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.

Carla Hall was featured in today's Washington Post Food Section in an article entitled  Carla Hall is 'the most visible black person in food.' Now she wants to take soul food mainstream.  The article profiles Carla's new cookbook    Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration  (Harper Wave), which arrives Oct. 23.  Click here to read the entire article.

Pati Jinich  was featured on the front cover of the October 9 edition of The New York Times Dining section, Forget The Wall: Pati Jinich Wants to Build a Culinary Bridge to Mexico.    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/09/dining/pati-jinich-mexican-food.htmlx    

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Cathy Barrow was featured in the September 16 issue of the Washington Post Magazine in an article about moving and downsizing her kitchen, Kitchen Compression Confidential:  How I Downsized the Most Important Room of my House, written by Bonnie Benwick. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/kitchen-compression-confidential-how-i-downsized-the-most-important-room-in-the-house/2018/09/14/dd7d8aca-9fc5-11e8-83d2-70203b8d7b44_story.html?utm_term=.f11eac3b6c29  

Najmieh Batmanglij publishes Cooking in Iran:Regional Recipes and Kitchen Secrets (Image Publishers) on November 2. Overcoming myriad daunting challenges - emotional, political, and logistical - Naj spent five years, travelling 10,000 miles on a deeply personal journey to reexamine her culinary roots in the country from which she was exiled 39 years ago. Hers was a mission to preserve the rich and historically significant culinary foodways of Iran before they are lost "under the bulldozer of modernity."
 
Nancy Tringali Piho completed a dietetic internship through Iowa State University and is now a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Nancy has specialized in food and nutrition marketing communications for more than twenty years. She is also the director of Shopping for Health, a program for supermarket dietitians. 

​Linda Roth was profiled in the August/September 2018 edition of Food Service Monthly as a D.C region food publicity pioneer. https://foodservicemonthly.com/linda-roth-restaurant-publicist-and-game-changer/ 
Carole Sugarman is serving as chairperson for the Capital Area Food Bank's Empty Bowls Bethesda funraiser for the third consecutive year. Last year's event was its most successful, with 450 tickets sold and nearly $24,000 raised, and funded over 59,000 meals to neighbors in need. See Of Interest for more info.  
 

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Sheila Crye directed five week-long, half-day youth cooking camps this summer at her Silver Spring home and led many to compete in the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair on August 10. There her Young Chefs bakers won two grand champion ribbons, six blue ribbons, four red ribbons, three white ribbons and one yellow ribbon.
 
Johanna Mendelsohn Forman gave a keynote speech at the World Food Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 30, sponsored by the Danish Ministry of Food and Agriculture. She spoke about Gastrodiplomacy in Times of Uncertainty.  Johanna also conducted workshop on global food heritage. On September 11 she will be a speaker at the Museum of Modern Art's Salon series in New York on Gastrodiplomacy as way to build community.
 
Debra Moser's and Mitch Berliner's MeatCrafters was featured on WJLA's Kidd Around Town on Friday August 24.  Host Kidd O'Shea toured MeatCrafters USDA plant and joined in the making its popular Skinny Salamis.
Click here to view: www.facebook.com/kiddoshea/videos/322050235020983/.
MeatCrafters and Central Farm Markets also was featured on Nycci Nellis' Industry Night show August 27. http://industrynight.fullserviceradio.org/

Vickie Reh's book, The Wine Table: Recipes and Pairings from Winemakers' Kitchens, (Skyhorse Publishing 2018), released September 4, details her experiences visiting and cooking with 18 winemakers in France and Italy, exploring their food and wine cultures and celebrating their understanding of the best dishes to accompany their vineyards' offerings. https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510730830/the-wine-table/  

​Susan Soorenko's Moorenko's was listed in Visit Montgomery as one of the best ice cream spots in Montgomery County, Maryland.  https://visitmontgomery.com/eat-drink/best-ice-cream-spots/

Tambra Raye Stevenson, will lead a healthy kids cooking demo and story time of her "Where's WANDA" book series at  DC Veg Fest's Kids Zone, Saturday, September 15 at the Yards Park; appear on News Channel 8 Saturday, September 8 at 11:30 a.m. and lead a breakfast session during Chesapeake Food Summit on September 25 at Union Market.

​Amy Brandwein is a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Mid Atlantic.

Pati Jinich was a guest on ABC7 WJLA "Let's Talk Live" on March 1, promoting Women in Gastronomy.    http://wjla.com/news/lets-talk/celebrating-food-with-pati-jinich as well as on WTOP News.  https://wtop.com/food-restaurant/2018/03/3-ingredients-go-a-long-way-in-weeknight-cooking/  Pati is also a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding TV Host for her PBS cooking show, Pati's Mexican Kitchen.

Paula Shoyer's recipe for chocolate quinoa cake from her new book The Healthy Jewish Kitchen was featured in Food52 as a Genius Recipe.


Nancy Hart's and husband Jerry Trice's Gunther & Co. was featured in Baltimore Magazine's  50 Best Restaurant 2017 and Nancy was profiled in its Meet the Makers, unsung restaurant heroes.  http://www.baltimoremagazine.com/2018/3/5/50-best-restaurants-in-baltimore. Also, Nancy and Jerry are active in No Kid Hungry and are hosting their annual fundraiser for Chefs Cycle on April 10th at their restaurant.  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-no-kid-hungry-chefs-cycle-fundraiser-at-gunther-co-tickets-41841363645. They will be riding 300 miles in Santa Rosa May 15-17.

Cathy Barrow just signed a deal for her third cookbook, due to arrive October, 2019: When Pies Fly. Sweet and Savory Free-Form Pies and Filled Pastries, with Karen Murgolo, her editor at Grand Central Life & Style, a division of Hachette. She begins work on it right away! Cathy's second book by the same publisher, Pie Squared. Irresistibly Easy Sweet and Savory Slab Pies, is scheduled for release this October.

Amy Brandwein has been named a semifinalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard Foundation!
https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2018-james-beard-award-semifinalists>

Aviva Goldfarb's first travel article was published in The Washington Post's Sunday Travel section. "If You Only Have Time for Three Meals In San Francisco, Make Sure They're Here."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/if-you-only-have-time-for-three-meals-in-san-francisco-make-sure-theyre-here/2018/02/07/66ba1cc0-06bc-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?utm_term=.cd6c66b5a653 

Rachel Hayden is now director of marketing for Rebecca Linder's Linder Global Events team. In her new position she will head up Linder's social media and marketing efforts and work with its clients to amplify their messaging.  Prior to joining Linder in January, she served as director of public relations for The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia for the past eighteen years. There she handled media relations and marketing, building its social media presence, acting as a project manager for the Inn's room and design projects as well as promoting Chef Patrick O'Connell
and his books and orchestrating the Inn's 25th and 30th anniversaries and other memorable events.

Rosa Mendoza left Adams Burch last March after nine years as a table top specialist and in April joined Long & Foster as a real Estate broker in its Bethesda office. (This is a nearly year-old Hurrah!) 

Polly Wiedmaier's and Robert Wiedmaier's Marcel's restaurant has been named as a semifinalist by the James Beard Foundation for Best Service! 
https://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/the-2018-james-beard-award-semifinalists>
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​Paula Shoyer just published her new book  "The Healthy Jewish Kitchen: Fresh, Contemporary Recipes for Every Occasion" (Sterling Epicure, 2017). It offers recipes for more healthful Jewish classics, that are also updated for the modern table, along with international and American recipes that reflect food trends beyond the Jewish culinary world. Her book was featured in The Washington Post's Food section January 2 and that article was picked up in papers across the U.S.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/how-to-eat-jewish-and-be-well/2018/01/02/f4b1d9f0-eaa1-11e7-9f92-10a2203f6c8d_story.html?utm_term=.354bcd50d601 

​Wendy Bazil's recipe entry of Spiced Carrot Cake Muesli in the James Beard Foundation's "More Taste Less Waste" contest is in the final voting phase. If she wins, her charity, Crossroads Community Food Network, will receive $5000. The link to vote is https://www.jamesbeard.org/moretastelesswaste-vote. Voters are entered in a sweepstakes to win a trip to New York City and tickets to the James Beard gala.

Paula Shoyer has released her fourth cookbook The Healthy Jewish Kitchen (Sterling 2017) featuring traditional Jewish recipes updated and made with natural ingredients, plus new trends made kosher. 

Susan Wallace has launched her company, Sweetfreakz, specializing in chocolate brittle and other desserts. She recently demonstrated at the Olney Farmers' Market. (Ed. note: For those of us who have tasted Susan's seriously delicious chocolate brittle at various Dames' event, you are probably thinking. "It's about time!")

Janet Yu's Hollywood East Cafe (the site of our Autumn GMM next Tuesday) was chosen as one of Tim Carman's  "10 best places to eat on the cheap in D.C. because nobody needs a $28 sandwich" in the September 25 edition of The Washington Post. Her dim sum selections were highlighted. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-10-best-places-to-eat-in-dc-on-the-cheap-because-nobody-needs-a-28-sandwich/2017/09/25/3c630600-97de-11e7-87fc-c3f7ee4035c9_story.html?utm_term=.841767e83e1f&wpisrc=nl_buzz&wpmm=1
 

Bette Alberts, Madame Le Maître (chapter president) of the Washington, D.C., Commanderie de Bordeaux, led the chapter to host its international Board of Governors meeting in June, celebrating the organization's 60th anniversary. Bette is the first woman to head a chapter in the U.S. Commanderie de Bordeaux which comprises 33 chapters with 1200 members across the U.S. It is also affiliated with the worldwide network of 82 members in 26 countries under the Bordeaux-based Grand Conseil du Vin de Bordeaux.
 
Nancy Baggett's new book The Art of Cooking with Lavender won a Bronze Award from Independent Publisher in the "Living Now" Ethnic, Holiday and Specialty Cookbook category. The awards are given to books that make a contribution to "living better" today.  Nancy's book has been very popular with lavender growers and their customers and will be going into a second printing in December.
 
Bonnie Benwick, Deputy Food Editor/Recipe Editor and Joe Yonan, Food and Dining Editor of the Washington Post won the Association of Food Journalists' Award for Best Newspaper Food Coverage, above 155,000 circulation. The presentation was made during AFJ's annual conference in Philadelphia on September 13.
 
Pati Jinich's "Pati's Mexican Table," the Emmy and James Beard award nominated cooking and travel series, began its sixth season on PBS and public television stations September 9. Pati's new 13-episode season features the Mexican state of Oaxaca a hub of art and cuisine that has been hugely influential on Mexico's gastronomy and culture for centuries. Watch the trailer.
 
Katherine Miller was recognized by Food & Wine Magazine  as one of 2017's Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink. As founder of the Chef Action Network, a nonprofit that educates chefs about food and nutrition issues and inspires them to use their influence to make a difference, Miller was named as one of 20 "trailblazers and trendsetters who are raising the bar and reshaping our world." http://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/most-innovative-women-2017
 
Joan Nathan has partnered with Whole Foods Market's Mid-Atlantic Region to offer prepared dishes and recipes for customers during the Jewish high holidays. Five dishes from Joan's King Solomon's Table cookbook are being featured at Whole Foods' hot bars, prepared food cases, and bakery departments in Pennsylvania, Southern N.J., Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio, from Sept. 13 to 27. The dishes also can be ordered online.

Louise Nielsen and a group of her Anne Arundel Community College culinary students were invited to present at the Maryland Department of Agriculture's 10th annual Governors Buy-local Cookout on July 20 at the Maryland Government House. The Buy-Local Cookout encourages Marylanders to eat at least one locally grown or raised product each day. Chef Nielsen's Culinary Club members produced bite-size samples of three different student-designed recipes for the over 600 guests at the event. ​

​Janet Yu was quoted a number of times in The Washington Post Food section's article Destination: Dumplings!
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-post/20170310/282926680193928 

Joan Nathan's 1998 Jewish Cooking In America was among five IACP Special Cookbook Awards' Culinary Classics prizes, which honor books that have changed the way people think about food, winners. Joan's book chronicled the foodways of three centuries of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews who settled all over America, bringing with them a wide variety of regional flavors and adapting their traditional dishes with the ingredients available in their new country.