Volunteers chair Marie Steffany: Many, many thanks to the WIG day of volunteers!  Your dedication, flexibility and generous time commitments were critical to this year's success.  Your cooperation and assistance was greatly appreciated by every speaker, program chair, vendor and organizer.

Cookbook Jumble, chair Susan Delbert: Our Cookbook Jumble brought out the environmental recycler in hundreds of people.  Fifty cardboard boxes of cookbooks, magazine and food essays were donated by Dames, hoarders, food writers, closet culinarians and home chefs. Three of Susan Callahan's University of Maryland culinary students transported the lot from storage in Silver Spring to the symposium. From Marcus Samuelsson's relatively new "Red Rooster Cookbook" to Jacque Pepin's historic, but well-loved master technique books, the sections were wide-ranging.  International cookbooks, dessert books and celebrity tomes seemed to garner the most interest, but attendees were thrilled to scoop up Harold McGee's exposition of food chemistry, "On Food" and the interestingly titled, "Why French Children Eat Everything."  Any cookbooks which remained unsold were donated to two worthy recipients: the culinary students at the University of Maryland and the Seed School of Maryland library in Baltimore, Maryland.

Culinary Garage Sale, chair, Katherine Newell Smith: First a big thank you to Karen Lippold who supplied  a huge assortment of baking and display items for our sale then worked to price all of our donated items in advance and presided over our sales table during the entire symposium. Her efforts were key to our success. Great appreciation also goes to Stacey Adams and Janet Cam for coming to my home to price my ping-pong table full of cooking gadgets and tabletop ware donated by many Dames and to Ann Stratte and Judy Rusignuolo who worked the table during the EXPO lunch. All unsold items are being donated to the Center for Children and Families.

Lunchtime Expo, Co-Chairs: Jill Collins and Lori Gardner

We had 20 great vendors at this year's EXPO including Susan Sorrenko (Moorenko's Ice Cream), Julia Rutland (Wüsthof), Gladys Abi-Najm (Lebanese Taverna) , Maria Kopsidas (Cookology), Susan Wallace, (SweetFreakz) , and our keynoter, Pati Jinich, who graciously took a table to sign her cookbook.

Our thanks to Janet Yu, without whom we never could have navigated the Montgomery County food inspection process, and to CiCi Williamson who jumped in at the last minute to secure some terrific exhibitors. We were delighted to have a variety of  locally-based specialty food manufacturers (Mama Biscuit's Gourmet Biscuits, Chouquette Chocolates, Dip-n-Dill, Caulfield Provisions, Neek & Nan's Fresh Seasonings, Oh-Mazing Granola, Red Bandana Bakery and Sweet Crimes Bakery) plus informational vendors (Culinary Historians of Washington DC, KASMO, Young Chefs), author Dianne Hennessey King and some wonderful restaurants - Rocklands BBQ, Choolaah Indian BBQ and Tsiona Foods. It was a delicious event.

Conference "Goody" Bags, Co-chairs:  Drew Faulkner and Carole Sugarman. A big thank you to our very generous  goody bag product donors:  Michele's Granola, Edible DC magazine, Tsiona Foods, Silver, Caulfield Provisions, Red Bandana Bakery, Dawson's Market, Montgomery County Food Council, Livity Foods, MeatCrafters, Virginia Egg Council, Wüsthof, Hollywood East Cafe, Fairytale Brownies, Swiss Bakery, Edee Hogan, Rosa Mendoza and Denis Colman, and Patron Tequila. We encourage you to patronize these terrific businesses.  And, a special thanks to all the goody bag packers: Rose Clifford, Odonna Mathews, Elizabeth Hopkinson, Ann Stratte, Laurie Bell, and Eileen Dykes. We appreciate your cheerful enthusiasm and willingness to stay until the bitter end!!!  

The nomination period for LDE-DC chapter officers and directors for 2018-19 is now open until Monday, April 11.  You can find full descriptions of these jobs and the nomination form at www.lesdamesdc.org in the Member Resources Section and under the LDE-DE Board Minutes/Election Documents tab.  The login password is ldedc2014, all lower case.

Please nominate Dames who possess leadership qualities to represent our membership and who will work to achieve our chapter's goals in the coming year. Remember, you may nominate any chapter member in good standing or you may nominate yourself.  Please consider who will best serve the organization and submit your nomination(s) to committee chair Katherine Newell Smith at kns4pr@erols.com. Please be sure that the Dame you nominate agrees to participate as an active member of the board.

Each Officer is elected for a one (1) year term and is eligible for re-election to a second consecutive term. Exception is the treasurer who may serve total of four (4) consecutive terms. Each term period follows the fiscal year. Directors are elected for two years. After two (2) consecutive terms, an Officer is ineligible for reelection to the same office for a period of one (1) year, but she may be nominated and elected to a different position as either an Officer or Director. No member may serve on the board, as an officer or director, for more than seven (7) consecutive years.

The LDE-DC BOD positions are: president, first vice president (membership), second vice president (education and community outreach), second vice president (development), recording secretary, communications (corresponding) secretary and finance. Database and web-savvy individuals are needed for the communications secretary and finance positions. In addition, two (2) director positions are open.

2018-19 Board Nominating Committee

Chair: Katherine Newell Smith. Committee members: Eileen Dykes, Drew Faulkner, Sara Ducey, Golnaz Feiz