Lori Gardner is the founder of the restaurant blog Been There, Eaten That. Her writing combines stories about her life experiences with coverage of restaurants in the DMV and beyond. She has served on the voting body for the James Beard Awards and as a contributor to Jewish Food Experience, Tablet Magazine, and Eater DC’s year-end round-ups and she has held various positions on the Les Dames board since 2018.

Cary Kelly opened The Cookery, A Culinary Marketplace in Arlington, Virginia in 2010, growing the business to four stores representing artisan kitchen goods.  Prior to that she had an executive coaching and leadership training practice for over a decade focusing on women executives and nonprofit leaders. Now retired from retail, she focuses her passion on food writing and her new home in Fells Point, Baltimore.

Avery Meetre is a communications and public relations strategist with expertise in food & beverage, travel, and mission-driven hospitality. As Vice President at LRA PR, she leads client campaigns for brands such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Atlas Brew Works, and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, while also overseeing agency talent development. A past president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council and a current advisor for Women in Restaurant Leadership, Avery is also an Epilepsy Awareness Ambassador.

Kristen Schott is an award-winning journalist with nearly two decades of experience in the industry. She is the deputy editor of lifestyle for Philadelphia magazine, where she leads the publication’s service-oriented travel, retail, fashion, and design coverage, as well as the annual Best of Philly feature—which she co-edits. Concurrently, she is the editorial director of Philadelphia Wedding magazine, Philly Mag’s ancillary wedding publication.

Lee Granados specializes in non-profit and event management, with a strong focus on hospitality. She excels in development, strategy, and board development. As an event and logistics specialist, her expertise lies in optimizing brand awareness, fostering growth opportunities, and driving increased revenue. She achieved these goals through inclusive and innovative experiential experiences and partnerships, leveraging hospitality principles to create memorable and impactful events.

Michèle E. Jacobs is an event management professional.  During her thirty years as Managing Director and COO of Special Events at Union Station, she oversaw a business with repeated annual sales of $8-$11 million and the successful implementation of hundreds of memorable occasions celebrated in the historic venue.  She formed her eponymous LLC in 2017 and is delighted to maintain working relationships with many clients who continue to value her experience and counsel.  She is honored to have served as a past Chapter President.

Karen Vartan is a food and nutrition consultant specializing in therapeutic nutrition interventions for conditions related to food. She has served in food systems management in military, state and civilian medical facilities and as a trainer for organizations with employee health programs.

Jennifer is a full-time freelance recipe developer and food photographer who has worked with The Washington Post, Bob's Red Mill, Tillamook, eHow, Parade Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Food52, The Kitchn and more. She has worked professionally as a cook, pastry chef, cooking instructor and food photography instructor. Jennifer is also the creator of Savory Simple, a food blog dedicated to well-tested recipes and tutorials for home cooks. Her cookbook, "The Gourmet Kitchen," was published in 2016.

Peggy Cormary, a freelance commercial photographer who was born in France and brings 10 years of experience in food and interior photography on an international scale—including her time spent living in Brazil. She has actively worked to elevate chefs' creations with her unique visual style and aims to highlight each dish's aesthetic appeal and nutritional benefits through her work. Her photography is about telling stories, evoking emotion and promoting healthy eating.

Laura is a food writer, teacher and cooking coach. She is the author of two books that deal with the intersection of food and history: The Hamilton Cookbook: Cooking, Eating and Entertaining in Hamilton’s World and All Stirred Up: Suffrage Cookbooks, Food and the Battle for Women’s Right to Vote. She is now working on a third book, With Recipes and Justice for All: A DC Voting Rights Cookbook. Laura is also the founder of the blog, Mother Would Know, which helps home cooks become more confident and creative in the kitchen.

Bonnie Benwick is a freelance editor, recipe developer and tester. She retired from The Washington Post after almost three decades, spending the last half of that time on the Food section staff where she wrote the weekly "Dinner in Minutes" column, edited and wrote features, and oversaw the test kitchen. Her nonprofit work includes Real Food for Kids, Tzedek DC, and co-chair of community food preparation at Adas Israel.

Danielle Turner is a chef, cooking instructor, food writer and food stylist. She is the CEO of Forklift Media, producing high quality culinary content for digital and print media. Her website, Salt Sanity, offers recipes and information to help families transition to a low sodium diet. Chef Danielle graduated from the professional Culinary Career Training program at L’academie de Cuisine.

Marcia Friedman is the author of two cookbooks, Meatballs and Matzah Balls: Recipes and Reflections from a Jewish and Italian Life and The Essential Jewish Cookbook. Her writing, recipes, tips, and quotes have been featured in such media as The Washington Post, NPR and MarthaStewart.com.

Stephanie Zarpas was a broadcast producer for CBS’s “The Saturday Early Show” where she supervised production of weekly segments with many of the nation’s finest chef’s creating a three-course meal on a specified budget. Since her retirement, she has been a recipe tester for Cook’s Illustrated, Food52, and The Washington Post and she has also been a James Beard Foundation Awards judge.

Wendy Nevett Bazil is currently pursuing a doctorate in Urban and Regional Planning and Design at the University of Maryland, College Park. She’s an inactive attorney and formerly worked as a cooking teacher and recipe developer. She is a longtime volunteer in food systems policy and advocacy, including sitting on the Board of non-profit organizations in that space. Her academic research combines law and food systems, focusing on how agricultural zoning and land use impact land tenure for historically marginalized farmers.

Sheila Crye has been teaching children, youth, and adults homecooking skills for almost thirty years through her businesses, Young Chefs for kids and MoCo COOKS for adults. Her background in operating room nursing comes in handy when she teaches food safety methods.