Dear Sister Dames,
I am so thankful that fall has finally arrived because it is my favorite season to cook, hike and socialize outside. I hope you, too, are enjoying some down time outside and enjoying the change of the leaves.
There is a flurry of activity in our chapter right now and I want to particularly thank all of you who have been putting in some heavy time. Some Dames are working on operations, others on chapter events and still others on our upcoming international conference. A number are involved in all of the above. Many and sincere thanks.
While we are a chapter with wonderful intra-chapter relationships among our Dames, we are, in fact, one of 43 chapters and over 2300 members across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and in Paris. Each of us should feel free to reach out to any Dame for help, information or collaboration. You should definitely check out the possibility of attending a Dames meeting or event if you are in another chapter's town. I have enjoyed the times I have reached out to other Dames while traveling and was welcomed with open arms, even though we just met. I encourage you to do the same and see what this great network of women can offer.
I also am excited to tell you that I have completed the renovation to our Members Only section of our website. Now, every member will have her own personal password to access the site. For your initial access, please click on the link requesting a password to be emailed to you. You can then login in with your email address and password to access this section. This now includes the chapter calendar (color-coded by event type), interactive directory, chapter forms and your personal profile where you can update all your information. If your email address has changed please email me directly and I can update it in the system.
I will be explaining more of the robust features that you will have access to in the near future.
Should you have a chapter question, concern or idea, please shoot me an email president@lesdamesdc.org or give me a call (410) 212-2224.
Stacey Adams
President Les Dames - Washington, DC |
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Ann Stratte's beloved father, Alf Kenneth Stratte, 91, passed away early Sunday morning, October 13, in Cambridge, Minnesota. A memorial service was held this morning at the Cambridge Lutheran Church.
Linda Roth's dear mother, Thelma Roth, died on Monday, October 14 in Rockville, MD. Services will be held at Sol Levinson & Bros. 8900 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, Maryland on Friday, October 18, at 10:00 a.m. Interment Beth Tfiloh Cemetery, 5800 Windsor Mill Road. Please omit flowers. Shiva will be held in Arlington, VA at the home of Linda Roth and Jonathan Kahan.
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DATE: Saturday, November 9
TIME: Board Meeting: 10 a.m.
General Membership Meeting: 11 a.m.
Lunch: Noon
PLACE: Ris Restaurant, 2275 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20037.
PRICE: Meeting is FREE; Lunch price $55.
REGISTRATION: Registration information coming soon.
PROXY: Attendance, in person, at one general membership meeting per year is a requirement of membership. If you cannot attend the AGMM, you may ask an attending Dame to serve as your proxy. You will find your proxy form at www.lesdamesdc.org or by clicking here. Please email or send the completed proxy form to Robin Kurtzman (kurtzman4@comcast.net) BEFORE the meeting. Instructions are on the form.
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Jessica Botta has been invited to be a panelist at the University of Virginia's Career Pathways for Italian Majors event on October 18. She will discuss her career, experiences in college that influenced it and offer advice for current students. Then, from November 10 to 15, she will be in Calais, France with Culinary Corps (CC), the nation's first volunteer service organization dedicated to culinary professionals and on whose board she serves. The trip's purpose is to determine how CC can best provide ongoing assistance to those struggling for survival on the front lines of the refugee crisis, in Europe and beyond. For more information about the trip and Culinary Corps click here.
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Well organized doesn't even begin to describe Kari Barrett, who recently hosted our LDE-DC book club with a delicious, farm-fresh dinner, ready-to-serve from a spotless kitchen after a full day at her Food and Drug Administration job. An English major with a passion for food, Kari works at the intersection of food and public policy providing leadership on strategic communications and public engagement for FDA's food safety and nutrition programs. On the day she welcomed the book club to her home, she was preparing to moderate an upcoming public meeting of some 200 stakeholders and the interested public (not to mention on-line participants) on issues related to identity of food products ( non-dairy "milk").
Touring farms and food facilities is an important way for Kari to get the first-hand knowledge she needs for the FDA work. These visits give her "such an appreciation of what people are doing throughout the food chain to keep food safe". Yet her day job is only one of many balls she keeps in the air.
An interest in historic homes and their kitchens has led to giving educational, historic cooking demonstrations focused on regional Chesapeake foods and traditions at Riversdale House Museum and to a leadership role in the Culinary Historians of Washington. And she was excited to tell the book club about a recent event at the National Arboretum where she and fellow members of the Potomac Chapter of the Herb Society of America demonstrated non-alcoholic, horticultural brews using botanicals like ginger beer.
She makes it all seem effortless - and fun.
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We recently launched a members-only listserv for our chapter. This is a vehicle for members to communicate with each other in real-time. Many of us have talked about the need for this; so, we are happy to report that more than half of our members are already subscribed.
We will share relevant news articles, send program reminders, conduct outreach for volunteers and use the service as a way to supplement newsletters and emails.
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The Infatuation Washington D.C., a new restaurant discovery platform, is seeking a full-time staff writer to run the site. They want someone who knows and loves this city's restaurants - from the newcomers to the classics (and everything in between), good writing skills and strong opinions but with a fun point of view. Click here for more information and to apply.
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You can still register to attend our 2019 LDEI conference Nashville: Rhythm and Roots, October 24 to 27. Click here for more info.
Nashville is a vibrant metropolis. It is, not surprisingly, known as Music City but is also capital of the state that tipped the scales and gave women the right to vote and is now a national culinary destination with so much to share. You'll find a rich history, beauty, and an amazing Dames chapter that is ready to roll out the "BLUE" carpet for all of us next week!
I hope to see you there!
-Ann Stratte, LDEI President
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DAMES NEWS
Bethesda Central Farm Market Tour
Dames and members of the public were treated to a fabulous insiders' tour of the Bethesda Central Farm Market on Sunday, October 6, led by market co-owner Debbie Moser. Attendees gained insights and appreciation for the market, after learning about its history and operation, and meeting with 12 vendors, including Susan James of Stonyman Gourmet Farmer, Sophia Maroon of Dress it Up Dressing, and Sandra Kay Miller of Painted Hand Farm. We also had the pleasure of seeing Drew Faulkner and Wendy Bazil, who were there promoting MoCo Made Day as part of the Montgomery County Food Council. The tour featured tastes of pizza, cheese, salad dressing, chocolate and more, and attendees left with a goody bag and newfound knowledge.
Debbie Moser addressing the Dames and guests.
Lori Gardner, Carole Sugarman, Debbie Moser, Susan Barocas, Janet Cam, Lizette Corro, and Robin Kurtzman (LDE-DC administrator) all enjoyed the morning tour.
Sandra Kay Miller of Painted Hand Farm.
Sophia Maroon of Dress it Up Dressing.
Susan James of Stonyman Gourmet Farmer.
Dames Who Read Kari Barrett hosted our September 19 Dames Who Read - Dames only book club where Forrest Pritchard's Gaining Ground was discussed. Attendees were Eileen Dykes, Paula Jacobson, Sheryl Hoehner, Susan Callahan, Sheila Crye and Olga Boikess. 
Forrest Pritchard and his son Linus at the Takoma Park Farmers Market. Linus holding a salami that Kari purchased to serve at the book club.
Front row: Paula Jacobson, Olga Boikess, Susan Callahan
Standing: Sheryl Hoehner, Sheila Crye, Eileen Dykes
Politics on the Plate A sold-out crowd of 90 guests (plus the hard-working Dames who made the event happen) filled the National Press Club's largest event room on Columbus Day, October 14, for a lively, topical panel discussion by major D.C. restaurateurs on how the heated politics of today have entered public dining rooms. Major media were taking notes as veteran journalist and former restaurant owner Carol Joynt moderated a panel comprising Amy Brandwein (Cetrolina/Piccolina), Ruth Gresser (Pizzeria Paradiso), Maria Trabocchi (Fiola, Fiola Mare, Del Mar, Sfoglina), Ashok Bajaj (Bombay Club, Rasika, Sababa) Laurent Menoud (Café Milano manager) and Stephanie Wilkinson (Owner, Red Hen in Lexington, Virginia). The event was orchestrated by Jill Collins, who created a dramatic setting, with assistance from Lizette Corro and Janet Cam, and recruited the media, Olga Boikess and Press Club Executive Chef Susan Delbert. D.C. Cable filmed the discussion which will be posted on YouTube. We will send out the link so everyone can watch the discussion. L to r: Ruth Gresser, Amy Brandwein, Laurent Menoud, Carol Joynt, Maria Trabocchi, Ashok Bajaj and Stephanie Wilkinson
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Do you have food and beverage books that you would like to donate to the LDEI Collection of the Boyd Hospitality and Culinary Library in New Orleans? If so, contact LDEI Collection Committee Chair Sheila Crye (crye4@aol.com) or (301) 512-8631 to arrange to transfer your donations to her in Silver Spring and save the cost of media mail. Sheila is transporting a carload of books to our LDEI conference in Nashville where Liz Williams will pick them up and deliver them directly to the Boyd Library.
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PROGRAMS
NOVEMBER 2: FRENCH GRILL: A LUNCHEON AND TALK BY AUTHOR SUSAN HERMANN LOOMIS - PUBLIC PROGRAM
Acclaimed author Susan Hermann Loomis, who lives in Normandy, France, will be with us on Saturday Nov 2 from noon until 3 pm to speak about the French art of the grill (she says that barbeque was invented in France!) and to talk about her book French Grill: 150 Refined & Rustic Recipes. The luncheon will be at RIS Restaurant (Ris Lacoste) and will include a French-themed lunch and dessert.
DATE: Saturday, November 2, 2019
TIME: Noon to 3:00 p.m.
PLACE: Ris Restaurant, 2275 L Street, NW, Washington, DC
PRICE: $59 for Dames; non-members $69
RSVP: Click here to purchase your tickets on Eventbrite.
DAMES WHO READ: DAMES ONLY BOOK CLUB
DATE: Monday, November 18
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: The home of Susan Callahan, 1016 Greenock Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901
BOOK SELECTION: From Scratch: Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke.
PRICE: Free. The host provides refreshments.
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OCTOBER 19. ART WORKS NOW - RISE. 4800 Rhode Island Avenue, Suite 1, Hyattsville, MD. Ruth Gresser and partner, Barbara Johnson, founder of Art Works, are throwing a fundraiser to support arts in the community for all ages. There will be music, dancing, art activities and an amazing auction as well as fabulous food and drink, of course. Click here for more information and tickets. for details.
OCTOBER 20. REMEMBERING MICHEL RICHARD & JEAN-LOUIS PALLADIN DINNER
Ris Lacoste will be among twenty-one noted chefs honoring the legacy of Chefs Michel Richard and Jean-Louis Palladin. The proceeds of this event will go to benefit DC Central Kitchen. The participating chefs (among them Todd Gray, Robert Wiedmaier, Jeff Buben) were part of an informal group called DC Chefs About Nothing Club made up of these legendary toques who would regularly gather to eat and drink at each other's restaurants after dinner service. Tickets may be purchased here at ($300 pp, all inclusive).
OCTOBER 29. FEAST AT FRESHFARM EVENT.
The Line Hotel, 1770 Euclid Street, NW. 5:30 p.m. Reception at A Rake's Progress; 6:30 p.m. Dinner and Auction. Click here for more information.
NOVEMBER 1. THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB BOOK FAIR AND AUTHORS' NIGHT. 5:30 to 8 p.m. 529 14th Street, N.W.
Club members who have published a book since November 2018 participate in the annual Book Fair. Socialize with your favorite authors during a special reception in their honor prior to discussing their work with fans and signing books during an exciting evening celebrating all things literary. Book Fair tickets are $5 for Club members and $10 for the public and can be purchased online beginning at 8:15 a.m. Monday, September 16 and at the door on November 1. The Book Fair is a fundraiser for The National Press Club Journalism Institute. The Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire civic engagement. The Institute is partnering with Politics & Prose to coordinate the event.
NOVEMBER 4. CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK'S EMPTY BOWLS BETHESDA FUNDRAISER.
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hyatt Regency Bethesda, One Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda.
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in the metropolitan area, providing more than 30 million meals a year through a network of 450+ partner organizations. The fundraiser features unlimited tastes of soup, bread and desserts from nearly 20 Montgomery County restaurants and food businesses, plus each attendee gets to take home a handcrafted pottery bowl made by a local artisan. Carole Sugarman is the volunteer chairperson of the event, and Janet Yu, Gladys Abi-Najm and Polly Weidmaier are among the restaurateurs who will be participating. Each $35 ticket donation provides 87 meals to families in need. For tickets, click here.
NOVEMBER 3-10. DMV BLACK RESTAURANT WEEK Nearly 50 participating black-owned restaurants in D.C., Maryland and Virginia will offer special menus and pricing. Additional events include a cocktail competition on November 4 featuring local bartenders who will showcase their signature drinks; a Business of Food and Beverage Summit on November 6; tasting events featuring spirits from black-owned businesses; and an awards ceremony and dinner recognizing area culinary talent on November 8. The theme of the dinner will be "conversations and cuisines of the African diaspora." A list of participating restaurants and tickets for the various events will be available through the DMV Black Restaurant Week in the coming days.
NOVEMBER 7. SMITHSONIAN FOOD HISTORY GALA. The National Museum of American History, 14th Street and Constitution Ave N.W., Washington, D.C.
Join us for a black-tie celebration in support of the programs, exhibitions, and research of the Smithsonian Food History Project
at the National Museum of American History featuring the fifth annual presentation of the Julia Child Award to
José Andrés by the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. Click here for Tickets.
NOVEMBER 16-17. METRO COOKING DC - WALTER WASHINGTON CONVENTION CENTER Among the Dames participating in this two-day culinary extravaganza will be Emmy-award winning television host, cookbook author and successful restaurateur Lidia Bastianich plus our own Amy Brandwein, Amy Riolo, both who will conduct cooking demonstrations, and Maria Kopsidas, whose Cookology culinary school will host cooking classes. Celebrity chefs Martha Stewart and Wolfgang Puck will do demonstrations of the James Beard Foundation and more than 300, specialty food exhibitors will be selling their products and wares. Click here for information and tickets.
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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 eneditor@lesdamesdc.org 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
dameswhodine@lesdamesdc.org
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. See Stacey's President's Letter for more information.
If you are having trouble logging into the website please contact our Communications Officer at communications@lesdamesdc.org
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 WINTER issue of the LDEI Quarterly is NOVEMBER 11. 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 info@ldei.org 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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