Members in the News
A round of applause for Julia Rutland, who received the Gold Medal in the cookbook category in the 2026 Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Awards for her book, Cast Iron Cooking. Julia is also pleased to share that her newest cookbook, Some Assembly Required: Fresh and Easy No-Cook Meals, has recently been published. The simple, fresh recipes require little more than chopping, mixing, and assembling, and are designed for busy days when you want a homemade meal without turning on the stove.
Johanna Mendelson Forman organized a plenary session at the Dublin Gastronomy Symposium last month on the theme of “Food, Crisis and Hope: Three Conflicts, Three Approaches.” Our own Joan Nathan, plus Ukrainian diplomat Yevheniia Yemshenetska, Italian philosopher Andrea Borghini, and food writer Michael Shaikh all spoke. Aside from organizing the session, Johanna presented the paper on Ukraine with Yemshenetska, which delved into how the country has used its soft power culinary diplomacy strategy as a wartime way to promote its cuisine and talent. Johanna tells us it was a unique event that brought together an interdisciplinary group of food scholars, chefs, and hospitality experts. The papers are available online here.
New/returning member Domenica Marchetti has been touring the country to promote her latest cookbook, Italian Cookies: Authentic Recipes and Sweet Stories From Every Region, often with samples in tow. She has appeared on radio shows “The Splendid Table,” KCRW’s “Good Food,” and “Milk Street Radio;” podcasts “Everything Cookbooks” and “Talking With My Mouth Full” with David Leite and Amy Traverso; and in bookstores—including last month’s jam-packed cookie swap and author interview at Clementine Thomas’s Bold Fork Books in D.C.’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. In this photo by Laura Kumin, attendees at Bold Fork Books share cookies they baked from Domenica’s book.
There’s been a flurry of sweet exposure for Leah Culley, owner of Sweet Almond Macarons.
Leah’s company was included in the Top 7 Hottest Products in DC Magazine’s March issue, and she was also selected to sell her macarons at Petalpalooza, the day-long event on April 4 at the Navy Yard that’s part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Congratulations to Marianne Tshihamba, who is launching a series of tasting dinners and classes celebrating the flavors, history, and culture of the Silk Road. The first tasting dinner, exploring China and featuring a collaboration with Janet Cam, will be held at Lao Sze Chuan restaurant in Bethesda on April 27. Marianne is marking the special occasion with a 15 percent discount on dinner tickets for Dames (use promo code “DAMESDC”). For details, see her website, www.gastrosoul.com
Hearty congrats are in order for Peggy Cormary, who placed second in the National category of the 2025 American Photographic Artists competition. Pictured here are three of the four photos in her winning series; more info about Peggy and the contest can be found here. What’s more, Peggy tells us she’s a new member at Washington Printmakers Gallery in Georgetown. According to the WPG website, the cooperative’s members enjoy gallery representation and the opportunity to show new work each month.
Exciting news for Susan Bae, who just won North America’s Best Pastry Chef Award 2025 from William Reed, the United Kingdom company that owns and manages the 50 Best brand. It doesn’t stop there. Moon Rabbit, where Susan is executive pastry chef and partner, was named number 17 in the list of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants. The blurb about the restaurant notes that “desserts aren't to be missed either–the creations from North America's Best Pastry Chef award-winner Susan Bae are truly unique.”
Our own Leni Sorensen—culinary historian, museum consultant, lecturer, researcher, writer and more—is having a conversation with award-winning author and culinary historian Michael W. Twitty. The discussion will revolve around Twitty’s new book, Recipes From the American South, which showcases the South’s complexity of food traditions influenced by European, Indigenous, African, and immigrant communities. It’ll be held at the Library of Virginia, at 800 East Broad Street in Richmond on Tuesday, October 28, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event is free; registration is required. More information and registration here.
Anina Belle Giannini had the incredible opportunity to visit Jacques Pépin at his home in Madison, Connecticut with her family last month. They played pétanque, drank rosé and played with Chef Jacques' dog, Gaston. Photographer Tom Hopkins captured this photo for an article for The Georgetowner.
Kudos to Sylva Lin, whose unique neighborhood grocery store and catering company, Culinary Architecture, received a certificate of recognition last month from the city of Baltimore. The honor, signed by Mayor Brandon Scott, notes that the company’s “unwavering commitment to quality, sustainability and local partnerships sets a powerful example of how food can bring people together and positively impact spaces.” On Instagram, Sylva thanked the city’s leaders for “recognizing the incredibly diverse backgrounds, cultures and lives of Asians living in Baltimore.”
“Welcome to the Confessional. I wasn’t inspired by the death of the pontiff, but this is as good a time as any,” writes Kristen Hartke, in her teaser for her new Substack newsletter, The Kitchen Confessional. Hartke, a food writer who teaches food reporting at American University, explains the concept: “Sometimes I can’t sleep at night because there are stories that I haven’t been able to share yet, or there are things that just didn’t make it into the stories that I have been able to write. And then there are the restaurants I’d like to rant about, or behind-the-scenes snippets from the strange professional food world I inhabit, or that recipe I just whipped up for dinner, or maybe some musings about travel or politics or the sweet lost dog I was searching for in Central Park for several months, or a million other things.”
By all means, check out the interview in the May/June issue of Bethesda Magazine, in which our very own President Lori Gardner is featured in the “What I Know” column on the last page. Les Dames d’Escoffier International as well as our chapter are prominently noted. In the article, Lori–who has served in leadership roles at large and small nonprofits throughout her career–talks about the importance of empathy, collaboration and flexibility. And also, as she says in the last sentence, “you hope people are having fun.”