Dear Sister Dames,
Better than the Oscars!
I just returned from Chicago where I joined sister Dames Joan Nathan, Simone Rathle-Guas, Ann Yonkers and Linda Roth and watched Amy Brandwein and Nora Pouillon walk the Red Carpet at the James Beard Foundation Awards. Amy was there as a nominee for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic while Nora took home the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a thrill to watch the Who's Who in American Food recognize Nora "as an individual whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook or think about food in America." Just last week, Bonnie Benwick and Pati Jinich also made a trip to New York to walk the red carpet as nominees for the JBF Media Awards. Bravo to our sister Dames for the recognition of their talents by this most prestigious organization.
You can congratulate Nora personally while attending the Spring General meeting to be held at Restaurant Nora on Saturday, May 6. Stay informed on chapter business, meet the new members and grant recipients, catch up with your sister Dames and enjoy a special lunch designed especially by Nora for our event. Please register today and I look forward to seeing you there. Click here to RSVP for the meeting and click here to RSVP for the luncheon.
Our second Green Tables breakfast will be taking place on Tuesday, May 16 at Chaia, thanks to the generosity of Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon. Also, many thanks to Susan Lutz for agreeing to chair this committee! We look forward to advancing some new and innovative ideas to better connect with our community on this vital initiative. Seating is limited, so please click here to register. Password is Green Tables.
The calendar is full for the next few weeks with great events and programs. I encourage you to make the short trip to Charm City as Nona Nielsen Parker hosts a fun tour and lunch at the amazing Atwater's on May 20. And back by popular demand, Gail Forman will be leading one of her famous walking tours of the newly renovated Eden Center on June 3rd.
Salut, Ann Stratte President Les Dames d'Escoffier International, Washington, D.C., Chapter Secretary, LDEI |
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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 Kurtzman4@comcast.net. 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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Linda Roth lectured at Linda Forristal's Hospitality PR class at Drexel University on April 18. She arrived bearing gifts: Red Bull gummy bears and chocolate covered espresso beans to keep everyone alert for the nearly 3-hour class.
Susan Soorenko's Moorenko's Ice Cream is now carried in 68 area Harris Teeter grocery stores. www.moorenkos.com. Cecilia Glembocki with The Virginia Egg Council just finished her 36th year orchestrating myriad family activities for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. She enlisted a number of Dames to help. See Dames News for photos. Pati Jinich has been named a Top 5 Border Ambassador by Americas Quarterly magazine to highlight those who excel in bringing the two countries closer together. Sharing her love for Mexican food is Pati's way of contributing to Mexico-U.S. relations. Nancy Piho hosted her company's seventh annual Shopping for Health conference for supermarket dietitians in Nashville, TN, April 23 - 25. In attendance were representatives from 23 national and regional supermarket chains. Food companies and association sponsors provided recipes, product updates and nutrition information for the supermarket RDs to take back to their stores and shoppers. Polly Wiedmaier and husband Robert Wiedmaier a.k.a. RW Restaurant Group, opened Siren by RW on April 25 at The Darcy (hotel) 1515 Rhode Island Ave., NW, Washington, DC. It's their third DC restaurant since opening Brasserie Beck in 2010 and Marcel's in 1999. www.sirenbyrw.com
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Cecilia Glembocki gathered eggs in preparation for the 2017 Annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Helping her were Ris Lacoste and her Ris' restaurant staff, who met the challenge to hard boil 4,500 eggs for the family egg dying event; Sarah Dwyer ,who made 250 individual Carmel chocolates with bunnies and Easter themed candies for the vip tent on the south grounds and Karen Vartan and Susan Lutz who packaged 4,000 egg-shaped sugar cookies for children to decorate with icing and sprinkles.
Cecilia Glembocki and friends.
Karen Vartan and Susan Lutz packaging cookies for the children to decorate.
Our book club met at the home of Katherine Newell Smith on a lovely spring evening...though we were forced indoors by showers after hors d'oeuvres. Inspired by Barbara Kingsolver, author of this month's book selection, Animal Vegetable Miracle: A Year of Food Life, the group experimented with making mozzarella and dined on a meal comprising locally produced, seasonal ingredients.
Gail Forman checking the temperature of the curds and whey.
Draining the curds. Katherine Newell Smith saying cheese while grating cheese from Stonyman Gourmet Farmer.
Main course of multigrain bread topped with spring salad, grilled asparagus, poached egg and shaved parmesan.
l-r Bette Alberts, Eileen Dykes, Barbara Cullen, Drew Faulkner, Kari Barrett, Gail Forman, Janet Cam, Susan James.
Photos: Katherine Newell Smith |
CONVERSATIONS WITH JOAN NATHAN AT THE ISRAELI EMBASSY - SOLD OUT!
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.)
MOUNT VERNON: GEORGE AND MARTHA WASHINGTON'S BOUNTIFUL GARDENS AND TABLE - SOLD OUT!
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 - SOLD OUT!
DATE: Saturday, May 13
TIME: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
PLACE: Choolaah Indian BBQ in the Mosaic District, 2911 District Ave, Fairfax, VA 22031
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.
GREEN TABLES BREAKFAST - DAMES ONLY
DATE: Tuesday, May 16
TIME: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
PLACE: Chaia, 3207 Grace St NW (Georgetown), Washington, DC 20007
MENU: Breakfast Tacos, Juice, Coffee and Tea
RSVP: Click here to register for your free ticket on Eventbrite! Password: Green Tables
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
EDEN CENTER WALKING TOUR
DATE: Saturday, June 3
TIME: TBA
PLACE: Eden Center, 6751 Wilson Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22044
RSVP: More details coming soon
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Sunday, May 7, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. 20th Anniversary Celebration: Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C.
Burke Theater, U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. "Culinary History: Looking Back, Looking Forward." Panelists will explore the background and future of culinary history, now thriving in academic fields, museum studies, and popular culture. Panelists: Shirley Cherkasky (Lisa Cherkasky's mom) CHOW founder; Rayna Green, Curator emerita, National Museum of American History; Warren J. Belasco, Professor emeritus for American Studies, UMBC; Dianne Hennessy King, coauthor, Memoir Your Way
Metro: Archives/Navy Memorial (Yellow & Green lines); Free and Open to the Public. Because there is a catered reception, please RSVP to Francine Berkowitz 301-439-0189.
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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 kns4pr@erols.com 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 kns4pr@erols.com. |
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 lesdamesdc.list@gmail.com
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:
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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