​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
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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.

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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​Susan Barocas wrote of an enchanting Greek immigrant who bakes sweets from cherished recipes to celebrate the Jewish New Year and family. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/for-this-greek-immigrant-jewish-new-year-brings-back-sweet-memories--and-foods--of-home/2018/08/31/a3fc1a9a-ab0b-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html?utm_term=.c4404840ae21


Domenica Marchetti's article "Just Roast the Whole Thing" appeared in the September 12 edition of The Washington Post Food Section. http://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-post/20180912/283102774949535
Michelin Stars to Dames!
Maru Valdez's and business partner Chef Ryan Ratino's Bresca, in Logan Circle, received its first Michelin star. *
 
Polly Wiedmaier's and Chef Robert Wiedmaier's restaurant, Siren by Robert Wiedmaier, at The Darcy hotel in DC, earned its first star in the famous restaurant-rating book, the Michelin Red Guide. *
 
*The honors were announced on September 13.
The Michelin Guide is the oldest European hotel and restaurant reference guide that awards up to three stars for excellence. It was originally published in 1900 by the Michelin brothers, Édouard and André, to boost auto tire sales and offer useful information to motorists.  In 1926, they decided to provide professional reviews of restaurants giving a star to worthy establishments. Only in 1931 was a hierarchy of 0-3 stars created and in 1936 the criteria for the three star awards were published.