Dear Sister Dames,
Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon graciously opened the doors of their restaurant, Chaia, super early and hosted our first Green Tables Breakfast last week. Just say "yes" whenever you are offered a rutabaga taco at Chaia. The absolute best. It was a great morning with Bettina and Suzanne leading the conversation about the directions we can take with the D.C. chapter and Green Tables. Rounding out our group were Amanda Phillips, Susan Lutz, Katherine Tallmadge and Janet Yu and Kavina Patel who is a new member transferring in from the New York chapter. We will be doing something like this again in the near future and hope you will join in.
Also, many thanks to Amy Riolo and Aulie Bunyarataphan for the best Thai New Year I have ever celebrated. Great food, company and entertainment made it a very special evening indeed. I hope you all had a fantastic Songkran, too!
In case you missed the communication, the LDEI Blue Membership Directory has now gone mobile! The login information is below. Once you login from your phone, it will ask if you want to add it to your home screen so you will always have it on your phone, like an app.
I encourage you to do this.
Username: LesDames
Password: Merci!
This is also a good time for you to make sure your own info is updated in the directory. If you need to make changes, contact [email protected] and she can make them for you.
As always, it is an honor and a privilege to serve as your president. Any concerns, questions or comments, please email me [email protected] or call at 410-903-2682.
Salut, Ann Stratte President Les Dames d'Escoffier International, Washington, D.C., Chapter Secretary, LDEI |
DATE: Saturday, May 6
PLACE: Restaurant Nora
TIME: Registration 11:00 am; Meeting 11:30 am; Luncheon 12:45 pm
PRICE: $55 per person (includes 3 course luncheon, with wine and tips)
RSVP: To register for the meeting click here. To register for the luncheon, click here. To avoid Eventbrite fees, you may also send a check for $55 payable to to Les Dames d'Escoffier to Robin Kurtzman, 7512 Granada Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817.
PROXY: Attendance, in person, at one General Membership Meeting per fiscal year is a requirement of membership. If you cannot attend the Spring General Membership Meeting, you may ask an attending Dame to serve as your proxy. Click here for your proxy form. Email or send the proxy to Robin Kurtzman BEFORE the Spring General Membership Meeting to [email protected]. The instructions are on the form.
LUNCHEON MENU:
Starters
Asparagus Soup, Creme Fraiche, Crispy Leeks; or
Baby Lettuces, Strawberries, Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Entrées
Pan Seared Sustainable Salmon, Curry Aioli, Black Beluga Lentils, Carrots, Chard; or
Crispy Amish Chicken Schnitzel, Lingonberry Jam, Potato and Green Bean Salads; or
Ricotta Ravioli, Spinach Sauce, Spring Onion, Tomato, Zucchini
Desserts
Strawberry Lemon Tart, Whipped Cream, Strawberry Sauce; or
Austrian Chocolate Almond Cake, Whipped Cream
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DAMES WHO READ - BOOK CLUB - DAMES ONLY
DATE: Monday, May 1
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: At the home of Katherine Newell Smith, 5525 Devon Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.
PRICE: Free. Host provides food and drink
BOOK SELECTION: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver.
CONVERSATIONS WITH JOAN NATHAN AT THE ISRAELI EMBASSY
Join us at the Embassy of Israel to celebrate the release of Joan Nathan's latest and highly acclaimed cookbook, King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from Around the World. Joan will be in conversation with Bonnie Benwick, The Washington Post's deputy food editor. A light breakfast will be served. Free tickets for Dames and the general public! Please feel free to share this event with your friends and community.
DATE: Wednesday, May 10, 2017
PLACE: The Embassy of Israel, 3514 International Drive, NW
TIME: 10 a.m. until 12 noon (doors open at 9:45 a.m.)
COST: Tickets are free for Dames and the public.
RSVP: Click here to RSVP for your FREE tickets on Eventbrite!
RSVP/CANCELLATION DATE: May 2, 2017
NOTE: For security reasons, all attendees must preregister by May 2, so please RSVP right away using the link above.
The embassy requires the following information:
participant's full name (first and last); date, month and year of birth; and country of birth.
MOUNT VERNON: GEORGE AND MARTHA WASHINGTON'S BOUNTIFUL GARDENS AND TABLE - SOLD OUT!
Join us for a VIP tour of the Mount Vernon estate and museums with a special emphasis on 18th-century food production and gardening. Learn how the first First Family grew, prepared, and served its food. DATE: Thursday, May 11, 2017
TIME: 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. PLACE: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121
PARKING: Free in Mount Vernon's lots
THE EXOTIC ART OF BLENDING SPICES - ONLY THREE SPOTS LEFT!
Join Simran Sethi, Director of R&D and Product Development for Choolaah Indian BBQ in Fairfax, VA, for a lesson in the art of blending spices, or masalas, and a demonstration of the craft of making and baking naan in a tandoor oven. You will be greeted with Choolaah chai, mango lassi or non-dairy mint ginger lemonade as you tour the restaurant and view its contemporary art collection. (Each restaurant has commissioned original pieces.) Ms. Sethi will present some spice history and share their importance in Indian culture. She will then guide you through the art of blending spices to create a garam masala. Your own personal spice blend will be yours to take home. Afterwards, Choolaah's bakers will demonstrate how to make naan and bake it on the clay walls of one of the four large tandoor ovens heated to 700 degrees. (Choolaah is a variation of chulha, the Hindi term for oven.) A couple of volunteer bakers will have the opportunity to make their maiden naans.You will also see the cooks grill skewers of seasoned salmon, chicken, vegetables and even paneer (Indian cheese) in the tandoors and use to create delicious Indian dishes as well salads and wraps. You will enjoy tasting a variety of dishes using the balanced masalas and sauces specially developed by Ms. Sethi for the restaurant. Freshly baked naan and refreshing beverages will accompany the meal.
DATE: Saturday, May 13
TIME: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
PRICE: $25 Dames, $35 non-Dames (includes breakfast beverages, lunch with beverages, the workshop and a packet of your own spice blend). Space limited to 25.
RSVP: Click here to purchase your tickets on Eventbrite!
PARKING: Free parking is available at Mosaic on the street, in the marked public parking structures.
METRO: Dunn-Loring, take 2A bus to Lee Hwy and Gallows (3 min), walk 10 minutes to restaurant.
TOUR AND LUNCH AT ATWATER'S BIG KITCHEN IN BALTIMORE
There is nothing like a peek behind the scenes of a production facility to understand how a culinary business creates new recipes and prepares food for multiple locations. Join us as we step inside the "Big Kitchen" (BK) of Baltimore's famed Atwater's to learn a few of the secrets behind its outstanding reputation for consistent, delicious, traditional foods and culinary products.
Our tour will be conducted by the BK's production manager Nona Nielsen-Parker. She will show us how the facility develops new recipes (including Good Food Award winning Green Goddess salad dressing and Red Berry Rose jam) and produces Atwater's breads, pastries, ice cream, soup, jam and cheese. The tour will be followed by lunch and include current and seasonal menu favorites
Our speaker will be owner Ned Atwater, one of the leaders in establishing Baltimore's farm-to-table movement 17 years ago. What began as a very small business has grown into six thriving restaurants in Baltimore and participation in over 15 farmer's markets in the Baltimore/DC metro area. DATE: Saturday, May 20, 2017 TIME: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
PLACE: Atwater's, 2905 Whittington Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230 PRICE: $25 Dames, $35 non-Dames
RSVP: Click here to purchase your tickets on Eventbrite! PARKING: The BK is located just off Route 95, south of the inner harbor. there is plenty of free parking.
MENU: Upon Arrival
Lemon Bites*
Cheese* & Crackers*
Lunch Buffet
Creamy Asparagus Soup* garnished with Couscous and Black Garlic *
Atwater's Famous Chicken Salad and our Homemade Bread *
Big Kitchen Salad Greens* with Yellow Beets*, Asparagus* and Pistachios, 3 Potato Salad*
Dessert
Ice Cream Sandwiches*, Cookies*
Beverages
Iced Tea, Wine, Waters, Thyme* infused Lemonade
*denotes items grown and/or made at Atwater's
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ENTRE NEWS 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.
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
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.
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Alternate: Dianne Murphy (Public Relations)
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Please submit your Entre News information in a brief, concise statement to Katherine Newell Smith at [email protected].
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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.
If you are having trouble logging into the website please contact our Communications Officer, Polly Wiedmaier, at [email protected]
Once you log in under Members Only, 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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Member Milestones - 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 "Bravo!"
Submit your news to:
[email protected] - Edited by - Edited by Dorothy Koteski (Phil)
LDEI Quarterly Deadlines:
The deadline for sending in Member Milestones and Chapter News for the FALL issue of the LDEI Quarterly is August 1, 2017. 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 to make sure you are on the mailing list.
PROVIDE DAME'S NAME and CHAPTER. Submit up to 50 words about honors or important business-related activities to appear in the LDEI Quarterly. You may email a quality headshot to accompany your news. Press releases and cookbook covers are not accepted. Entries received after the deadline may appear in a following issue.
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.
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