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EDITORS NOTE: You are receiving this Entre News a
bit early because we are transitioning from Constant Contact to Wild
Apricot for our chapter communications. Since our Constant Contact
contract ends this evening, we thought it might be easier to get Entre News to you tonight. That will give us more time to reformat Entre News in Wild Apricot. Thank you!
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Dear Sister Dames,
The first shoots of asparagus pushing through the soil,
tree buds swelling to erupt into blossoms, and longer, warmer days
brightening moods are all harbingers of spring. Yet, in an unfortunate
and unfair twist of fate this year, spring has arrived with something
few of us could have ever anticipated. Life as we know it has come to a
screeching halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, in this crisis we all
pull together because we all are in this together. A group of your sister Dames, led by Carole Sugarman, have
pulled together to contact every member so they can hear how everyone
is doing or if anyone needs help. If you haven't received a call
as yet, your phone number may have changed from what is published in our
directory. Please reach out to Carole at [email protected], and let her know how you are and provide her with your new contact information. Some
of you may be wondering about the state of our chapter. I
welcome any questions or concerns you may have right now. Should you have a chapter question, concern or idea, please shoot me an email at [email protected] or give me a call (410) 212-2224.
In the meantime, our board of directors meets this evening via Zoom to discuss
and address many of what may be the same questions and concerns
you have. I will send out an update as early as I can.
Please stay safe whether you are at home or out in public.
Sincerely,
Stacey Adams President Washington, DC Chapter, Les Dames d'Escoffier International
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Janet Yu's beloved husband,
Alan, 63, passed away on Tuesday, April 14 of pneumonia. Janet and Alan
have been married 44 years and their sons are Jeffrey, Corey, Brian and
Tim. Notes of condolence are welcome: 4224 Cherry Valley Dr, Olney, MD. 20832. Services are delayed until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Our own Jane Mengenhauser, 88,
died on April 1 at Maple Grove nursing home in Ashby Ponds, a retirement
community in Ashburn, Virginia. She is survived by her husband Jim of
Ashby Ponds, son Jon and daughter-in law Jan, two granddaughters Alexa
and Avery, and her sister Katherine Fitzpatrick of Plaistow, New
Hampshire. Funeral services will be held after the coronavirus
restrictions are lifted.
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A couple of Dames have suggested that we publish stories from
our sister Dames to help us stay connected and understand each other
better. We all have our stories. Some are painful, some are funny and
others take your breath away.
So, I ask you for your original short stories of 500 words or
less about a culinary experience that transformed or moved you at some
instance. For instance, what inspired you to choose the food, beverage
or hospitality business as your profession or helped you redefine
yourself in this industry?
We will publish one or two in each edition depending upon the
number we receive. I encourage submitting writers to find someone
else to look at the copy for flow, grammar and punctuation before it
comes to me for light editing.
Thanks. Katherine Newell Smith
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Pati Jinich is one of four Dames gracing the cover of the LDEI Quarterly for a feature Camera! Action! Cook! Dames with TV Cooking Shows.
Johanna Mendelson Forman and Evan Kaplan have launched a curated blog on the Social Gastronomy Movement website to share
stories about how food is being used for social impact during these
times of crisis. Johanna and Evan will conduct interviews and
curate articles that are of interest to the Social Gastronomy Movement
network. If you have a story to share, please contact Johanna at [email protected] and sign up for the newsletter.
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DAMES WHO DRINK-ONLINE! If
sheltering-in-place with your family has you feeling isolated from your
sister Dames, please join us for an upcoming Dames Who Drink Zoom
call. You do not need to cook a thing! Just join us on Zoom
this Saturday, April 18th at 5:00 p.m., using the link below.
Settle in with one of your favorite cocktails, mocktails or glass of
wine, be prepared to share a story or two about your drink and enjoy the
companionship. DATE: Saturday, April 18 TIME: 5:00 p.m. PLACE: ZOOM call, organized by Drew Faulkner Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 910 1174 7746
Password: 994207
DAMES WHO READ - DAMES ONLY BOOK CLUB
DATE: Monday, April 20
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: ZOOM call, organized by Drew Faulkner
BOOK SELECTION: The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice by Trevor Corson. Available both as a book and an ebook. Some members have downloaded on Audible.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 262 585 098
Password: 275441
No in-person programs will be organized until further notice
due to the threat of COVD-19. We are looking at doing more public and
Dames-only webinars; so, if you have subject and speaker ideas,
please reach out to Second VP Edee Hogan, [email protected]. We will resume planning events as soon as is deemed safe for our community and members.
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DC Food Project is
looking for a dry goods supplier who would be willing to set up an
account with them. They are serving 370 families with meals in their
Emergency Weekend Bag Program. They are in specific need of things like
rice, dried beans, loaves of bread, and pasta.
If anyone has any leads they'd be greatly appreciated. The
contact for the food procurement is Katie DeGroft and her email is [email protected].
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Dames answering the call to serve in our communities
Here is a list of Dames and their restaurants and shops that
are continuing to serve our communities and keep our industry alive.
Please avail yourself of their services and encourage your friends to do
the same. Also, please check the restaurants' websites for the most updated information about pickup and delivery.
Gladys Abi-Najm: Lebanese Taverna is offering
Home cooked meals to go for delivery or carry out. A meal for four is
$39 (traditional hummus, salad, rice, chicken or beef shawarma) ; the
salmon dinner is $14 (grilled salmon filet, baba ghannoush) and its
Mezza Madness is $39.
This specialty foods shop is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to
7:00 p.m. "We feel we have a responsibility to you, our amazing
customers, to provide a safe and clean environment to purchase much
needed food right now," says Stacey. "We have enhanced our product
lines to offer more basic staples of perishable and non-perishable food
items in addition to our always delicious specialties including
imported cheeses, olives, pastas and condiments as well as homemade
prepared dishes. As restaurants close, you can look to us to
purchase ingredients and prepared foods from a place that you know and
trust. Our daily cleaning has been enhanced by hourly sanitation
measures and even more frequent wipe-downs of critical areas." [email protected]
Jessica Botta, Director of Training and Culinary Development for Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants
informs us that Fiola Mare is open for curbside pickup or white glove
home delivery within D.C., of wine, spirits and food, Monday through
Thursday and on Saturday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Jessica also told us of the Fabio Trabocchi Disaster Relief Fund (created with fiscal sponsor, Greater Washington Community Foundation). Grants
from the fund are being used to help the restaurant's furloughed
employees in Washington, DC, Arlington, Va., and Miami, Fl. and other
individuals and contractors whose lives are adversely impacted by the
2020 coronavirus outbreak. The grants are to meet short-term critical
needs of shelter, food, clothing and medical care.
Fabio Trabocchi Restaurants continues to make deposits into
this fund with every eGift purchased, through donations added to online
orders for pickup or delivery from Fiola Mare and Sfoglina Van Ness, and
of course, through individual donations made by others. Since the
fund was inaugurated on March 20, it has received nearly $60,000 in
donations, which is already being distributed through grants to its
furloughed employees.
Amy Brandwein's Centrolina and Piccolina are
closed for dining but both restaurants are offering takeout and
delivery. Amy's Centrolina Mercato remains open offering her full line
of fresh produce, meats and fish as well as and staples and wine. All
grocery items can be delivered as well.
Ellen Gray: Equinox is
offering Nox Boxes (as in Equi-NOX) -Brunch Boxes and Weekly
Boxes--with contactless pick-up and delivery. Brunch Tasting Menu
$40.00. Add mimosas for $20! The Weekly Menu: Enjoy three courses for
$45.00 or four courses for $50.00 with bread service. Or order a la
carte! Tax, gratuity and delivery fees not included.
Ruth Gresser: Pizza Paradiso carry
out daily Dupont, Spring Valley and Georgetown locations and Friday to
Sunday at her Hyattsville restaurant. DC Pizza Paradiso also offering
carry out beer and wine. Iin
an effort to support the community during COVID-19, Pizzeria Paradiso's
chef and founder, Ruth Gresser began donating 10,000 pizzas to children
and families in need and frontline workers on Thursday, April 9 and
will continue, while supplies last, for the next ten Thursdays.
Also, this week, in conjunction with Real Food for Kids: Chefs Feeding
Families and Art Works Now, Pizzeria Paradiso is distributing 300
individual pizzas in Hyattsville to help support families impacted by
closed schools. Every individual served will receive a vegetable and
whole grain crust pizza, and an Art Works Now MANDALA Coloring Sheet. It
also is taking pizzas to senior citizens in Hyattsville and to
Children's Hospital, GW Hospital and Hook Hall Helps. Over the
next ten weeks, Paradiso will accept suggestions for additional donation
sites to support those in need during this time. If you would like to
donate in support of 10,000 Pizzas, you can do so here. You may also suggest a drop-off location by e-mailing [email protected]. The
10,000 Pizzas project receives further support from Prince George's
County Council Member Deni Taveras and the Prince George's Arts and
Humanities Council. Pizzeria Paradiso will continue to support the
mission of Real Foods For Kids: Chefs Feeding Families by supplying
vegetable and whole grain pizzas for Northern Virginia families each
weekend through this crisis. You can find more information and support Real Foods For Kids: Chefs Feeding Families here. Maria Kopsidas of Cookology,
has created at her Ballston location "ReHeat and Serve Meal Kits" for
pick up. These catered meals have been created by Cookology's Chef
Javier Loayza and Cookology21 student and Chef Tech, Andrew Garcia. As
the only two chefs in the kitchen, sanitation standards are kept high
while the chefs prep and cook. Once the dishes are made, they are cooled
and packed and kept refrigerated until picked up. Each kit serves
four to six people, generously and is $16.25 per person, plus wine or
beer (optional) and 6% tax. Ris Lacoste's eponymous restaurant RIS offers
takeout and curbside pickup between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 and
6:00 p.m. and free delivery to its West End and adjacent
neighborhoods between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. through her Ris' Soup Kitchen,
Monday through Friday. Order her carry-out soup, romaine
wedge salad and bread for $15. Her daily offerings including crispy
Thai Brussels sprouts, Chicken Milanese and Ris Meatloaf, plus dessert
and a wine basket offering. Info at [email protected] Katharine Mardirosian 100 Bowls of Soup,
in Herndon VA is open for take-out and curbside pick-up only on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please call ahead to
place your order (703) 466-5130. Katherine is posting soup recipes to
encourage home cooking. Michelene Mendelsohn and her family's Sunnyside Restaurant Group
which includes We The Pizza, Santa Rosa Taqueria and Good
Stuff Eatery, are open for delivery and takeout. As a special
service, it is generously offering Kids Eat Free during the
COVID-19 pandemic at all of its restaurants.
Debbie Moser:
Central Farm Markets The Bethesda Central Farm Market is scheduled to be open as usual at Bethesda Elementary Schoolfrom
9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Check their website for updates. The NOVA
Central Farm Market is open at a temporary location, Church of the Holy
Comforter in Vienna from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Nona Nielsen-Parker: Atwaters Restaurant (Baltimore)
has carryout and curbside pickup at all five locations. Atwaters is
taking orders for quick pick up at all farmers markets prepaid on its
website. Christianne Ricchi: i Ricchi
has announced the i Ricchi Food Club. "I have been feeding you in
"my house" for over 30 years," says Christianne, "and starting today I
am here to help you feed your soul and family in YOUR home as we all
adapt to this new social-distancing reality." The i Ricchi Food
Club is a pre-paid pickup food service that curates authentic Italian
cuisine with a pre-set four-course menu for two to eight people. Each
week, Christianne hand-crafts a different dining experience that will
transport her clients through Italy with paired wines and spirits.
All you have to decide is how many times a week you want to join in her
virtual culinary travels . She does everything else. For more
information call (202) 835-0459 or click here.
Suzanne Simon's and Bettina Stern's Chaia Tacos are closed but continue to offer takeout. Innovatively, they have created a Chaia Enchilada Supper Club with
a changing lineup of tacos offerings each day to order on Mondays and
Wednesdays for pickup on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 5:30 and 6:30
p.m. at their Georgetown and Chinatown locations. Janet Yu's Hollywood East Cafe is closed for the next two weeks. It will reopen open during the week of April 27 for takeout, curbside pickup and delivery services. Dim Sum is available! Order online at hollywoodeastcafe.com or download the app.
Dames are creating ways to expand markets for their specialty products Jodi Lehr: Santa Lucia Estate Coffee
Santa Lucia Estate Coffee is reaching out to the community to build an
online market beyond its hotel and restaurant clients. It offers free
shipping and is a great way to try a new coffee without leaving the
house.
Dames are offering cooking demos to help the home-bound eat more interesting and healthful foods...and learn along the way. Pati Jinich is creating cooking demo videos and posting them on her social media sites. Follow here on Instagram. Alba Johnson
is conducting free virtual video cooking class for children and young
teens while they are at home with closed schools. Chef Alba offers
a video call with a group or one-on-one to conduct a demo for a
simple recipe from start to finish. The recipes and demos are
arranged and scheduled in advance with the chef and parent or organizer.
For large groups, such as Girl Scout troop earning badges, Chef Alba
schedules a zoom or other platform to conduct the demo from various
locations. Contact her at [email protected]
Dames are retooling their businesses to meet the needs of clients in the COVID19 age. Katherine Tallmadge has created a "Silver Lining" approach
for her nutrition clients and those who subscribe to her newsletter.
She assembled a pantry list, offers recipes and other ideas to make the
best and healthiest choices during this challenging time...or any time. Dames are using their talents and connections and working with their clients to help during this crisis. Jill Collins is assisting her client, Hook Hall, the event space on Georgia Avenue, with the Hospitality Workers Relief Program, Hook Hall Helps. This
effort was created to provide food and necessary supplies to our
colleagues in restaurants, hotels, clubs, bars and entertainment venues
who have lost their jobs. Initially organized by Hook Hall owner, Anna
Valero, the project has seen leaders in the industry join as partners.
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington was the first to
step up. Occasions Catering followed to provide a large refrigerated
truck for food donations and send its smaller trucks to pick up and
deliver donations. Sysco and PFG/Performance Food Group have donated
hundreds of pounds of supplies and produce. Queen Vic owner and chef
Ryan Gordon volunteers to turn the daily deliveries into hot meals for
the displaced workers. Hook Hall employees and volunteers
are assembling care kits for pick up at Hook Hall. The kits include
shelf-stable foods and paper goods and will be distributed
from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. daily through the duration of the COVID-19
pandemic, as long as supplies last. Also, Industry Family Meals are
provided from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. daily as well. For details, click here.
Media from all over the world has covered Hook Hall Helps. In its first
two weeks Hook Hall Helps distributed over 5000 supply bags and
dinners. Sheila Crye: moderated
a video conference of the IACP Cooking Schools and Teachers group,
attended by 25 members. Sheila says: "The independent cooking schools
are really suffering during this "pause" in the economy. Most of us are
interested in developing paid online classes. We exchanged information
comparing the various platforms and shared experiences. We also started a
couple Google Docs. One is for sharing links to pertinent articles and
online resources and the other is a spreadsheet with our contact
information. I feel that my clients might pay a reduced price for online
participation classes. That is, I send them the shopping list and
recipes and we cook simultaneously. Will let you know when I have more
to report." Lori Gardner is aggregating information on her Been There Eaten That blog about the DC area restaurant industry "DC Area Restaurants and COVID-19: How Can We Help?"
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There has been an uptick in the use of our chapter's listserve. First VP Lori Gardner
created it as a forum for us to communicate with each other in real
time. So, especially now, we encourage you to stay connected by
sharing articles, recipes, concerns, and ideas.
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As most of us are staying closer to home these days, we need
effective ways to reach out to one another. Wild Apricot, our new online
communications platform can help our members do that.
We will use this platform for networking, member engagement, and, when our programs are back up and running, for logistics, such as event registration. You'll
first need to log on, identify your professional affiliation and your
areas of expertise and add a current photo if you have one easily
available. We hope you will sign on to Wild Apricot to help make the most of your LDE-DC membership.
We are seeking 100% participation, so don't delay!
If this is your first time to log in, please use this link to reset your password.
An email will be sent to you to reset your password.
Once you've logged in, you will be prompted to accept the terms and
conditions. Then, you can go into your profile and update and verify
your contact information. Your profile includes many areas like social
links, profession, photo, etc. Only members can view your profile
information.
If you have any questions about Wild Apricot, please email [email protected]
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OF INTEREST
Guy Fieri and the National Restaurant Association has
launched a Relief Fund to give $500 checks to restaurant workers
affected by the Coronavirus.
Here's how it works: Restaurant workers can apply for a grant
paid for by the NRAEF fund starting Thursday, April 2, and will receive
a one-time $500 check within three weeks to use toward
housing, medical bills, student loans, groceries, and other expenses.
The NRAEF stipulated that these grants would be administered on a
"first-come, first-serve basis." To apply or to donate click here.
Tuesday, June 9. Gunther & Co. Fourth Annual Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry! Fundraiser. 3650 Toone Street, Brewers Hill, Baltimore, MD 21224. (free parking) Nancy
and Jerry Trice will ride 300 miles in Bend, OR to help solve the
problem of childhood hunger in America. Currently one in seven
children in our country suffers from food insecurity and the percentage
of kids who regularly miss meals is higher in Baltimore and DC. Over the
past three years, the Trice's have raised more than $100,000 to support
this cause which translates to more than one million classroom
breakfasts. Please join them on June 9. This event features
Baltimore's top restaurants and bartenders who will create delicious
food and cocktails along with an incredible array of silent auction and
raffle prizes. Hope to see you there! Click here for ticket and donation
information.
SAVE THE DATE. Thursday, October 15. Food History Gala. October 16 and 17, Food History Weekend. National Museum of American History, 1300 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, D.C. 20560
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Entre News is our LDE-DC chapter e-newsletter. It is published on the first and third Wednesday of each month. It is on hiatus during the month of August. Deadline for HURRAH! and other news is the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Please
send a BRIEF paragraph with your professional and personal news that
you would like your sister Dames to know about in HURRAH!
HURRAH!
is not meant as an advertising opportunity for a cooking class or
event, rather it offers a shout out to members for recent
accomplishments and honors. Please submit your HURRAH to [email protected] in a succinct 75 words of less.
DAMES CORNER is a brief feature to help us get
to know our sister Dames a bit better. We will randomly choose Dames to
profile who have differing professional backgrounds so the coverage is
more interesting.
OF
INTEREST offers Dames a chance to let their sister chapter members know
about events they are involved in that might be of interest to a
majority of the membership. Its
function is not to promote products, cooking classes, culinary trips,
etc., rather to alert members to public programs that might be of
professional interest, especially if Dames are featured. We request OF INTEREST entries to be no longer than 150 words. Less is always better.
JOB OPPS can open Dames networks to employment opportunities.
Thank you for you continued interest and participation.
Katherine Newell Smith
Founding Editor, Entre News
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Social Media Connections
Connect with Sister Dames
 LesDamesDC
 @LesDamesDC
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We need ALL members who have FB, Twitter and Instagram accounts to
follow and actively re-tweet our members' tweets to spread the great
news about our activities and programs!
Connect with Les Dames d'Escoffier International
Please share news, events and updates. Join the LDEI members-only LinkedIn Group to stay connected with other Dames.
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Join a Committee....
You
were invited to join Dames because of your talents and achievements and
you promised to be part of our chapter's committee work; so, now it is
time to
Get Involved!
Our
committees offer the perfect opportunity to get to know your sister
Dames, share your skills and to give back to the community through
service. Every committee needs dedicated participants. Please
contact the committee chairs and offer your time and skills, now.
2019-2020 Committee Chairs
Membership - Dames Who Dine:
Karen Lippold
[email protected]
Membership - Engagement:
Carole Sugarman
Women in Gastronomy:
Laurie Bell
Eileen Dykes
Grants:
Jessica Botta
Scholarships:
Nona Nielsen-Parker
Green Tables:
Karen Vartan
Edee Hogan
Global Culinary Initiatives:
Amy Riolo
Public Relations:
Jill Collins
Development:
Annie Boutin King
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2019-2020
Julia Rutland
Financial Officer
Drew Faulkner
Communications Officer
Jill Collins
Directors
Olga Boikess
(Programs)
Karen Lippold
(Dames Who Dine)
Diane Neas
(Parliamentarian)
Karen Vartan
(Green Tables)
Alternate:
Carole Sugarman
(Member Engagement)
Janet Yu
(Past President)
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To view the latest approved board meeting minutes, go to www.lesdamesdc.org and
click on the Members Only tab and enter the password. Click on the dropdown menu for LDE-DC Board
and you will see a link to the board meeting minutes. During each
monthly board meeting, the board approves the previous month's minutes
and they are then posted to our website.
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It is easy to find chapter documents and resources, our event archives and past editions of Entre News.
We now have a single password that all Dames must use to access the Members Only section of the website. The password is ldedc2014.
Please do not share this password with anyone outside of the
Chapter. We are revising the members only section but the password
remains as above.
If you are having trouble logging into the website please contact our Communications Officer at [email protected]
Under Member Login, you will see a revised menu where you can find:
- past and current Entre News issues posted under the Entre News Archives tab.
- archives of past chapter activities in the LDE-DC Dame Only Events menu along with upcoming events.
- helpful files including chapter letterhead, name tag template, LDEI logos and tax-exempt certificates under Documents and Forms.
- our chapter's standing rules, bylaws and membership roster under Bylaws, Roster & Minutes.
- A roster of Dames that can be printed out.
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LDEI Quarterly Deadlines:
The deadline for sending in Member Milestones and Chapter News for the AUTUMN issue of the LDEI Quarterly is AUGUST 1. Our archived Quarterly magazines
are available online. If you are not receiving hard copies of
Quarterly, please check your online contact information at www.ldei.org If it is correct, please contact Greg Jewell [email protected] to make sure you are on the mailing list.
Quarterly Guidelines:
Photography/Images-Electronic images must be properly
focused, in color with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (TIFF or JPEG).
Cell phone photos are acceptable if they meet resolution requirements.
Do not send photos taken off the internet or embedded with text in Word
files or PDF files. Identify individuals in photos from left to right in
the message of your email. Include photo credits, if required. CAPTIONS
ARE REQUIRED FOR PUBLICATION.
Member Milestones - Edited by Dorothy Koteski (Phil)
Share your professional news with Dames in all chapters in our LDEI Quarterly. Shout, don't whisper, about your accomplishments. We all want a chance to say "Brava!"
Submit Member Milestones by filling out the interactive form at: http://link.ldei.org/ldei-member-milestones. Any field
marked with an asterisk (*) is required. Note that some forms
have character limits due to space constraints. To
submit a photo, reply "Yes" to "Would you like to submit a high
resolution quality image?" Then click "Next". You will be taken to a
second page where you can upload your images.
Be sure to click the SUBMIT button to upload your
responses. You will receive an email confirmation that your submission
was received. Press releases and cookbook covers are not accepted. Entries received after the deadline may appear in a following issue.
Please know that you can also email your information, if you
prefer. The email addresses listed under the Submission
Guidelines will always be active and will forward to the correct
person.
Submit Chapter News by filling out the interactive form at: http://link.ldei.org/ldei-chapter-programs.To
submit a photo, reply "Yes" to "Would you like to submit a high
resolution quality image?" Then click "Next". You will be taken to a
second page where you can upload your images. Be
sure to click the SUBMIT button to upload your responses. You will
receive an email confirmation that your submission was received.
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