be honored by The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington's annual Culinary Arts Visionary Awards dinner on November 14 at RPM Restaurant, 650 K Street, D.C.   Ris is one of the most respected, beloved and dedicated chefs working in Washington D.C. today. Her reputation has been built upon her deft abilities to create dishes  that are simultaneously familiar and innovative and always absolutely delicious. Her regional American fare has drawn national and local attention and earned her numerous other awards.
https://www.ramw.org/culinary-arts-visionary-awards-dinner?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ontheline&utm_content=OTL+--+10%2F31&fbclid=IwAR2fTL8YfRk63KGSs-Q1FICjKPpAHAKo8ECSUDqANhAIWDIEFMd-6dyoej8

Nora Pouillon  sold her Nora's restaurant property on Florida Avenue in D.C. to restaurateur Ashok Bajaj.

CiCi Williamson  resigned as M.F.K. Fisher Awards Contest chair after 12 years on the job to spend more time with her family. CiCi originated this writing competition in 2006 and has managed it to become extraordinarily successful and prestigious. This year there were 94 entries.  She said, "Five months managing the contest takes a lot of time for a volunteer. I enjoyed immensely working with the women who entered our contest every year as well as the stellar judges who donated their expertise and time to choosing our winners." CiCi continues as the editor of the fall and spring LDEI Quarterly magazines.