Meet the Dames Monday! SUSAN BAROCAS

We are honored to spotlight Susan Barocas, one of our new Dames! Susan was inducted a few weeks ago and we had the privilege of sitting down with her to find out a little bit more about this very busy culinarian.  We did discover that she only needs about two things to make an extraordinary meal........ I'm so excited about being a new member of Les Dames d'Escoffier because..........it's such an amazing group of women--so warm, welcoming and talented! I love that the other Dames "get" how I feel about food without much explanation. I look forward to learning, connecting, sharing and giving back. By the way, when I showed one of my friends my new membership pin (yeah, I was pretty excited to get pinned), she said it's like the college sorority I never joined, but even better. Yup, and our meetings have much better food!

My very favorite kitchen utensil is........ either my go-to 5-inch Cuisinart knife that I use for nearly everything or my trusty wooden spatula that I've had for years. Between them, I can make many good meals!

My inspiration to be in the culinary field started..... with my family's cooking traditions and my very own copy of Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls that I got when I was 7. It's the first and only cookbook I totally "cooked through." I cherish still having it, although my cookbook collection has grown exponentially since then.

My favorite thing about being a culinarian in the DC area is............ the diversity, innovation, openness and talent of the food community. New places, new tastes are coming our way constantly. As challenging as it is to keep up, it's also fun and such a delicious, place to live.

If I were a wine, I'd be Prosecco because then my grapes would have spent wonderful time soaking up the Italian sun, and my bubbles would bring smiles to those who enjoy me.

The legacy I want to leave as my mark in the culinary world is........ that I helped people feel the creativity and love of being in the kitchen as well as encouraged connections to personal identity, family, friends, history and culture through food. I want to know that I helped people remember the past and build new traditions by coming together over food.