Dear Sister Dames,

What a fabulous, inaugural Culinary Women in Words (thanks, Polly Wiedmaier!) this past Sunday afternoon! It was lovely to see so many of you there, whether participating as authors, volunteering, or in attendance. It was a gracious, fresh, and tasty event. A bonus is that our chapter netted $1400 and our authors sold a boat load of books. Thank you to Ann Stratte for coming up with the idea to host Culinary Women in Words at her hair salon and to Salon ILO owner Terry Bell for generously offering us the space! It was a highlight of the weekend! A debt of gratitude goes to Julie Peterson, as well, for securing all of the delicious wines from LA Cetto and International Spirits and Wines. Yum! Many commented on how inventive and fun the shampoo-bowl ice buckets were. Thanks to all our Dame authors and volunteers. This truly was an event that took a village!

Big thank you goes to Karen Vartan for hosting our holiday potluck at her lovely home. So many of you have expressed appreciation that we have chances to gather in such convivial settings and visit with each other.  

Good news! We have selected a candidate to take our administrative position. We are finalizing negotiations and hope to have her on board learning the ropes within the week. 

LDEI founder Carol Brock honored us with her attendance at Culinary Women in Words on her 91st birthday! She was accompanied in her travels by Joan Carris (NYC). What an inspiration Carol is! I am always struck by how Carol behaves as just a regular member. She loves being a Dame and is clearly invigorated by each chapter's activities and what each member brings to the table. Her eyes lit up as she was introduced to individual members and she glowed when we sang Happy Birthday!

Here's to Carol! May we all enjoy 91 years of good physical and mental health and find continual delight in being part of our special LDEI sisterhood.

Happy holidays, 

Drew Faulkner

President

drewcooks@mac.com  

January will ring in our New Member Recruitment season! It is time to focus on finding exceptional colleagues who will bring new talents, ideas and energies to enrich our organization in 2015-16 and beyond.  We ask you to recommend and sponsor highly qualified individuals who will be welcome additions and enthusiastic contributors to Les Dames d'Escoffier DC Chapter, whose philosophies align with our mission and who are willing to participate in activities to help achieve it. All skills sets are needed and the ability to think out-the-box is encouraged. Requirements for membership include, but are not limited to, a minimum of five years as a distinguished professional in the food, beverage or hospitality industry.

Prospective new member recommendations from member sponsors are due January 31, 2015. Sponsoring is an important and fulfilling responsibility that is critical to the success of our chapter. Sponsors are required to do the following:

 *     Inform qualified prospective new members about the organization

       (mission, goals, activities, requirements) and assess their interest in    

        becoming contributing members of Les Dames. If they express interest in becoming a Dame,

  *    Submit nomination(s) to Theresa Morrison wine@34south.com by January 31, 2015

      *     Assist the candidate in completing the application for submission by March 15, 2015.

 http://www.lesdamesdc.org/uploads/3/0/2/4/30247931/2014_lde-dc_membership_application.pdf 

*     If your nominee is put forth to the board and accepted for membership, attend the Spring Membership Meeting to introduce her to  your sister Dames.

We will be publishing reports from Dames who attended the Boston Conference during the next few issues.  

LDEI Conference 2014 - Boston

Report by Theresa Morrison (12-15-14)

Keynote Speaker Session: Creating Strategies for Success in Business and in Life

For the full presentation, log-in to Members Section on LDEI.org , click "Podcasts" and scroll through the list Keynote speaker, Allison Rimm, is an award-winning educator, consultant, coach, strategic planning expert and author of The Joy of Strategy: A Business Plan for Life. A business plan for your life allows you to live with integrity; what you do reflects who you are and what you value.

Soul-satisfying success uses your gifts, talents and passions in ways that make a difference in the world, giving you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Focus your efforts and attentions on doing what matters most to you.

The SIX Ps:  Purpose + Presence + Priorities + Perseverance + Plan + Performance = Success + Joy

A strategic plan is a map. 

-   name what you want to accomplish

-   create a vision of what success looks like for you

-   make a plan for getting from where you are to where you want to be

            ▪              Mission - what are you here to accomplish

            ▪              Vision - the destination on the map. Define what success looks like for you. Enjoy the journey.

            ▪              Guiding principles - core values that guide your actions; are going to like that person who looks back you?

Then get practical. Determine your critical success factors, the things that you need to make your vision a reality.

            ▪              SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) - what you have to work with or work around. 

            ▪              Goals - tangible, effective ways to spend your limited time. What is most important to you? 

            ▪              Perform a Time and Emotion Study - mindfulness to spend your limited time on your priorities. Clear the clutter and make room for what matters.

            ▪              Successful Strategies - sift through strategies and select tools and techniques most likely to help you fulfill your mission.

            ▪              Get Going: Your Simplementation Plan - just start one small step at a time, momentum will follow.

Culinary Women in Words

Kudos all-round for an event that resonated in the community. Pre-event, it was picked up by several leading sites (blogs, online magazines, etc) which helped to raise awareness of Les Dames as well as its members. While the holiday book party is primarily a celebration of member achievements, the sale of tickets along with donations raised a gross of $1,775 toward scholarship and grants. Thanks go to our incredible group of authors for their talents, commitment and providing really tasty bites. An extra thanks to Bonnie Benwick who coordinated all of the food with the authors and was a great resource for how this should come together. We had 32 Dames who participated. What great camaraderie and teamwork!

Les Dames founder, Carol Brock, and Joan Carris (NYC) made the trip from New York City to attend. Turns out, it was Carol's 91st birthday. What an honor that she chose to spend her day with us!

Top row l-r: Nancy Baggett, Nancy Piho, Carla Hall and Cathy Barrow, Aviva Goldfarb. Middle row: Katherine Tallmadge, Sheilah Kaufman, Ellen Kassoff Gray. (photos Monica Bhide) Dominica Marchetti, Bonnie Benwick (photo Linda Roth). Third row: Amy Riolo and Monica Bhide. Group pix, back row, l-r: Drew Faulkner, Joan Carris, Theresa Morrison, Annie Boutin King, Karri Barrett, Susan James. Front l-r: Ann Stratte, Carol Brock, Winnie Steingard.

FIOLA, FIOLA MARA and CASA LUCA Restaurants

Do you believe in the time honored standards of hospitality, service and genuine care for guests? Our growing family of restaurants is full of opportunity, hard work, challenges and professional development! We are looking for a talented fine dining chef de cuisine, sous chefs, pastry sous chefs, restaurant managers, bartenders and captains. Email your resume to jessica@fioladc.com. Specify the position in the subject line.

Special: Fit Relationships, a financial literacy education and employment coaching program for low-income individuals, would like to make its graduates available to Les Dames d' Escoffier members seeking employees at all levels.   Funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), FIT provides training in housekeeping, construction, dishwasher, receptionist, truck driver, logistics, supply chain management,   food preparation, administration and book keeping skills and helps match its graduates  with potential employers. It also provides ongoing job coaching to help ensure their success in their new job.  If you have job opportunities, please contact Julio Rodriguez, Fit Relationships Project Director at 703-831-8300, ext 451. Diane Feffer Neas is a member of FIT Relationships' advisory board.