Summer 2015 - Les Dames d`Escoffier International

Transcription

Summer 2015 - Les Dames d`Escoffier International
SUMMER
2015
Gone to Market
The Roles and Responsibilities of Dames in the Grocery Industry
ALSO INSIDE GEORGES AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER REVOLUTIONIZED THE CANONS
O F C L A S S I C A L F R E N C H C U I S I N E A N D E L E V AT E D T H E S T AT U S O F
T H E P R O F E S S I O N A L C H E F. H I S L E G A C Y C O N T I N U E S …
Michel Escoffier and
Mary Chamberlin at
a Monterey Chapter
celebration for Grande
Dame Julia Child’s
birthday.
Karen MitchamStoeckley’s Cotes de
Agneau Maison d'Or
(lamb cooked in the
Provençal style); a recipe
from her cookbook that
she served for a special
dinner (page 15). Photo
by Curt Dennison.
Michel Escoffier and Lori
Willis examine a poster
of the Escoffier Museum.
Photo by Curt Dennison.
from the editor
SUMMER
2 O 1 5
In This Issue
F E ATU R ES
4 The Fabulous Four
6Gone to Market
12 Escoffier: Looking Back
on a Legacy
5 Doin' the Charleston
1
16 Global Culinary Initiative
18 Wente: California's First
Family of Chardonnay
25 San Antonio Celebrates
D E PA RT MEN T S
0 Chapter News
2
26 Member Milestones
31 Submission Guidelines
LDEI: Past, Present, and Future
Understanding the past is one of the most powerful tools we
have for shaping the future. On pages 12 to 14, pay homage
to the achievements of Master Chef Georges Auguste Escoffier.
During the fabulous “Edible London” trip Dames participated
in last year, an afternoon tea was arranged at
the Savoy Hotel. Executive Chef James Pare
guided us on a tour through the kitchens,
sharing a history of the hotel and Escoffier.
Chef Pare and his team spent months pouring over the hotel archives and records at
Musee Escoffier in his efforts to incorporate
Escoffier’s dishes into the Savoy’s menus. We
all wanted to know more about Escoffier…this feature is a
place to begin. Exciting news: The London Chapter will host
Edible London, Part 2 in 2016. Watch for further details.
Groceries, of necessity, are part of every woman’s life but in the
feature story, “Gone to Market,” pages 6 to 10, nine enterprising
Dames have turned food into a career. New York Dame Karen
Page, author of The Vegetarian Flavor Bible, writes, “The average
American feels it’s easier to figure out income taxes than how to
eat healthy… the proven connection between nutrition and wellness can’t be ignored. LDEI President Lori Willis says “Grocers
have an emotional connection with our customers because we
provide the healthy food that they need to live a quality life. They
see us almost daily and look to us for more than just food; for
education, information, and advice.”
Our deserving 2015 Grande Dame nominees are
presented on pages 4 to 5. Don’t miss the fabulous
chapter stories shared by Atlanta, San Antonio,
and Hawaii.
Charleston has been busy planning the 2015
Annual Conference. It will be an extraordinary
opportunity for personal enrichment, with
productive sessions, engaging speakers, and time
for fun. There is no place like beautiful Charleston! You will find it to be uniquely hospitable with
splendid architecture, charming town gardens, balmy
autumn weather, and history as rich as biscuits ‘n sausage gravy.
Charleston has a lively beverage history as well, and the food is
flavorful, unforgettable, and smoking hot!
—Susan Fuller Slack (Charleston)
2
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
PResident's Message
2015 LDEI Board
of Directors
Let’s Giv’em Something to Talk About!
The mission of the LDEI Board is to
foster the growth and success of
the organization by supporting the
development of new and existing chapters
and by implementing program initiatives.
It provides leadership, guidance,
education, connectivity, and effective
communication among LDEI members.
Greetings ladies! It is my pleasure to provide
you with information and updates as we take
full advantage of the beautiful days of summer.
We’ve been in contact with the team at the
USA Pavilion in Milan where the theme,
“American Food 2.0” has come to life. The
lineup includes renowned experts charged with
starting a worldwide conversation that unites
people around the topic of food. We will try
to keep you posted on developments via social
media but encourage you to take a look at the
program posted on-line. In the meantime, the
Expo has reminded me how LDEI might keep
our own “conversation” going.
I get excited when I hear of a Dame who, in
a speech, video, or news article, finds a way
to mention LDEI. That small courtesy goes a
long way and I have tried to remember to talk
about our organization or share news about
one of our members at least once a day. I find
myself talking not only about my own chapter
but about the exciting things happening in
LDEI chapters across the entire globe. As we
go about our work or summer travels, let’s find
ways to “talk Dames.”
I will start by talking about recent highlights
from your LDEI Board. I am always amazed
at the amount of work that comes from these
Board volunteers and how, even with an eighthour time difference when traveling, CBL
Bev Schaffer is willing to set her alarm for a
conference call!
With that level of dedication, you won’t be
surprised to hear that we are taking a team
approach to new chapter development this
year and are in talks with several potential
new chapters. Armed with her newly-updated
handbook, Secretary Sharon Olson is working to ensure a strong representation of leaders
to help share information, answer questions,
and directly extend an invitation to qualifying,
potential members.
I have made a couple of these trips myself,
along with Dames Nathalie Dupree and CiCi
Williamson. While every Dame can be a great
advocate, few can “talk Dames” better than
those two ladies! Unless, of course, it’s our PR
and Social Media team! Second VP Hayley
Matson-Mathes is generating quite a lot to
talk about, and we ask that you make sure
you are following the team on Facebook and
Twitter.
Recent posts have also included information about our award programs, and CiCi
Williamson reports that judges have chosen
the winners in LDEI's M.F.K. Fisher Awards
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 President
Lori Willis
Director of Communications
Schnuck Markets, Inc.
11420 Lackland Rd.
Ballwin, MO 63146-3559
(314) 994-4602 | [email protected]
First Vice President
Maria Gomez-LAURENS
Manager, Hospitality, HelmsBriscoe
11241 Avenida del Gato
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 633-7515 | [email protected]
contest (see ldei.org). Based on the caliber of
nominees, the Grande Dame award is a guaranteed highlight of Conference 2015. And,
we have received a tremendous response to the
Legacy Award Program. I thank Co-Chairs
Sue Robison and Alison Awerbach, The Julia
Child Foundation, and all LDEI partners who
give of their time and talents to make this
program possible.
The development team led by First VP Maria
Gomez and Greg Jewell of AEC just reported
an additional four partner agreements; planning has already begun for their participation
in Charleston! Now, that’s something to talk
about! Please reach out and thank all confirmed partners you see on our social media
blasts and on the full list that is building at
LDEI.org. Remember, it’s never too late
to share ideas for additional new partners.
Partnering with LDEI offers value that every
company who connects with our mission and
vision deserves to know about.
Finally, all roads lead to Charleston, S.C.
(Oct. 29 – Nov. 1) where Conference CoChairs Jennifer Goldman and Paige Crone
are preparing to call in final details to the
Board’s June meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thanks to the hospitality of our host
chapter, we look forward to a great meeting,
a strong conference planning session, and
organizational networking with our Minnesota
Dames. I am sure it will give us even more
wonderful things to talk about!
Lori Willis
President, Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Second Vice President
Ann Stratte
Owner, My Personal Chef
100 Severn Avenue, #506
Annapolis, MD 21403-2622
(410) 903-2682 | [email protected]
Third Vice President
Hayley Jo Matson-Mathes
Owner/Culinary Consultant
2333 Kapiolani Blvd #3516
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 941-9088 | [email protected]
Secretary
Sharon M. Olson
Executive Director, Culinary Visions® Panel
345 North Canal Street, Apt. 1407
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 280-4573 | [email protected]
Treasurer
Stacy Zeigler
Director of Sales, Bold American Events
2929 Surrey Lane
Atlanta, GA 30341
(678) 302-3232 | [email protected]
Chapter Board Liaisons
Deborah Mintcheff
Project & Ckbk Editor/Food Writer/Copy Editor/
Recipe Devel/Co-Active Life Coach
Live Forward Coaching
129 East 69th Street
New York, NY 10021-5000
(212) 879-0383 | [email protected]
Deborah Orrill
Culinary Consultant
64 Vanguard Way
Dallas, TX 75243
(214) 343-0124 | [email protected]
Bev Shaffer
Corporate Chef, Vitamix World Headquarters
3433 Blake Road
Seville, OH 44273
(440) 781-7202 | [email protected]
Immediate Past President
Beth Allen
Founder/President, Beth Allen Associates Inc
347 W 22nd Street, Suite #9
New York, NY 10011-4683
(212) 206-1138 | [email protected]
Executive Director
Greg Jewell
President, AEC Management Resources
P.O. Box 4961
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 456-1851 x1 | [email protected]
3
The Fabulous
Role Models
for Our Time
Four fabulous Dames
have each been nominated by a chapter for the
prestigious, 2015 Grande
Dame Award. The honor is
bestowed every two years by
Les Dames d’Escoffier International in recognition of extraordinary and
unusual contributions in the fields of food,
fine wine and other beverages, nutrition, the
art of the table, and related areas. You can’t
help but be inspired as you read the bios of
these exceptional women. Their accomplishments motivate others to succeed in their
chosen professions, whether it’s marketing,
farming, teaching, or being a chef.
You know their names: Pat Mozersky
(San Antonio), Dolores Snyder (Dallas), Julie Miller Jones (Minnesota),
and, Joan Nathan (Washington). The
success of LDEI as an organization
results from efforts of women like
these.
Speaking of names—I was conjuring
up descriptive words for the fabulous four
when, inexplicably, anagrams came to mind.
An anagram is the rearrangement of letters
in a name to come up with another word.
In the Middle Ages, both scientist and sage
used the “word game” to discover hidden
meanings and deep insights. Curious to try,
I chose the letters from the four nominee’s
Dolores
SNYDER
(Dallas)
A founder and active member of
Les Dames d’Escoffier, Dolores
Snyder is an international authority on the art of English tea.
Her culinary journey began in
the early 1970s, when she lived
in London for three years and
studied cooking at Le Cordon
Bleu, in Italy, Hong Kong, and
the Dieppe Cookery School in
France. In 1976, Dolores returned to the United States and
4
opened the Gourmet Cookery
School in the Dallas area.
While her primary focus was
culinary training classes, her
love of tea and its rituals never
diminished. She has taught the
art of English tea for more than
25 years. In 2004, she published
Tea Time Entertaining, a collec-
names. From an alphabet soup of 50 letters, I conjured up: Dame, leader, mentor,
diplomat, journalist, president, talented,
star, smart, kind, loyal, pretty, jolly, and
student. Regretfully, ”C” wasn’t available for
chef, culinary, or cuisinier. I also came up
with mysterious, spouse, mother, sisterhood,
and hot mama—well, you get the idea!
Certainly, these qualities, and many more,
characterize the nominees as role models
that embody the spirit of LDEI. They are
ALL winners, but the selection of one as our
newest Grande Dame will add a final grace
note. She will become LDEI’s 13th Grande
Dame—a very lucky number indeed, given
the high number of stellar qualities my
secret world of anagrams revealed!
Susan Fuller Slack (Charleston)
tion of tea themes and recipes
with table settings, tea etiquette,
tea accouterments, and the history of afternoon tea. She also
has lectured about tea aboard the
Queen Mary 2.
Dolores’ work has been featured in many magazines and
newspapers, including The New
York Times, The Mail on Sunday (London), Food Arts, and
Southern Living. She directed a
cooking and wine tour to France
for Neiman Marcus and was the
food expert on an Earthwatch
expedition to China.
In 1984, Dolores founded the
Dallas Chapter of Les Dames,
one of the five originating chapters required to create the international organization. In 1986,
she was a founding member of
the James Beard Foundation.
Dolores served as the president
of LDEI from 1989-1991 and
participated actively on the
board for nine years. She also
has served as president of the
Dallas Chapter.
Dolores Snyder has been a
transformative presence in the
culinary world for decades. Her
leadership, dedication, and persistence in the advancement of
the culinary arts is unparalleled.
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Julie
Joan
MILLER
JONES
NATHAN
(Washington)
Joan Nathan has received
the highest accolades in the
world of food. In 2001, she was
honored for her many accomplishments as an inductee into
the James Beard Foundation's
Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.
She writes regularly for newspapers and magazines and is
the author of 11 cookbooks,
including Jewish Cooking in
America, which won a James
Beard Award and the IACP/
Julia Child Cookbook of the
Year Award in 1994. Her book
The New American Cooking won
a Beard award in 2005, and An
American Folklife Cookbook won
the R.T. French Tastemaker
Award (precursor to the James
Beard Awards) in 1985. Joan
is currently writing her 11th
cookbook, King Solomon’s Table:
The Roots and Routes of Jewish
Cooking, to be published by
Alfred Knopf.
Joan’s culinary talents also
translate to television. Her PBS
series Jewish Cooking in America
with Joan Nathan was nominated in 2000 for the James
Beard Award for Best National
Television Food Show.
Joan joined LDEI’s Wash-
(Minnesota)
ington Chapter in 1981 as a
charter member. In the chapter’s early years, she took an
active role in the organization‘s
leadership, helped start the
scholarship fund and now is
helping with the Women in the
Culinary Arts program. She has
hosted numerous dinners at her
home through the years.
Joan also sits on the board of
directors of the nonprofit Martha’s Table. She’s an advisory
board member of The World
Central Kitchen and cofounder
and organizer of Sips & Suppers, a two-day fundraising
event that supports Martha’s
Table and DC Central Kitchen.
These nonprofit organizations
are dedicated to education,
training, and hunger relief for
low-income families in the
Washington area.
Among numerous awards,
Joan also has received an honorary doctorate from The Spertus
Institute of Jewish Learning
and Leadership; a Golda Award
from the American Jewish Congress and a Silver Spoon Award
from Food Arts Magazine.
Pat
MOZERSKY
(San Antonio)
In her remarkable culinary
career, Pat Mozersky has done it
all: She’s a past president of Les
Dames d’Escoffier International,
a food writer and cookbook author, a cooking school director,
and the chairperson of noteworthy food events on the local and
national level.
Pat was a founding member
of the San Antonio Chapter
of LDEI, where she served as
president from 1996 to 2001. In
addition to serving as presiS U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 dent of LDEI International in
2005-2006, she was secretary in
2000-2002, first vice president
in 2004-2005, and immediate
past president from 2005-2006.
As a food journalist, Pat wrote
the Chefs’ Secrets column for
23 years for the San Antonio
Express-News. She was food
editor of San Antonio Woman
magazine from 2005-2013 and
Julie Miller Jones’ credentials are many—distinguished
scholar and professor emerita
at St. Catherine University in
St. Paul, Minnesota; scientific advisor, resource and
spokesperson for government
agencies, businesses, and other
entities. Julie is also a scientific
reviewer, textbook author,
public speaker, and an active
member of many professional
organizations.
But even more, Julie possesses a friendly, down-to-earth
personality and generous spirit.
She has been an engaged, committed member of the Minnesota Chapter since 1997 and
served as president in 2013.
She hosts chapter meetings at
her home and enthusiastically
accepts invitations to speak at
the chapter’s gatherings.
Julie’s professional accomplishments could fill
several pages. She is active in
the American Association of
Cereal Chemists International,
where she served as president
and board chair, and in the Institute of Food Technologists,
where she served as president
food writer for San Antonio Taste
magazine from 2010-2011. She
was co-editor of LDEI’s cookbook, Cooking with Les Dames
D’Escoffier, and she wrote two
cookbooks, The Hungry Traveler:
Italy, and What’s Cooking, San
Antonio?
A student of classic French,
Italian, and Thai cooking for
three decades, Pat founded and
directed Ma Maison Cooking
School from 1987-1995. She
also developed and starred in a
daily half-hour cooking show in
1996-1997—What’s Cooking,
San Antonio?
Pat co-chaired LDEI’s and
IACP’s annual conferences in
San Antonio and was a charter
of the National Nutrition
Division.
Julie is also active in the Association of Family/Consumer
Science; in the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics; and
the American Society of Nutrition.
Julie was chair of the Joint
Institute of Food Safety and
Nutrition of the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration and
the University of Maryland.
She speaks to professional
audiences and consumer
groups at least four times a
month, making more than 275
local, national, and international appearances. Her areas
of expertise include dietary
fiber, whole grains, food safety
issues, dietary guidelines, and
nutrition truths and myths.
“For all she’s accomplished,
she is very humble and always
willing to donate her time to a
program for our chapter,” says
Cindy Jurgensen. Joan Donatelle adds, “It is an honor
to have her in our group.
Every time I talk to her I learn
something.”
member and co-chair of the
New World Wine and Food
Festival for nine years. She was
named Woman of the Year by
the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. A native of Canada, Pat
received her degree from the
University of Manitoba. She and
her husband, David, have been
married for 50 years. They have
two sons.
Through her classes, articles,
columns, and TV shows, Pat
has had a profound effect on
generations of South Texans. A
tireless worker for Les Dames
locally and internationally, Pat’s
culinary legacy is unmatched
regionally.
5
Gone to Market
The Roles and Responsibilities
of Dames in the Grocery Industry
At the turn of the 20th century, women
played an important role in the development
of American food traditions and food businesses, often running neighborhood groceries
from a front room in their home.
In The American Kitchen Magazine in 1900,
progressive writer/teacher Anna Barrows
wonders whether grocers “suspect that women
may yet monopolize their business.” Anna
found the average grocery boy, “somewhat
aggravating—not knowing pastry flour from
bread flour, or a molasses jug from the kerosene can.” She said grocer’s wives and daughters were already making decisions and doing
the work, “and the cooking school graduate
has tried her wings by store exhibits, so why
shouldn’t they manage the store?”
It was a man’s world! Although femalefriendly, the grocery business was dominated
by businessmen. Around 1900, the Retail
Grocers’ Advocate considered women owners
(usually widows) to be unprogressive. Female
clerks were said to offer advantages men could
not: a pleasant attitude; willingness to wait on
customers; and the ability to dispense recipes
and culinary advice. A businessman offers a
word of warning—“one woman is enough;
employing more would be disruptive from all
the chatting and laughter.”
Women have come a LONG way in grocery
retailing, yet there is room for growth. At least
36 Dames affiliated with the grocery industry
perform a myriad of jobs including: product
development manager, project coordinator, cooking school director, global cheese
buyer, dietitian, chef, baker, grocery magazine
editor, marketing supervisor, and director
of consumer affairs. Exhibiting intelligence,
creativity, and compassion, they stand on the
shoulders of those who came before—women
who worked their way up the ladder, one rung
at a time.
You’ll meet nine dynamic Dames in this
article. Grocery retailing is a highly competitive industry, yet LDEI President Lori Willis
believes business diversity benefits Dames
and chapters. She says, “The LDEI mission is
one that calls for the suspension of competing interests for the time it takes to make a
difference for others. We have found that this
type of teamwork strengthens our ability to
accomplish our goals.”
Grocery stores are rapidly evolving in the age
of advanced technology, social media, apps,
and soon—smart shelves. Today’s supermarkets, some the length of a battleship, are
becoming “socializing spaces” offering lifestyle
activities. Consider this: grocery stores with
shifting walls that convert into a restaurant by
night and farmers market by day. It’s an exciting time to be a Dame in the grocery world!
Susan Fuller Slack
Special thanks to the Dame-writers who collaborated with me and who conducted interviews:
Ann Stratte and CiCi Williamson (Washington), and Dottie Koteski (Philadelphia).
Dames in the
Grocery Business
Meredith Beeman (Austin)
Central Market
Cooking School Manager
Cindy Chambers (Nashville)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Senior Culinary Instructor
The authors of this story compiled a list
of 28 Dames who work in the grocery
industry, but were not interviewed. We
regret that, due to space limitations,
additional Dames could not be featured.
Erika Bongort (Austin)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Cheese Monger/Chef Instructor
Certified Cheese Professional
Nichole Clark (Cleveland)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Associate Store Team Leader
(those not interviewed)
6
Karen Cassady (Dallas)
H-E-B/Central Market
Manager of seven Cooking Schools
Patricia Cobe (Chicago)
Restaurant Business Magazine
CSP Business Media
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
LORI WILLIS (St. Louis)
Merijoy Lantz Rucker (Nashville)
Communications/Special Projects
Schnuck Markets, Inc.
Director of Salud! Cooking School
Whole Foods Market
Women's work is never done, but it’s bringing their voices to the table.
Lori Willis, LDEI’s dynamic 25th president, is a communications expert
in grocery retailing. In 2001, she joined Schnuck Markets, a family-owned
company based in St. Louis with 100 stores in five states. She established a
communications office, providing expertise in strategic communications;
crisis communications; labor/governmental relations; audio/visual production; and trade events. A company spokesperson, Lori merged business
acumen with content creation to produce SchnuckTV internal television
network. Lori served as communications advisor for The Greater St. Louis
Food Employers Council and recently, was tapped to spearhead coordination of a special project, Feeding St. Louis. In a culture of collaboration,
she works to meet the special needs of St. Louis families, and help them
find the strength to move forward and flourish. Lori affirms, “I enjoy
working for a company that is committed to charitable giving and helping
to eliminate hunger in our community.”
“The food industry has gone through many recent changes,” says Lori.
“We continue to adjust to new food
legislation, including food labeling
and food safety guidelines, as well as
the ever-changing needs of a public
becoming increasingly knowledgeable
about food and beverages. It’s our job,
and our privilege, to provide food and
beverage education for our customers
and teammates.”
There is an integral link between food
and health. Lori admits it’s a challenge for some customers to change to
healthy eating habits. She says, “With
the popularity of the Food Network
and shows like Dr. Oz, grocers have
cheated the learning curve. Customers
are becoming more aware of how to
eat healthy and look for help in their
grocery store. We provide food and nutrition information through our food
education program, our chefs, registered dietitians, and pharmacists.”
Lori says Schnuck is rising to the occasion by growing private brands
across all categories; sourcing globally; and increasing organic, natural,
and gluten-free foods. She reports a growing interest in authentic, international foods and renewed interest in home cooking.
Lori reveals that grocers enjoy an especially close bond with their customers. “There is a greater level of trust and an emotional connection that
develops over food buying. The cooking process almost gives the neighborhood grocer a seat at the family table. With that bond, comes great
enjoyment and great responsibility.”
A woman’s work is never done, but it seems less like work and more
like fun when you’re with empowering, remarkable women like Lori. In
2008, she played a key role in forming the St. Louis Chapter, and is a
past president.
As the Director of Salud!
cooking school in Nashville,
Merijoy Lantz Rucker has
always said, “No matter how
great displays are or how
fantastic the food is—if no one
knows how to prepare it—it
will sit on the shelves.” Classes
allow individuals to taste and
see items that they might not
have tried or might be anxious
about preparing. Customarily,
students leave the class and go
directly into the store and purchase the ingredients they used.
Merijoy believes the future
will have a different type of
cooking student. It appears
that students are not so much
interested in cooking items
that are showstopper recipes
as they are cooking healthy for
their families. Today’s students
want to know the very basics
of cooking whether it is how
to mash potatoes or make
a chocolate cake. Cooking
schools conveniently available
and open to the public, such as
ours, have a great opportunity
to appeal to these new cooks.
Merijoy says she is proud
that the cooking school is
able to incorporate all types
of students in its classes, and
sometimes, it is more than
a school. She has met many
people and organizations who
have inspired her with their
work and energized her to do
more. This includes: dinners
to benefit Walden’s Puddle—a
wildlife rescue organization;
Visitation Hospital Foundation who built and maintain a
hospital in Haiti for mothers
and children; hosting students
from Youth Villages; and regularly providing classes for the
Wounded Warriors Project.
Salud! has an active calendar
By Susan Slack
with classes available five to
six days a week. The director plans and coordinates the
schedule for content, teaching
schedules, and assembles class
content for over 50 classes. In
addition, she schedules large
private events, many for businesses in the area, and private
classes and/or team building
classes, which range from 12
to 75 hands-on students.
Merijoy believes she is a
better teacher because of her
position. Whether it is shopping, prepping for a class, or
enjoying a great meal together,
she knows that the school offers the best products available
for health, taste, and appearance. However, on a humorous note, she confesses, “It is
rather handy to be able to go
downstairs in case you forgot
the milk.”
The most valuable lesson
she learned in her career was
that “we underestimate our
abilities—we can do so much
more than we realize and be
successful at it.” Merijoy is a
person who has a strong interest in promoting everything
Southern and the heritage that
is part of that, including, the
Rucker heirloom peas from
her garden which are always in
her home freezer.
By Dottie Koteski (Philadelphia)
Cathy Cochran-Lewis
Janice Cox, RD, LD
Tiffany Cunningham
Sandra Dych
(Austin)
(Minnesota)
(Austin)
(Philadelphia)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Global Marketing, Programs
Coordinator
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 Lunds & Byerlys
Corporate Dietitian
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
National Specialty
Administrative Assistant
Certified Cheese Professional
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Director of Food Product
Demonstration
7
Dabney Gough (Hawaii)
Cathy Strange (Austin)
Global Cheese Buyer
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Say “fromage” to Cathy Strange and
you’ll get not only a smile but also an
education on “coagulated, compressed,
and usually ripened, curd of milk
separated from the whey”—that is to
say “cheese.” As Global Cheese Buyer
for Whole Foods Market, with over
410 stores in the United States, Canada
and the United Kingdom, Cathy leads
a group of talented regional coordinators for the world’s leader in the natural
food category.
Responsible for purchasing cheese and
specialty products—like olives, pasta
and meats, she interfaces with internal
distribution centers to facilitate getting
products to their stores. Cathy travels
the world to discover and encourage the
world’s great cheesemakers. She helps
small producers sustain a profitable
business, and also helps to advance the
artisanal food movement and to investigate the world’s emergent food trends.
Her palate and expertise have been
solicited to serve as judge for the
American Cheese Society competition,
the World Cheese Championships, the
U.S. Cheese Championships, the World
Cheese Awards, and the British Cheese
Awards. Cathy has been recognized by
two of the world’s greatest cheesemaking countries. She is the only American
and non-Italian ever to receive the
“Coltellinod’Oro” from the Consor-
Susan Davidson (Seattle)
Davidson/Freundlich, Co.,
Inc., President
Publishes Restaurant Briefing
8
tium of Parmigiano Reggiano and has
been awarded the French Order of
Agricultural Merit. Currently she serves
as New World President (representing
Mexico, Canada, the United States and
Australia) of the distinguished international Guilde des Fromagers de SaintUguzon, the most celebrated association of cheese mongers and specialists
in France.
Cathy’s career has taken her from kids
to “kids”—as in goat cheese. Before
joining Whole Foods Market in 1990,
she was a certified K-12 teacher. “I
moved into sports administration and
by chance into the restaurant business
with friends when my mother became
ill. The passion for individuals around
food was and is inspiring. That led me
to work with Wellspring Grocery, a
small company in North Carolina that
was acquired by Whole Foods Market,”
said Cathy.
Some of the projects of which she is
most proud are the education initiative to establish a profession for Whole
Foods Market’s cheese mongers through
the Certified Cheese Professional
program, the trust with their producer
partners, the quality of the products for
which she’s responsible, and support
for traditional production of products—helping individuals make a living
through food and agriculture.
Says the Austin Chapter’s past president regarding upcoming trends, “Venues in stores will continue to evolve and
include breweries. I think there may
be award-winning restaurants within a
retail environment in the future. Transparency and traceability will also be
refined. I am able to say, ‘I have been to
our farms that produce the milk for our
great cheeses,’ but how do we get this
message to the consumer? It will happen so easily that in 10 years, it will be
an expectation for all markets. Respect
for agriculture will evolve and become a
part of understanding food at a higher
level for all, not just food professionals.
Younger consumers are demanding and
knowledgeable, which is great news for
all of us in the food industry!”
By CiCi Williamson
Joan Donatelle
(Minnesota)
Lund Food Holdings, Inc.
Cooking School Director,
Culinary Expert
Marketing Supervisor
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
"The emphasis and celebration of innovation that
creates excitement" is one of many reasons Dabney
Gough absolutely loves working for Whole Foods
Market Kailua, located on the beautiful Windward
Coast of Oahu. As a marketing team leader, Dabney does all of the marketing for one of the three
Hawaii locations of this well-known national chain
of stores. Reporting to the
store team leader, her job is to
coordinate events inside and
outside the store, create and
nurture community partnerships, lead a team of graphic
designers and demo specialists,
and work on special projects.
After a stint working for the
Gap, Dabney followed her
true passion into the world of food. Her culinary
career began with writing cookbooks and as a
catering and marketing manager for BiRite Market
in San Francisco. When she moved to Hawaii she
worked with Alan Wong, which led her to her current position with Whole Foods Market.
The location of her store, Hawaii, gives added
incentive to use and promote local products.
Whole Foods Market supports local producers and
Dabney's store has created the ‘ONO Awards, honoring “delicious” and exceptional products made
in Hawaii. Quarterly events for local producers
are coordinated and panel discussions take place to
exchange ideas on how to better serve the public.
Dabney enjoys the "creative freedom and latitude"
that she is given, enabling her to dream up "crazy
ideas and forge partnerships" with purveyors in the
area. This is a win-win for everyone involved, especially the shoppers. The store's customer base is a
diverse mix of families, singles, and seniors, as well
as a very large Japanese contingency. All of these
factors give added fuel to Dabney's imaginative
ideas that are employed throughout the store.
Another mission of the Whole Foods Market is
to work closely with the community. Dabney says
the health of their customers is of primary concern
and the store continues to educate shoppers. School
tours and cooking classes are popular and serve to
empower customers to eat healthy.
Current trends in the supermarket industry, according to Dabney, include local sourcing, integrity, transparency, gluten-free, and unique offerings like vinyl
records. Yes, you heard it here first, vinyl records!
By Ann Stratte
Susannah FrishmanPhillips (Austin)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Marketing Editor/Global
Communications.
Erica Hanchey, CCS
(San Antonio)
H-E-B Central Market
Product Development Manager
Theresa Kereakes (Nashville)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Store Baker
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Elin Hansen (Minnesota)
Joan Driggs (Chicago)
Category Coordinator, Deli & Bakery
Lund Food Holdings, Inc.
Editorial Director: Progressive Grocer
and Progressive Grocery Independent
Stagnito Business Information
The great-great-granddaughter
of a renowned Icelandic merchant, Elin Hansen, says she
is "proud to carry on in the
family business." For the past
eleven years, Elin's adopted
family business has been Lunds
& Byerlys, a small upscale chain
of 27 stores in the Twin Cities
of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
As a Category Coordinator for
Deli and Bakery in the chain’s
corporate office, Lund Food
Holdings, Inc. (LFHI), Elin
works closely with the buyers to
promote products of interest at
the store level. This is accomplished through special pricing
and promotions, display activity
and product demonstrations.
A self-proclaimed “food enthusiast," it is safe to say that Elin
loves her job. She is charged
with carrying forward the company philosophy of promoting
locally sourced foods. Visiting
the deli of a Lunds or Byerly’s
store, you will find a plethora of
local artisan cheeses and charcuterie. Most every day, you
will be able to sample a number
of specially selected items chosen by Elin. She is "constantly
on the lookout for new products and delights in watching
them become successful."
It is a goal of Lunds & Byerlys
to assist the community towards
healthy purchases. A recently
launched program, Nourish,
has all store departments working with LFHI’s dietitian Janice
Cox (Minnesota) to prepare
and sample in-store healthy
recipes for the consumers. In
addition to her daily responsibilities, Elin recently had the
lead on a project to revamp the
composed salad options for the
stores.
Elin sees Lunds & Byerlys
"moving towards the model of a
one-stop shop, whether in store
or online." One of her department’s focuses is “figuring out
the millennials and how to
cater to them." Fortunately this
generation “is more interested
in cooking on a stovetop than a
microwave."
Becoming a member of Les
Dames d'Escoffier was in the
cards for Elin. After college,
she had the opportunity to
be an editorial intern (stagiaire) at Chateau du Fey with
Grande Dame Anne Willan
(Los Angeles/Orange County)
for six months, working under
the guidance of Virginia Willis
(Atlanta). After completing a
kitchen stage at a Michelin one
star as part of her training, Elin
remained in France an additional year working as a private
chef in Paris.
Yes, Elin, your great-greatgrandfather would have been
proud!
By Ann Stratte
Editorial Director Joan Driggs oversees the iconic Progressive
Grocer media brand that includes print publications, digital media,
industry events, webinars, roundtables, and more. Progressive Grocer Independent, published six times yearly, focuses on the unique
needs of independent retailers.
Called the “voice of the retail food industry,” Progressive Grocer has been around for
more than 90 years. Joan says, “The magazine is dedicated to helping grocery retailers
compete at the highest level. The good news
is that everyone eats, but today consumers are getting their food from a myriad of
sources…competition for the food dollar
is fierce. Progressive Grocer is committed to
delivering research, tools, and strategies that enable retailers to build
and maintain valuable relationships with shoppers.”
Joan points out that trade publishing has evolved into numerous
moving parts: traditional monthly print magazines; digital editions; newsletters; supporting events; daily digital newsletters; and
website content. Joan credits her “tremendously talented team,”
for their role in successfully executing all projects and deliverables.
Progressive Grocer hosts a number of annual conferences and
awards including the Retail Dietitian Symposium, Connected
Consumer Summit, and Multicultural 360 Summit. “Our Top
Women in Grocery Awards are a huge endeavor, and we host an
elegant event to honor our winners,” says Joan. “We are very much
a part of the industry we support and strive to stay ahead of what’s
next in grocery retail.”
Every supermarket wants to carve out a particular niche or emphasis—how it defines itself and what it’s known for. Joan believes the
one-size-fits-all mentality is long gone. “Now, it’s all about differentiation…For retailers, the challenge is creating loyalty among shoppers.
Joan says of her career path, “There was a time in my career when
I felt like more of a meanderer than a climber.” Early on she moved
from radio, to satellite broadcasting, to the bottom of the masthead
of a food trade magazine. Following a couple of magazine start-ups,
Joan reconnected in 2013 with former boss Harry Stagnito at an
industry event. She made the switch to his new company, Stagnito
Business Information, to begin her current position.
The new Chicago Dame reveals, “I’ve had some great experiences…Most people in the industry truly want to serve…I consider
myself tremendously lucky to be in a position where I am continually learning and it feels good to be making valuable contributions
to the industry. In her spare time, Joan is a consumer of books,
wine, and theater. She loves traveling and spending time with family and friends.
By Susan Slack
Nancy Lazara (Seattle)
Metropolitan Markets
Director, Private Brands
Mary Martini (San Antonio)
H-E-B Central Market
Cooking School Manager
Peg Lee (Houston)
H-E-B Central Market
Event Liasion/Manager;
Retired Cooking School Director
Nancy Maurer (Minnesota)
Lund Food Holdings, Inc.
Chef, Recipe Developer/tester
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 Marianne Moore (St Louis)
Dierbergs’ Markets, Inc.
Creative Director, Culinary
Program
Barbara Ridenhour
Kavita Patel (New York)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Regional Marketing Director
Katie Rowe (Austin)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Senior Editor––Integrated
Media Team
(St. Louis)
Dierbergs’ Markets, Inc.
Director of Consumer Affairs
9
Linda Flannery (Cleveland)
Marilyn Markel (Charleston)
Specialty Department Manager
Earth Fare
Culinary Director
Southern Season
In her teen years, Linda Flannery developed a new philosophy after discovering food has a positive effect on one’s
well-being. She realized nutrition fosters not only your own
good health, but that of family, friends, and community.
She said, “I whole-heartedly wanted the best for everyone
and proclaimed myself “Ambassador of Good Food,” campaigning in a variety of food-based
businesses.”
The journey ultimately led to her
position at Earth Fare, a specialty
supermarket devoted to helping
customers sustain a healthy life
style. Linda is a Specialty Department Manager with an emphasis on
artisan cheese, fine wine, craft beer,
and organic and Direct Trade Coffee.
Linda’s food philosophy reflects that
of Earth Fare—known for what they
don’t offer: additives like high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, artificial colors. Linda says laughingly, "My team—all foodies and nearly all women—have
cohered into a companionable group that sets the bar high,
and can work and talk at the same time!"
Linda’s responsibilities include ordering and managing
finances, as well as cutting, wrapping, and shelving of packaged cheese. She oversees levels of self-service products like
bulk coffee, beans, olives, and frozen, filled pastas. Linda
says, “Periodically a new store manager-in-training will spend
about a week with me to become familiar with the functions
that this 'business within a business' need to implement for
success."
Linda is vitalized by the vast array of sense-pleasing, colorful, aromatic tastes and textures she is surrounded with. “A
great way to spend the day is collaborating on menus, recipes,
and taste experiences,” she notes. “It is a delight to watch a
customer’s face light up with pleasure with a sip or bite of
something unfamiliar—and they trust enough to try.”
Linda challenges herself to maximum efficiency of movement—at times, trying to beat the clock. She says to visualize the process, “I get an image of dancing a lively dance
while juggling. One must constantly assess and prioritize.”
Linda visits food trade shows, gourmet stores, and cheese
shops, noting merchandising and positive customer service
strategies. She says future trends have buzzwords like traditional, old world, artisan, homemade, and natural. Linda
and others who work hard to bring non-fabricated food
back to the grocery isles experience public support. “Shopping becomes a symbiotic relationship between those that
sell and those who buy," says Linda. “If we all work together. there will be less packaging to end up in the landfill.”
Marilyn Markel is the culinary
director for Southern Season—a
premier destination for specialty
foods. About 15 years ago, Marilyn changed careers to pursue her
passion for food. Her professional
cooking career began at Central
Market in Plano, Texas, where she
was assistant cooking school manager and a culinary teacher. After
two years, she moved to Chapel
Hill, North Carolina, to establish
CLASS—Culinary Lessons at
Southern Season.
Marilyn says, “When the company decided to expand, it seemed
a natural fit for me to relocate to
Charleston because it’s such a great
food community.” Now Marilyn
is responsible for three Southern
Season cooking schools: the flagship store in Chapel Hill; a Mount
Pleasant location near downtown
Charleston; and another in Richmond, Virginia.
The 40,000-square-foot Charleston
food emporium includes a worldclass wine selection, 380 types
of artisan cheese, a bakery, deli,
housewares, restaurant, and cooking school. Additional services like
cooking classes, daily tastings, wine
events, and celebrity chef appearances add value to the shopper’s
in-store experience; help create
personal relationships; and provide
information about what the store
has to offer.
The large cooking school, with
marble counter tops and a Viking
kitchen, seats 48 guests at long
tables; the open kitchen is roomy
enough for 16 for hands-on classes.
Demos are projected on TV screens
overhead.
Marilyn’s responsibilities include
coordinating staff, planning classes
and events, and arranging for cookbook signings and visiting chefs.
She teaches many classes herself
through demonstrations or the
By Susan Slack
Charlotte Samuel
(San Antonio)
H-E-B Central Market
Culinary Nutritionist
10
Claire Sullivan (Hawaii)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Hawaii Coordinator, Purchasing
& Public Affairs
Merrilyn Tauscher
(Minnesota)
Lunds & Byerlys
FoodE Expert/Product
Development
hands-on approach. Marilyn provides an exceptional, personalized
experience for each guest and chef.
Known for her attention to detail,
Marilyn has established her reputation as a top cooking school instructor, inspiring countless home chefs.
A member of IACP, she also writes
food articles for magazines. In 2013
and 2015, she served as a judge for
the James Beard Foundation Cookbook Awards.
Marilyn says, “What I love best is
the diversity—we cook something
different almost every day. We offer
healthy classes; a recent offering
was meals under 500 calories. I love
writing recipes and exploring new
flavor combinations.”
Marilyn especially likes working
with children, local farmers, and
with visiting Dames who teach
classes. On August 1, Grande Dame
Nathalie Dupree (Charleston)
will offer a brunch class at 11 a.m.
Sarah Graham (Charleston) was
Marilyn’s assistant manager when
the store first opened. Marilyn adds,
“I learn so much from my own staff
and visiting chefs.” Southern Season promotes “enthusiasm for great food, passion for the art
of entertaining, and a belief in Southern hospitality.” Marilyn concludes,
“There are more budding foodies today and that trend will continue. It’s
now cool to be into food.”
By Susan Slack
Karen Vanarsdel (Nashville)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Culinary Instructor
Juliette Webb (Nashville)
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Culinary Educator/Food Stylist
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Lynn Logg (Philadelphia)
Corporate Chef
Wakefern Food Corporation-ShopRite
As Corporate Chef of Wakefern Food Corporation-ShopRite, each year Lynn Logg devotes
time on a project that she is most proud of doing.
ShopRite is a big supporter of the New York City
Food & Wine Festival and as such, hosts “The
Grand Tasting-ShopRite” event. Lynn manages
all the menus and logistics for the tasting, which
is held over three days and attended by approximately 12,000. She states, “It’s an incredible effort, supported by her wonderfully talented culinary team.”
Her initial responsibility at
ShopRite was the management
of hands-on cooking classes in
40 stores, which provided value
to customers and stores. These
hands-on programs, presented
by a chef and a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), have
become a win-win situation.
Presently, they have around 115
RDs who develop their own community-based
programs, which focus on the company-wide
nutrition/health and wellness initiatives.
Lynn’s scope of responsibility has been enlarged
and enriched to include the development of the
company’s corporate catering program which
entails: financial growth, menu development,
program development, marketing, and training.
The company envisions that their new “go to
market” strategy will lead to more success and
that the next big deliverable for its membership
will be a catering training program and onsite
catering coordinators at retail. The goal is to build
a team in the stores to focus on catering sales.
The best advice Lynn received was from a sous
chef whom she worked with very early in her
career. “He told me that you need to walk before
you run when it comes to cooking.” Learning
that there is a process and a need to master the
basics was great advice that Lynn applied in
culinary school and during her kitchen years in
both in-and-off premises catering, and when she
moved into management positions for a family
owned, high-end gourmet retail marketer. Along
the way, with promotions and extensive experiences in the field, she accepted new roles and
acquired additional knowledge and perspectives
in the distribution segments, including those as a
brands manager.
One of Lynn’s personal goals is to develop a culinary curriculum in partnership with the Boys &
Girls Club of America or another youth organization. She hopes to give their members the skills
they need to shop for healthy ingredients and
prepare affordable good-for-you meals for themselves and their families. Lynn is on the Board
of the Philadelphia Chapter as its corresponding
secretary; she became a member in 2012.
By Dottie Koteski
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 L-R: Satomi Goo, Dabney Gough, Dorothy Colby, and a Whole Foods assistant. L-R: Hawaii Dames
Soleil Fusha, Lori Wong, Dianne Vicheinrut, Kay Tokunaga, and Hayley Matson-Mathes. Kathi Saks
prepares for a pesto demonstration. L-R: Pamela Boyar and Jan Yap—chair of Hawaii’s Food Day
project. Cheryl To, the owner of PacifiKool (ginger syrup), demonstrates refreshing drinks made
from ginger. Photos by Hayley Matson-Mathes
Food, Fitness, and Fun in Hawaii
By Jan Yap (Hawaii)
All around the demonstration tables little
hands held up tiny cups. The kindergarteners shouted, "More green smoothies please!"
and "This was my best day at school."
Another child, after eating a new food said,
"I've never tasted ulu [breadfruit] before!"
As part of the Green Tables Initiative, the
Hawaii Chapter ushered in Food Day 2014
with a Food, Fitness, and Fun Day, on
October 17 at King Liholiho Elementary
School in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Out on the field, PE teachers moved
students through parachute games, obstacle
courses, aerobics, and relays. Inside, Dames
shared food samples based on produce the
kids had grown in their class garden beds
(and hoped to grow again). The Dames
taught the students how to cook, eat, and
enjoy fruits and vegetables. An ulu tree
hanging with fruit in the school courtyard
inspired Chef Matt Young and Dianne
Vicheinrut, general manager of Hula Grill,
Waikiki to create baked ulu fries with cilantro-coconut dipping sauce. Chefs Kathi
Saks and Jenny Johnson added sundried
tomatoes to basil and spinach for a delicious
pesto spread, which Dorothy Colby served
atop Kathy Matsunaga’s Sweet Revenge
focaccia. Culinary consultants Kay Tokunaga, Soleil Fusha, and Lori Wong guided
students as they squeezed honey-mustard,
ranch and green goddess dressings onto
miniature lettuce and tomatoes. "I didn't
know you could make your own salad dressing," commented a child.
There was an embarrassment of healthy
drinks. Students couldn't get enough of
Cheryl To's refreshing Pacifickool ginger
drinks. Farmers’ market organizer Pamela
Boyer, and Liholiho's wellness teacher
Jan Yap had dueling Vitamixes of green
smoothies whirling as they competed to
whip up the next batch for the hungry
children. Dames showed the students how
to take curly kale and dinosaur kale, then
add spinach and banana to make breakfast. For dessert, Whole Foods Marketing
Director Dabney Gough added local
mangoes and papaya to sweetened chia
seed pudding. Satomi Goo of the Tea
Chest helped pass out the pudding. The
kids loved it!
In addition to the talented chefs, many
more hands came together to make Food
Day a success: food purveyors and Possie
Badham and Tish Uyehara supplied
specialty ingredients for the tastings, and
Hayley Matson-Mathes, current LDEI
Third Vice President, volunteered as official photographer. Jocelyn McCann's
generous donation of her restaurant
kitchen at Eat Honolulu gave the Dames
time and space to do food prep.
The event was partially funded by singer
Jack Johnson's Kokua Hawaii Foundation in
appreciation for a Food Day publicity table
hosted by the Dames at his Honolulu summer concert. Jack also provided a stipend
for Chef Matt Young through Chef's in the
School—part of their garden and nutrition
school initiative, Aina in Schools. Food,
Fun and Fitness 2014 was a hit! The kids at
Liholiho School, from kindergarten to fifth
grade, fearlessly ate tomatoes and joyfully
sampled cilantro while building good eating
habits and creating tasty memories.
11
Escoffier
Master Chef Escoffier
with Eugène
Herbodeau and
personnel in kitchen
of the London Carlton
Hotel.
Looking Back on a Legacy
By Susan Slack
(Charleston)
In 1835, French historian Alexis de Tocqueville took
note of the American propensity to form associations.
He wrote, “Individual powers working in concert
could accomplish more than when working in isolation.” Les Dames d’ Escoffier International’s collective
accomplishments are making history, and it is vital
to record them through written documentation in the
Quarterly magazine. Our historical records measure
LDEI’s growth and development, and they are informative and educational to our members, our communities, and to historians. The Quarterly archive dates
back to 2001 and is housed at www.ldei.com—an
invaluable repository of LDEI records. From time-totime, a review of past issues helps us understand that
we are part of a still-unfolding story and something
larger than ourselves.
A look back at the fall 2006
issue reveals a terrific six-page
article, “Focus on Auguste Escoffier,” by Barbara Tober (New
York). Known as the “King of
Chefs and Chef of Kings,” he
is the namesake of Les Dames
d'Escoffier International.
In her article, Barbara addressed the significance of Escoffier’s influence on LDEI and
affirmed, “To celebrate the Great
Man is a worthy goal for our
organization.” Carol Mighton
Haddix (Chicago) reported on
the “enlightened” Escoffier panel
discussion that highlighted the
Chicago Chapter’s 25th anniversary celebration. You can
read meaningful narratives from
several Dames on their con-
nection to Escoffier including:
Annie Boutin-King (Washington), Dolores Snyder (Dallas),
and Betty Fussell (New York).
Former Quarterly Editor June
Hayes (San Antonio) covered
Escoffier’s cookbooks, still
referenced today, and how they
were influential to Dames. Jane
Mengenhauser (Washington)
reviewed The Scavenger’s Guide to
Haute Cuisine —an entertaining
tale about outdoorsman Steven
Rinella’s walk-on-the-wild-side
to assemble esoteric wild game
for a classic, 45-course Escoffier
feast. Barbara’s excellent feature
is as relevant today as it was nine
years ago, and if you haven’t read
it yet, I recommend pulling it
up at the LDEI archive.
Escoffier chats with protégé Eugène Herbodeau—the Carlton Hotel's cuisine
de chef after Escoffier's 1920 retirement. Herbodeau and Chef Paul Thalamas
were Ecoffier's literary executors and co-wrote his biography. Lithograph of the
chic Café Riche kitchens in Paris, 1865, which resemble the famous Parisian
Restaurant du Petit Moulin Rouge where Escoffier worked after apprenticeship.
12
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Surtout Fait Simple;
Keep it Simple!
The contributions of Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935
are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago. A visionary, he
restructured the professional hotel kitchen and simplified the
canons of haute cuisine. Subsequent to service in the FrancoPrussian War as chef de cuisine at Rhine Army Headquarters,
Escoffier directed the kitchens of Europe’s greatest luxury hotels
during the Belle Époque, e.g., Hôtel Ritz Paris, and London’s
Savoy, and Carlton. Organization was also Escoffier’s métier; he
restructured the brigade de cuisine system, basing it on militarystyle hierarchy with a top-to-bottom chain of command.
Culinary tasks were codified and delegated to specialists within
stations, like an assembly line. Escoffier’s kitchens resembled a
well-run military unit with discipline, teamwork, professionalism, and grace under fire. Fine restaurants still adapt these
principles for their kitchen production systems.
Escoffier ran a tight ship, banning smoking and alcohol.
His grandfather taught him the importance of savoir vivre;
in turn, he required good manners, cleanliness, and pride
in appearance from his brigade. According to his greatgrandson Michel Escoffier, "He introduced the hat and
neckerchief to prevent sweat drops from dropping into the
preparation."
Escoffier phased out extravagant French service (à la français), rooted in medieval tradition. For each course of a formal meal (usually two or three), a large assemblage of dishes
was arranged over the table at once time. A maître-d’hôtel
organized the event; cooks were back-of-the-house players in a
secondary role.
Escoffier came to prefer Russian service (à la russe) with eight
to ten courses (of one or two dishes), served in sequential order.
A waiter passed each course, placing a portion of food on the
diner’s plate. Or individual plates might be filled and served
from the kitchen. Flamboyant table displays and excessive food
garnishes were out.
Escoffier elevated menu writing to a fine art. The 19th century
restaurant reviewer Nathaniel Newnham-Davis wrote, “…had he
[Escoffier] been a man of the pen and not a man of the spoon, he
would have been a poet.” Escoffier considered the menu, always
in French, “a summary of the cook's work and programme for
the gourmand." With hotelier César Ritz, he introduced prix fixe
and à la carte menus—a novelty in luxury hotels at the time. Escoffier’s improvements meant less complicated menus, faster meal
service, and lighter dishes reflecting his favorite guiding principle:
surtout fait simples—“above all, keep it simple.”
Did you know that August Escoffier is credited for
creating a steak sauce, the olive pit remover, and a
potato slicer? Monsieur Dario dell' Antonia, former
President of Musée Escoffier de l’Art Culinaire,
shared these facts with BC Dame Cate Simpson in
an interview in the winter Quarterly 2007, page 12.
The Quarterly editor would like to thank Lori Willis, Mary
Chamberlin, the Escoffier Foundation and Museum, Sarah
Larson (Triumph Education), and the Auguste Escoffier School
of Culinary Arts for photos and other contributions.
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 Musée Escoffier de L'Art Culinaire
August Escoffier’s birthplace in Villeneuve-Loubet
on the French Riviera is now a museum dedicated
to his life and career. It houses a library, culinary
artifacts including sugar and chocolate sculptures,
culinary equipment, and priceless ephemera like
the room-size collection of rare Escoffier menus,
many beautifully illustrated. They are a rich
resource for learning about Europe’s social and
cultural history. Michel Escoffier is President of the
Auguste Escoffier Foundation and the Escoffier
museum.
Escoffier’s kitchen:
decorated chaud-froid
presentation. In the brigade
system, he separated the
garde manger station from
the hot line. He identified
guard manger’s basic cold
sauces and named many
garnitures used in cold
food presentation. In 1914,
Escoffier samples Christmas
puddings before sending
them to the French soldiers
during World War 1. Chef
Escoffier consults with
kitchen staff. To Monsieur
Escoffier: A handwritten
note of thanks from
Australian soprano Dame
Nellie Melba in 1914 for
creating Pêche Melba. He
created Melba Toast for
her (when she was dieting)
and Pêche Melba (for the
times she was not). The
same year Escoffier forms a
committee to assist families
of chefs sent to war.
13
Escoffier
The Legacy Continues
Every autumn, LDEI chapters host a
whirlwind month of dinners and celebrations honoring Escoffier’s October 28th
birthday, his life, and achievements. The
London Chapter is busy planning a 2015
Escoffier dinner at the historic Institute
of Directors. It is owned by the Crown
Estate and is a landmark of London’s great
Georgian Heritage. Sue Carter (London)
says it’s located almost directly across from
where the Carlton Hotel once stood. This
is where Escoffier first added Pêche Melba
to a menu. More news from Sue: London’s
newest honorary member, Chef Kim
Woodward, has been appointed head chef
at the Savoy Hotel. “She is the first woman
chef in the history of the Savoy Hotel to
reach such a position, thus breaking the
Pyrex ceiling!” Exciting, indeed!
Escoffier’s great-grandson, London
resident Michel Escoffier, stays actively
involved with many of LDEI’s events.
Born in Paris, he is a former telecommunications executive who spent years
in Tunisia and Morocco with the World
Bank and the United Nations. His extensive travels fostered an acute awareness of
the legacy left by his great-grandfather,
which led him to work with partners to
develop a multimedia professional culinary education program. LDEI President
Lori Willis said, “August Escoffier’s commitment to lifelong learning and teaching
influenced some of the greatest names in
culinary history and helped shape the way
we imagine our family recipes today.” Michel follows in his footsteps by mentoring
and providing support to future culinarians. In April 2010, he entered into
an historic affiliation with the Auguste
Escoffier Foundation and Museum, and
with Triumph Higher Education Group
who launched the Auguste Escoffier
School of Culinary Arts and the Escoffier
Online International Culinary Academy.
Michel is also active with other nonprofits bearing the Escoffier name—Les Dis-
ciples d’Escoffier
worldwide, and Les
Amis d’Escoffier.
For his ongoing
contributions, he
was inducted into
ACF’s American
Academy of Chefs
Culinary Hall of
Fame.
Auguste Escoffier’s influence
endures, in part, to his masterwork Le
Guide Culinaire (1903), a repository of
classical techniques, 5,000 recipes penned
in chef's narrative shorthand, and invaluable historical information. Escoffier
trained over 2,000 chefs and he wanted
Le Guide to be a useful kitchen “tool.”
As you peruse Escoffier’s seminal work,
you’ll soon realize the path to learning
has just begun
In 1996, Michel published an account
of his great-grandfather’s life: Auguste
Escoffier: Memories of My Life by Auguste Escoffier (John Wiley & Sons).
Laurence Habert Escoffier, Michel’s
late wife, translated it into English. The
Monterey Chapter holds her memory in
high regard, voting yearly to maintain her
posthumous membership. Mary Chamberlin (Monterey) graciously provided
copies of the memoir for chapters during
the St. Louis Conference.
From Escoffier to Today:
St. Louis Celebrates!
The St. Louis Chapter hosted a special
dinner last October at the Restaurant
at the Cheshire for 55 members of the
food community. Guests of honor were
restaurateur/Executive Chef Karen
Mitcham-Stoeckley (St. Louis), coauthor of A Culinary Legacy from Escoffier
to Today, and Michel Escoffier, historian
and museum curator. Executive Chef Rex
Hale prepared a five-course Escoffier meal
St Louis Chapter Escoffier
dinner at Restaurant at
the Cheshire: L-R Front
Row: Michel Escoffier
and Karen MitchamStoeckley. Back Row:
Chef Rex Hale and LDEI
President Lori Willis.
Photo by Curt Dennison.
Michel Escoffier with
culinary students. Photo:
Auguste Escoffier School
of Culinary Art.
honoring Michel’s great grandfather and
Karen’s journey in discovering her own
very special connection.
When she was 18, Karen discovered a
dusty recipe ledger— written in French—
in a handmade trunk in the family’s attic.
The recipes belonged to her paternal
grandfather, Axel M. Blumensaadt, who
traveled from Denmark to France to study
French cuisine when he was 16-years-old.
Fast-forward fifty years—Karen was
ready to translate the recipes and write
a cookbook so she moved to a medieval
village in Provence for six months. It was
a place she loved and had visited many
times. There she met Executive Chef Max
Callegari who, with great enthusiasm,
became her co-author. As they translated
the recipes, Max began to suspect that
young Alex had studied with 19th century Master Chef Auguste Escoffier. In the
quest for proof, Karen met with Michel
Escoffier who confirmed the theory after
careful investigation. Karen’s grandfather
had been a culinary student of Michel’s
great grandfather! Michel gave his stamp
of approval by offering to write the book’s
foreward. The Provençal recipes from Culinary Legacy are translated and updated
for today’s chefs. The book transcends
time, connecting the 100-year-old recipes
of a young Escoffier-trained chef of the
late 1800s to the culinary endeavors of
his granddaughter, a classically trained
chef of Provence in the 21st century.
Karen Mitcham-Stoeckley’s special dinner in Louisana, Missouri, celebrated the April
launch of her new cookbook. Michel Escoffier, Dames, journalists, and collegues gathered
around a handmade red oak table for a multicourse meal.
As they dined, guests listen to music from Provence, and
Michel shared family history and his views of culinary
arts then and now. Karen’s Pine Nut Tart. Photos by Curt
Dennison.
14
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Devany Vickery-Davidson
Devany Vickery-Davidson
Charleston Church. Wisteria Bridge. (L-R): Charleston Chapter President
Jennifer Goldman and Conference Chair Paige Canaday Crone
Carla Hall
Keynote Speaker
It is fitting and proper that Les Dames d’Escoffier
gather for their annual conference in the “Culinary
Capital of the South.” Established in 1670, the port
city of Charleston has been a mecca of luxury goods.
The good life was celebrated with all that was legal
and much that was illegal—bringing us to our Prohibition-era theme of Doin’ the Charleston! With the
Charleston Chapter’s refrain of “come early, stay late,”
much has been planned with this calendar in mind.
Take a front row seat and explore all the treasures this
historic peninsula has to offer.
Optional pre-conference tours include travel to America’s only tea garden and working plantation in the Lower
Forty-Eight. Or cast your net with waterman Mark
Marhefka of Abundant Seafood and shrimper Cindy
Tarvin for a Shem Creek sustainable seafood experience.
Bring your green thumb to GrowFood Carolina and
tour DirtWorks incubator farm, or if history is your
muse, travel back in time and tour McCrady’s Restaurant—still serving after 227 years. McCrady’s historianin-residence will feed your passion for the past with
an insider’s look at a 1740s kitchen and the HeywardWashington House (guess who slept there?).
For those Dames NOT attending the Leadership
Forum, a full-day seminar takes place at the 18th century rice plantation home of the Middleton family. A
scholarly discussion of Carolina Gold Rice will be led
by Dr. David Shields, Professor of Southern Letters,
and Glenn Roberts—a visionary and heirloom-grain
cultivator. Read more about the event on the back
cover of this Quarterly issue. Explore the Gullah/
Geechee heritage, unique to South Carolina, North
Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, with native tour
guide Alfonso Brown—author of The History Press
bestseller, A Gullah Guide To Charleston.
Gather together as the opening reception sets the
stage for Autumn Affair, the annual fundraiser of
the Charleston Chapter that takes place at Lowndes
Grove Plantation. Majestically set along the banks of
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 the Ashley River, Lowndes Grove is an original King’s
Grant property and only surviving plantation on the
Charleston Peninsula. This optional event celebrates
the local food and wine culture with a silent auction
designated for scholarship funds.
LDEI President Lori Willis, on Friday morning,
officially opens our conference with a “Hootie Hoo”
to Dame Carla Hall, co-host of “The Chew,” and a
“Top Chef ” competitor, entrepreneur, author, and
passionate health and wellness advocate. Then gather
your toolkit for two days, which will be saturated with
History, Hospitality and How-To. Friday ends with
a classic Lowcountry Boil and Pig Roast at Brittlebank
Park where the Ashley River flows to meet the Cooper
River on their journey to the Atlantic Ocean. Rise and
shine as we gather for the Green Tables Breakfast and
breakout sessions aligned with the 3H’s of Doin’ the
Charleston. Lunch not only restores but the Legacy
Awards Luncheon celebrates that which we do best:
honor LDEI’s investment in tomorrow’s leadership by
educating, mentoring, and informing for today.
Then it’s off to the salons for reinventions and brand
building; changing landscapes in craft beverages and
social media; and conversations grounded in the
Southern region—the place, the people, and the food.
On Saturday evening, it’s time for the Dames who
soar to become the flappers who roar as we celebrate
during our Roaring Twenties-fashioned, Grande
Dame Awards Dinner and Banquet.
Come Sunday morning, no worries—we won’t
leave you high and dry! If you stay a while longer,
we’ll arrange a proper send-off of Bloody Marys and
Biscuits sweetened by the warm embrace of Charleston-hospitality and your sister Dames.
Paige Crone, Chair
Jennifer Goldman, President
Deidre Schipani, Advisory Committee
Susan Slack, Plantation Tour
By Ann Stratte
(Washington)
Carla Hall will be the
keynote speaker for the
Charleston conference.
Carla is a co-host of ABC’s
popular lifestyle series “The
Chew,” seated alongside
restaurateurs and “Iron
Chef America” stars Mario
Batali and Michael Symon;
entertaining
expert Clinton Kelly;
and health
and wellness
enthusiast
Daphne Oz. Carla is best
known as a competitor on
Bravo’s “Top Chef,” where
she won over audiences
with her fun catch phrase,
“Hootie Hoo” and her
philosophy to always cook
with love. Carla’s approach to cooking blends
her classic French training
and Southern upbringing
for a twist on traditional
favorites. She is committed to health and balance
in everyday living. Carla
has been a member of
the Washington Chapter
of Les Dames d'Escoffier
since 2000, and she is also
a member of the New York
Chapter.
15
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THIS PAGE: L-R: Margret Kumar shows Stacy Zeigler,
Dale DeSena, and Sandra Bank how to fill small
puris––thin, crisp hollow puffs. Ashley Mitchell displays
her meal. To enjoy the taste and flavor of each dish,
Indian food is best served in separate sections. Ashley
Mitchell, Angie Mosier, and Nancy Erickson fill their
nine-compartment dinner plates with Indian specialties.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Murukku––savory, crunchy
Indian snacks. Ambassador Kumar, Margret
Kumar, Chef Archna Becker, and Suzanne
Brown at the Atlanta GCI cultural event.
Dames enjoy the display of beautiful Indian
garments. Dames and guests sample the
addictive Indian appetizers and snacks. A
variety of pulses, including beans, lentils and
peas. Photos by Travis S. Taylor, Atlanta
Out of Africa: Foodways of the Gullah-Geechee Culture
By Susan Slack (Charleston)
The Global Culinary Initiative helps Dames
to explore global cultures and food customs
and to examine how these influences take on
culinary relevance in our own countries,” says
Global Culinary Initiative Chair Sandy Hu
(San Francisco). “In Charleston we'll have a
unique opportunity to trace West and Central
African foodways through the extraordinary
contributions of slaves.” The Gullah-Geechee peoples—called
Gullah in the Carolinas and Geechee in
Georgia and Northern Florida—are one of
the oldest, surviving African cultures in the U.S.
Their enslaved ancestors, of
various ethnic groups, were
brought from Africa to work
on coastal plantations and
the Sea Islands—a cluster of barrier islands
along the Eastern coast of South Carolina
and Georgia. Through isolation, their diverse
traditions blended into a hybrid AfricanAmerican culture with strong African
characteristics evident today. South Caro16
Charleston artist Jonathan Green. Chef Matthew
Raiford. Chef Kevin Mitchell. Photo by Jonathan
Boncek.
lina’s rice-based economy made it one of the
richest colonies in the eighteenth century;
Charleston was one of the wealthiest cities
and the most fashionable. Slave chefs and
cooks played an important role in shaping
Lowcountry cuisine, infusing it with African
ingredients and preparation methods. This
session looks at the building blocks of
Gullah-Geechee cuisine: Caribbean influences, cooking techniques; seasonings; African
heritage foods like benne (sesame), field
peas, and okra; and abundant local ingredients like seafood and grits. Our expert panel
members have deep, abiding connections to
Gullah-Geechee culinary traditions.
Jonathan Green, a nationally
acclaimed and awarded professional artist,
begins the conversation with an overview
of the historical connection the GullahGeechee have to West Africa. Jonathan was
raised in a small Lowcountry community
near the S.C. Sea Islands where his grandparents were independent rice farmers.
He graduated with a degree from the Art
Institute of Chicago in 1982, and received
an honorary doctorate from the University of South Carolina in 1996. The book,
Gullah Images: The Art of Jonathan Green,
was published in the same year. Head of the
nonprofit Lowcountry Rice Culture Project,
Jonathan’s humanitarian and civic contributions are extensive. He explores the history
of Carolina Gold Rice in the exhibition,
Unenslaved: Rice Culture Paintings. Jonathan
sees the world through the eyes of an artist,
splashing images with bold, vivid colors
and intricate patterns. Writer Pat Conroy
writes in Gullah Images, “The Gullah people
depicted in Jonathan Green's world look like
they got dressed while staring at rainbows.”
CheFarmer Matthew Raiford
grew up eating Reezy Peezy (Sea Island red
peas and rice), Tomato Pilau, and Hoppin’
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Leveraging Brock Circle
Helps Differentiate LDEI
from Other Organizations
By Lori Willis (St. Louis)
John—heritage dishes that descended
from African slave kitchens. The
Coastal Georgia chef/farmer will
discuss agricultural contributions
of Africans in the Lowcountry and
share his culinary expertise on various
components of Gullah-Geechee cooking from “the roots up.” Matthew is a
proponent of the seed-to-table movement; his mantra is, “fresh, organic,
and local.” He and his sister, Althea
Raiford, are the sixth generation to
own certified, organic Gillard Farm.
Located near Brunswick, it was established by their third great-grandfather
in 1874. The siblings are testing
strains of Carolina Gold Rice and the
original southern peanut—introduced
by Africans to North America in the
1700s. Mathew graduated from The
Culinary Institute of America in Hyde
Park, NY and has a certificate in Ecological Horticulture from UC Santa
Cruz and The Center for Agroecology
and Sustainable Food Systems.
The culinary training of Chef
Kevin E. Mitchell, CEC, BCA,
CFSE, ACE, began in his grandmothS U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 er’s kitchen cleaning collards, spinach,
and kale; it was completed at the
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde
Park, where he earned two degrees.
Kevin is chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of Charleston within
Trident Technical College. His work
embraces delicate French cuisine, yet
reveals sumptuous soul food flair.
Kevin discussion will include the
development of Charleston’s Gullah
cuisine, its influences, ingredients and
dishes. “Trident Tech has an enduring interest in Gullah culture,” says
Marion Sullivan (Charleston). In
2009, Kevin ran a test kitchen at the
college for Chef Charlotte Jenkins’
acclaimed cookbook, Gullah Cuisine.
In April, he was chef-coordinator
for Nat Fuller’s Feast, the illustrious
re-creation of an 1865 Charleston
banquet hosted by African-American
chef Nat Fuller at his restaurant, The
Bachelor’s Retreat. It was the first
occasion to bring black and white
patrons together to break bread and
celebrate the Civil War’s end.
The Board convened an ad hoc panel of Brock
Circle members to brainstorm concepts as a first step
in determining where Brock Circle funds could be
invested in keeping with the mission to enhance conference education and beyond to the benefit of the
greater membership. Carol Brock (New York); Patty
Erd (Chicago); Mary Ellen Griffin (New York);
Suzanne Brown (Atlanta); and Alice G. Forman
(Seattle) joined me with Immediate Past President
Beth Allen (New York) to weigh in on the issue. We
came up with some very promising ideas.
The brainstorm gave rise to
a strong interest in branding,
public relations, and social media
centered around Annual Conference, professional development,
workshops, and demonstrations.
The ideas include: earned education credit at colleges and universities, new chapter development,
greater leveraging of our heritage programs (Legacy,
M.F.K. Fisher, Global Culinary Initiative, Green Tables)
and more. Some ideas can and, in some cases, are being
addressed within the normal operating budget. Others
seem perfect for the fund, but will likely take some
time. But, our diligence will pay off. As Past President
Suzanne Brown said, “Objectives, strategies, and tactics
for the Brock Circle funds will give us the tools needed
to better market and differentiate LDEI from other
culinary organizations”.
In keeping with the trust placed in the Board to
manage the fund, we are working very carefully and
deliberately to determine where the money is best
spent and where it can do the most good—for the
most people. Currently, we are looking into partnerships for professional development among our
members and educational opportunities that will add
meaningful experiences at Conference, which can be
shared across the entire membership. At some point,
we will reach out to the full Brock Circle membership for their thoughts. In the meantime, if you are
a member and would like to weigh in with ideas,
please email me at [email protected] with the
subject line, “BC BIG IDEA.”
As a reminder, current guidelines dictate that we
spend only 40 percent of funds collected annually. That amount varies greatly and is slowly growing
over time. I am pleased to report that Brock Circle
currently has 44 members (including chapters);
it is strong and growing. If you, or your chapter,
hope to join us in creating lasting legacies through
the Brock Circle, please access the Brock Circle
information online at LDEI.org or call Greg Jewell
and request a form. We thank all of our current
members and for those who have not yet made the
decision to join, please know that the more the
fund grows, the more we increase our opportunities
to connect and make a difference.
17
Fifth generation winemaker, Karl D. Wente. First varietally labeled Chardonnay in America: Wente Bros Pinot Chardonnay 1936.
Dame Carolyn Wente with her family. Photo by Sam Harnack
18
Where would Chardonnay be today without the Wente family?
No other California winemaking family has had a greater impact
on the wine world than the Wente family headed by founder Carl
H. Wente. Their singular focus on producing world-class wines and
their willingness to share their knowledge with their neighbors,
helped make Chardonnay the world’s best-selling wine.
The family’s connection with Chardonnay began more than
130 years ago when second generation winegrower Ernest Wente
persuaded his father Carl H. Wente to import cuttings from the
vine nursery at the University of Montpellier in France. Around
the same time, Ernest Wente also sourced budwood from the Gier
Vineyard in Pleasanton. He planted these two sources in his family’s
Livermore Valley vineyard, and over the next 30-40 years, selected
vines that showed the most favorable traits, which he replanted to
establish the Wente clone of Chardonnay.
After the repeal of the National Prohibition Act (Volstead Act) in
1933, Herman and Ernest Wente released the nation’s first varietally
labeled Chardonnay, a 1936 vintage from these early plantings.
Over the succeeding years, Ernest continued to upgrade the Wente
planting, establishing a name as owner of the finest Chardonnay vineyards in California. In the 1940s and ’50s, winegrowers
throughout the state, such as Stony Hill vineyard, selected cuttings
from Ernest.
In 1960, things really exploded for the Wente family. The Guide
Michelin, the renowned French wine and food publication, reprinted a Los Angeles Times review that called Wente Chardonnay
the finest white wine in America, equal to the great white wines of
France. This helped establish the Wente Family as “California’s First
Family of Chardonnay.”
Today, Carl H. Wente’s great-great-grandson and fifth generation
winemaker, Karl D. Wente, continues to pay homage to his family
legacy by producing classic and elegant styles of Chardonnay from
the Livermore Valley and Arroyo Seco. And as California’s First Family of Chardonnay, Wente Vineyards celebrates National Chardonnay
Day every year in May. Open to the public, this year’s event on May
21 will draw consumers from Livermore Valley and the surrounding
Bay Area to the winery to taste the portfolio of Wente Chardonnays
and toast to the number one selling wine varietal in the U.S.
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Chardonnay grapes from estate vineyards. Founder Carl H. Wente. Fifth generation winegrower, Karl D. Wente examines the Chardonnay vines.
“Chardonnay really is an amazing grape
that grows well throughout many regions in
California, each with its own distinct regional characteristics,” says Karl Wente. “In fact,
it is perhaps the grape where the winemaker
has the most influence in defining style.”
On National Chardonnay Day, Wente
Vineyards will highlight four different styles
of Chardonnay.
The Nth Degree Chardonnay, is crafted
from select blocks which receive the utmost
care and attention and are farmed to “the
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 Nth degree.” It is a full-bodied Chardonnay with aromas of ripe apple, apricot, and
nutmeg. Small Lot Eric’s Chardonnay,
named after Karl’s father, is fermented and
aged in stainless steel and does not undergo
malolactic fermentation to create a great balance between fruit and acidity. The Morning
Fog Chardonnay, named for the morning
coastal fog pushed by Pacific wind streams
into the bowl of the San Francisco Bay, offers tropical fruit that is balanced by vanilla
and a touch of toasty oak. The Riva Ranch
Single Vineyard Chardonnay comes from
the single vineyard Riva Ranch in Arroyo
Seco and is a beautifully rich, yet balanced
style of Chardonnay.
“As California’s First Family of Chardonnay,
we have a long history of working with other
wineries that have been using the Wente clone
since we developed it,” says Carolyn Wente,
fourth generation winegrower and CEO. I think
my great-grandfather would be proud to see my
family’s continued commitment to passing on
what we inherited to the next generation.”
19
chapter NEws
Janet Burgess (LA/OC)
Atlanta | Austin | Birmingham | Boston | British Columbia, Canada | Charleston | Chicago
Cleveland/Northeast Ohio | Colorado | Dallas | Hawaii | Houston | Kansas City/Heart of America
London, England | Los Angeles/Orange County | Miami | MINNESOTA | Monterey Bay Area | NASHVILLE
New York | Northeast | Palm Springs | Philadelphia | Phoenix | San Antonio | San Diego
San Francisco | Seattle | St. Louis | Washington
ATLA NTA
Gayle Skelton
It has been quite an exciting first quarter for our Atlanta
Chapter. We kicked the year off in January with our annual Culinary Futures event, hosted at AmericasMart. Guests
enjoyed live entertainment, savored delicious tastings
by some of Atlanta's finest chefs, and raised more than
$20,000 toward our scholarships to further the education
of high school culinary students.
L-R: Atlanta Dames Barb Pires
(Secretary), Tamie Cook (VP Philanthropy), Holly Chute (VP Programs), Shelley Pedersen, CPCE
(Past President), Gloria Smiley
(Treasurer) and Gayle Skelton,
CPCE (President), inducted at
the January chapter meeting.
Jordan Fessehaie, 2014 Aspiring
Culinarian Award Scholarship
Recipient, and Dame Mary Moore at Culinary Futures, which
raised $20,000 toward the scholarship.Photos by Mr. Travis S.
Taylor, Atlanta
Later in January, we celebrated our first chapter meeting
of 2015 with a New Year of Food, Friends, and Learning.
The Georgian Club provided a gorgeous setting as we recognized the service of our outgoing board and committee
members, and welcomed our new leadership.
In February, Dames were in full force at the Georgia
Organics 18th Annual Conference & Expo. Mary Moore,
Cook's Warehouse; Rebecca Lang, Southern Living; and
Tamie Cook, Tamie Cook Culinary Productions, LLC,
led the culinary sessions and were featured on the Georgia
Organics blog The Daily Dirt.
For our March chapter meeting, 10th Anniversary Dinner
& a Movie, Cathy Conway and Jenn Robbins of Avalon
Catering provided a lovely film-inspired French meal. Synchronicity Theater, founded by four women, was the perfect
venue to screen our feature film The Cheese Nun. It is the
story of Mother Noella Marcellino, O.S.B., an American
Benedictine nun who earned her doctorate in microbiology
and studied cheese in France on a Fulbright Scholarship.
Birmingham
Martha Johnston
Birmingham Dames took a bike ride through the historic
Norwood neighborhood in downtown Birmingham on
March 15. After working up an appetite, everyone gathered at Little Savannah Restaurant for a potluck brunch
hosted by Maureen Holt. The Champagne was chilled
and the chips nice and crispy when Pardis Stitt hosted
fellow Dames at Café Bottega on March 16 for a visit with
Martine Saunier (San Francisco) of Martine's Wines. She
20
shared stories
from her life
growing up
in France,
living in California, starting a wine
importing
company and
everything
in between.
There was no doubt as to why
she is the subject of two documentaries: A Year in Burgundy
and A Year in Champagne,
which was released in early
March.
Taste testing and photography Martine Saunier (San Francisco)
joins the Birmingham Dames for
have begun. We are partnerChampagne at Café Bottega.
ing with The Community
Birmingham Dames Gia McCollisFood Bank of Central Alabama ter (L) and Jan Gautro (R) welcome
to produce a pamphlet to be
Martine Saunier.
distributed to Food Bank clients
focused on kid-friendly snacks and main dishes children can
prepare during the summer when school lunches aren’t available. The goal is to distribute it in the last backpack distribution
of this school year according to committee members Brooke
Bell, Jan Gautro, Ana Kelly, Angela Schmidt, Becky Stayner,
Susan Swagler, and Rachel West.
During Food Media South, Birmingham Dames held a pop-up
event at Alabama Booksmith on February 27 to welcome Charleston Grand Dame Nathalie Dupree and her co-author Cynthia
Grubart. Gena Berry (Atlanta) also joined in the meet 'n greet
CH ARL E S TO N
Susan Slack
The Charleston Chapter celebrates the outstanding accomplishments of two members—Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree
and Marion B. Sullivan. As role models and mentors, they
share their gifts and talents in ways too numerous to mention. Nathalie, the doyenne of Southern cooking, was recently
inducted into Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America
during the James Beard Foundation Awards Ceremony and Gala
Reception at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago. One of five
inductees this year, she joins a cadre of the most accomplished
and influential culinary professionals in the country. Nathalie is
busy working on her next book, which will be a memoir.
Dame Marion was awarded The Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend
Award for contributions to the food culture and foodways of the
American South. She was honored during the Opening Ceremonies of the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival, hosted by the
Honorable Joseph P Riley––Charleston's mayor––and Dame Gillian Zetter, the festival's Executive Director. "In her typical generous fashion," remarked Deidre Schipani, "Marion praised those
who came before, paving the way for excellence and recognition
of the Southern cooking canon: Chefs Donald Barickman, Frank
Lee, and Louis Osteen.” In a toast to the festival, Marion noted,
"it is in its teenage years when anything can happen."
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
On March 9, members visited the new Cleveland Culinary
Launch Kitchen, an incubator for culinary businesses, located
at the Western Reserve School of Cooking downtown. They
toured the shared commercial kitchen, equipped and licensed
for myriad culinary purposes, such as catering, bottling, and
frozen food products. Dames enjoyed a light family-style meal
and cooking demo by owner Catherine St. John.
On April 14, Cleveland Dames will speak as part of the
women's series at Felice Urban Cafe. They will introduce guests
to LDEI and its educational and philanthropic mission and
share stories of their own women-owned businesses. Dames
Shara Bohach, Carol Hacker, Paula Hershman, Beth Knorr,
and Marilou Suszko will speak at the event.
Dallas
Jennifer Brightman Moschel
Twenty-four new Charleston Dames, Back row, L-R: Melissa Clegg, Tanya
Gurrieri, Carly Paume, Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Katherine Frankstone, Marie
Stitt, Kerry Marhefka, Jenny DiBenedetto, Lisa Burnett, Cappie Peete, Kelly
Franz, Kim Alexander, Emma Lesesne-Booth, Vonda Freeman, Kate Connor,
Jen Kulick. Seated in front, L-R: Mary Zapatka, Stephanie Barna, Lisa Brophy,
Kim Ortego. Not pictured: Liz Bacon, Beth Price, Amalia Scatena, Gina Stouffer.
Photo: Devany Vickery-Davidson.
Local Dames gather at the Charleston Food + Wine Festival, Front Row: Libba
Osborne, Donna Gustafson, Jennifer Goldman, Gillian Zettler, Paige Crone,
Jeanne DeCamilla, Nicki Root. Middle Row: Celia Cerasoli, Paige Crone. Back
Row, L-R: Lisa Buzzeli, Teresa Taylor, Andrea Limehouse, Patricia Agnew, Nathalie Dupree, Marion Sullivan, Deidre Schipani. Photo: Paige Crone.
In March, the Charleston Board and membership committee welcomed 24 new members. The induction meeting was held April 14,
followed by two orientation sessions for new members. Seventy-three
Charleston Dames are working hard to plan the upcoming October
conference.
C h icago
Julie Chernoff
We've had a busy start to 2015! After a post-holiday potluck at the
home of Programs Chair Portia Belloc Lowndes in mid-January, we've
since read Ruth Reichl's Delicious! in our Dames Who Read book club.
We enjoyed a book-themed dinner at Amy Morton's Found Restaurant
and learned how to optimize social media at a program held at Barbara
Glunz' boîte, The Glunz Tavern. We held a series of networking potlucks at the homes of Jeanne McInerney Lubeck, Suzanne Florek, and
Rebecca Wheeler, and savored a special, All About Ramen, four-course,
family-style dinner at Bill Kim's Belly Q. We look forward to welcoming our newest members at our Annual Meeting and Dinner at River
Roast on June 15.
C leveland
Shara Bohach
Cleveland Dames kicked off the year as the inaugural guests in the tasting room of Portside Distillery, Cleveland's newest craft beer and rum
distillery on the East Bank of the Flats. Dames enjoyed a tour of the
distillery, followed by a spirited rum and beer tasting.
Cleveland Dames visit Portside Distillery, L-R: Paula Hershman, Jean Mackenzie, Elaine Cicora, Melanie Seal, Maggie Harrison, Joan Pistone, Marla
Monzo-Holmes, Gloria Kemer, Marty Nagele, Carol Hacker, Linda Flannery,
Shara Bohach, Cynthia Eakin, Beth Davis-Noragon, and Maria Isabella. Photo
by Beth Segal
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 Our Dames had a festive, post-holiday potluck party on January 11 at the home of Denise Glazer. Denise was so kind to
open up her beautiful home to us, and the Dallas ladies arrived
with all kinds of wonderful foods to share. By the way, there was
also great wine!
In March we met at the Green Grocer on Greenville Avenue
to enjoy a variety of healthy-style juices and talk business. Then
it was off to Luscher's Red Hots for some Texas-style Chicago
grub! They serve the best sausages around, and our mouths
are still watering! Chef-owner Brian Luscher is the husband of
Dame Courtney Casson Luscher.
In April we met at Tara Anderson's home for light snacks and
to plan the remainder of 2015. Our fundraising committee is
planning a late summer Jazz Brunch on August 30, which will
be open to the public at 3015 Trinity Groves. Plans include a
silent auction, action stations by our own chefs, and live jazz
music. The Dallas Dames are thrilled to be working with a new
style of event and look forward to showcasing all of the Dame
talent in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
H AWAI I
Hayley Matson-Mathes
The Hawaii
Chapter, in
collaboration
with Pastry
Chef Michelle
Karr-Ueoka of
MW Restaurant
in Honolulu,
gathered March
9 for a fundraiser dinner
to benefit the Good Eats
Scholarship fund estabFront row, L-R: Chef Lee
Anne Wong, Fern Yoshida,
Dorothy Colby. Second
row: Possie Badham,
Elisabeth Iwata, Chef
Nicole Anderson, partially obscured, Lori Wong,
Hayley Matson-Mathes.
Back row: Melanie Kosaka,
Holly Hadsell El-Hajji, Chef
Michelle Karr-Ueoka, and
Satomi Goo. The dinner
entrée was Chef Nicole
Anderson’s Beer Braised
Short Rib with Oxtail Jam.
Childhood memories and
nostalgia inspired Michelle
Karr-Ueoka to create Kula
Strawberry “Shave Ice.”
21
lished by Joan Namkoong. The dinner showcased Hawaii’s female farmers including Lesley Hill's Wailea Agricultural Group,
which produces Heart of Palm. The fundraiser concept was the
creation of Lee Anne Wong, executive chef /partner Koko Head
Café, and also Chef Michelle. Nicole Anderson—Chef De Cuisine at Koko Head Café—joined them in the kitchen to prepare
the multi-course course dinner. The scholarship’s goal is to nurture Hawaii’s future professionals
planning to study agriculture or the culinary arts at a college or
university in the continental United States, with hopes they will
return to Hawaii to enhance the quality of food in the islands.
The Hawaii Community Foundation administers the scholarship.
HO U S TON
LDEI Third Vice President Hayley Matson-Mathes (Hawaii)
visited the Houston Chapter last fall during their Member
Roundup, which was held at Shade, a restaurant owned by Dame
Claire Smith.
Hayley Matson-Mathes (wearing polka dots, back row) with Houston
Dames.Hayley Matson-Mathes with Houston Dames at Shade restaurant.
M IA MI
Ellen Kanner
The Miami Dames are in full bloom. On March 8, our Tropical Brunch at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden was a soldout success. Chaired by Morgan Nims, this year's theme gave
farm-fresh a French twist. Thirty-two Dames volunteered their
time and expertise for “Du Jardin a
La Table.” Twenty-one restaurants,
caterers, and companies with wines
and spirits created a bright-flavored,
sophisticated menu including zesty
Bloody Marys, made-to-order omelets, potato pancakes with homemade gravlax, and irresistible pastries.
Even better, the afternoon netted
enough to fund one of our scholarships to a deserving woman entering
the culinary field.
April brought a month's worth of
tasty events. On April 7, we partnered with Slow Food Miami to pres- Tropical Brunch Chair Dame
ent food historian and author Nancy Morgan Nims.
22
Harmon Jenkins. Jo Anne Bander introduced Nancy and
Carole Kotkin joined the author for a spirited conversation about her delicious new book Virgin Territory:
Exploring the World of Olive Oil. On April 13, Green
Tables Chair Claire Tomlin organized a field-fresh farmers’
market fundraiser benefiting the Dames at the new farmers’ market in downtown Miami.
On April 18, we enjoyed a Dames’ appreciation afternoon
tea prepared by none other than James Beard awardwinning chef Michelle Bernstein. Outreach Committee
Chair Nancy Ancrum and Susan Brustman organized
the elegant event, which took place at Seagrape, Michelle's
much-acclaimed new restaurant.
PAL M S PRI NGS
Barbara Lowell
L'Affaire Chocolate was an affair to remember for close to
100 members and fans of LDEI's Palm Springs Chapter on
February 22. A sumptuous luncheon was served in the garden of the elegant La Spiga Ristorante where views of the
San Jacinto mountains were surpassed only by the artistry
on the plate. Following a delicious lunch with branzino
and heirloom tomatoes, guests were invited to sample
desserts from
a 30-foot long
table laden
with decadent
chocolate
goodies. Sweets
created and donated by some
of the area's
finest chefs
and restaurants
included everything from
tiny, ganachecovered
bonbons to
intricate tarts
and towers of
mousse.
A spirited live
auction offered
up original artwork, jewelry,
trips, dinners,
and sportsthemed outPutting final touches on the Palm Springs
ings. Keynote
speaker Diana Chapter’s sumptuous L’Affaire Chocolat buffet
L-R: La Spiga owners Dame Connie Culvon Welanetz are,
traro, her husband Chef Vince Cultraro, and
Wentworth
Dame Bonnie Barkley.
donated and
Palm Springs Dames, L-R: L’Affaire Chocolat
Chair Janet Harris, Lisa Wherry, and Diana von
signed a copy
Welanetz Wentworth.
of her book,
Chicken Soup
for the Soul Cookbook, for each guest.
Best of all, the event raised more than $15,000 in scholarships. Two of last year's recipients, young women now both
employed in the culinary industry, spoke warmly of Les
Dames d'Escoffier and gave heartfelt thanks for the financial assistance they received. “This is why we do what we
do,” said President Lisa Wherry. “We are women helping
other women achieve their dreams.”
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
S an D iego
Teresa Palzkill
San Diego Chapter members are enjoying a variety of learning and
networking events. Highlights include a January tour of White Labs to
learn about the cultivation and production of yeast for use in beer and
wine, followed by a scrumptious lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant.
February provided
a croissant-making
class at Cardamom
Bakery and Café. We
welcomed students
and instructors from
Southwestern College
culinary and baking
programs as guests to
this event. All present
had the opportunity
to participate in the
process of making
delicious almond
croissants while
enjoying a variety of
Cardamom's delectable sweet and savory
croissant specialties. In
March Karen Contreras, owner of Urban
Plantations, held a
seminar for Dames
and guests showing
the best methods to
create a kitchen garden. All in attendance
Dame Mineko Moreno's San Diego sushi class.
had the opportunity
L-R: Carol Blomstrom, Kate McDevitt, Brenda Holto create their own
lis, Mineko Moreno, Teddie Lewis (in red), Marie
potted garden filled
Kelly. Back: Michael McHugh of Festivities, Tracey
Sturgis, Karen Contreras.
with herbs and edible
New Children's Museum Garden, L-R Front
flowers to take home!
Row: Karen Contreras, Teddie Lewis, Mineko
In addition, Dames
Moreno, Brenda Hollis, Teresa Palzkill. Back: Marie
are networking at
Kelley, Kate McDevitt, Dana Chaldekas, Carol
Blomstrom, Mary Papoulias-Platis.
monthly meet-ups
held throughout San
Diego County to
facilitate member access. The opportunity to meet and develop both
personal and professional relationships is invaluable. Amy Dibase,
Executive Chef at Tidal Craft and Catch, graciously provided a beautiful
venue overlooking Mission Bay for our annual dinner and winter board
of director meetings.
The chapter commitment to provide mentoring and financial support to
women pursuing careers in the culinary field continues with the awarding
of a scholarship to Jazmine Jackson as she continues her culinary education at the Art Institute, San Diego. Congratulations to Jazmine.
S an FR A NC ISCO
Fran Gage
San Francisco Dames had a special treat at this year's Ancestral Pot
Luck dinner, held on January 12, at Kikkoman's offices, courtesy of
Helen Roberts. Many Dames from around the country, in town for the
show, joined us. Although they didn't have kitchens to prepare dishes,
they did share stories about family recipes.
On January 31, our chapter co-sponsored a Green Tables Event at UC
Davis called, Mead and Honey, a Beekeepers’ Feast. The multi-course
dinner featured honey in its many flavor profiles. Ann Evans helped organize the event and designed the menu. In addition to some delicious
food, the evening reminded all that bees play an important role in the
pollination of many crops.
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 We had two events that focused on mentoring women in the
culinary fields. The first was a dinner hosted by Co-President
Tanya Holland at her restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen. Several
Dames writers joined the five recipients of the Karola Saekel
Craib Excellence in Food Journalism Fellowship for a lively discussion over the restaurant's signature dish, Chicken and Waffles.
Second, Jerry Di Vecchio, aided by Barbara Haimes, spearheaded a new series of seminars with San Francisco Dames and
students in the Culinary Program at City College of San Francisco.
The first, held on February 20, featured chefs Emily Luchetti, Suzette Gresham, and Patty Unterman. Two more, one focused on
food production, the other on community service, are scheduled.
The students were very enthusiastic, asking lots of questions.
S eattle
Nicole Aloni
Our January meeting was an open event with a mix of Dames
and culinary colleagues. Seattle has long had a rich history as it
relates to outstanding food and beverage, but it is only recently
that distilling has been added to the local mix. With Jason Parks
as our guide––the owner
and distiller of Copperworks Distilling––we
learned what sparked the
recent boom in Seattle
distilling while sampling
some of Copperworks'
wonderful craft spirits.
They provided tours of
the distilling space and
snacks were provided
by Pike Brewing and
Cynthia Nims.
The Seattle Wine
and Food Experience
(SWFE), the premier
showcase for wine and
food in the Northwest,
was produced by Jamie
Peha on February 22 at
Seattle Center. Hundreds
of attendees experienced
a rollicking afternoon of
food and wine highlight- Dame Jamie Peha, of Peha Promotions,
produces the Seattle Wine and Food
ed by a unique section
Experience (SWFE). Dames Amy Muzykafeaturing Dame-run
McGuire and Anne Nisbet at SWFE. businesses. SWFE is
also one of the largest
individual benefactors to Les Dames d’Escoffier Seattle, this year
providing our chapter with a $15,000 donation.
On March 23, there was a general membership meeting in which
an entirely new process for inducting new members was put into
place for the first time. Starting this year, our chapter adopted
a more open, application-style process for becoming a member.
We are proud to be making the process more transparent and
look forward with much excitement to the five accomplished new
members coming on board as a result: Kathleen Finn, Claudia
Hogue, Alison Leber, Naomi Kakiuchi, and Sheri Wetherell.
S T. L O UI S
The St. Louis Chapter partnered with the 501c (3) non-profit
EarthDance Organic Farm School to create a scholarship for
farmers-in-training. Through hands-on education in the fields,
market training, and classes from practicing farmers, apprentices
learn the skills of organic agriculture. EarthDance is located
on the historic Mueller Farm in Ferguson, Missouri. The farm
23
sustainably grows food, farmers, and community, one small farm at a time,
through hands-on education and delicious experiences. In the aftermath
of the recent unrest in Ferguson, the farm school focused its resources to
provide healing help for the community.
The chapter is thrilled and honored to announce that it has donated
$5,000 toward the EarthDance Farm & Garden Apprenticeship Program.
The generous contribution will help EarthDance grow future farmers––the
local good food movement’s next crop of leaders and contributors. St. Louis
Chapter President Cecily Hoffius, co-owner of Ces and Judy’s Catering,
says the membership is excited for the opportunity to partner with EarthDance. “Several of our members volunteer at the farm. They brought us the
idea that eventually developed into an opportunity for a scholarship to their
part-time apprenticeship for people interested in learning about urban farming.” The members of Les Dames are not only donating funds to support the
farmers-in-training, but their time and talent, too. The two organizations are
teaming up for a series of on-farm Taste & Tour events that will introduce
new supporters to the organization and promote EarthDance’s annual fundraiser, Farmers Formal. For more information, go to: www.earthdancefarms.
org/ and www.earthdancefarms.org/what-we-do/grow-farmers/
WA SHINGTON
Drew Faulkner
Our chapter hosted a reception on March 28 for visiting Dames during the
IACP Conference held in Washington March 27-30 at the Marriott Renaissance hotel. Chapter President Drew Faulkner and Katherine Newell Smith
organized the reception. About 50 Dames from across the United States
attended along with three potential new members who may start a North
Carolina Chapter with the help of Nathalie Dupree (Charleston), LDEI
board secretary Sharon Olson (Chicago), and CiCi Williamson. We had the
generous and delicious support of wines from Amy Hoopes (San Francisco)
of Wente Vineyards and the following Washington Dames: Theresa Morrison
of Boutique Vineyards; flowers, regional cheeses, beef tenderloin and ham
biscuits from Susan James and Alan James of Stonyman Gourmet Farmer;
hand-crafted salamis from Debra Moser and Mitch Berliner of Meat Crafters;
and hummus and pita from Gladys Abi-Nijm of Lebanese Taverna.
Washington Dames at IACP, L-R: Chapter President Drew Faulkner, Katherine Newell Smith, Alan
James, and Amy Riolo. L-R: Mitch Berliner, Debra
Moser (Washington), Karen Levin (Chicago).
L-R: Judith Fertig (Kansas City), Crystal Leach,
Katherine Ackerman (Dallas), Catherine Lucas
(Miami), Nancy Eisman (Los Angeles). Photos by
CiCi Williamson
in memoriam
Jonell Nash (New York)
By Michele Scicolone (New York)
Jonell Nash, former food editor of Essence Magazine, teacher,
and cookbook author,
died after a short illness
on February 27 at the age
of 72.
Born in Delhi, Louisiana, Jonell’s family
moved to Detroit where
she grew up. After receiving a home economics
degree from Wayne State
University, Jonell began
teaching at Cody High
School in Detroit. Later,
she was hired by Co-ed
magazine, published by
Scholastic, and moved to
New York City. Her next
position was in the test
kitchen at Woman’s Day and in 1984, she became the food editor of Essence Magazine where she remained until her retirement
in 2008.
24
Thoughtful, gracious and kind, Jonell was also hardworking.
She had a passion for quality cooking and baking, which she
learned from her parents, and focused her efforts on teaching
a generation of cooks that traditional African-American foods
could be flavorful without being high in fat and sodium. Jonell
was a trailblazer in the quest to reduce rates of childhood obesity, particularly among black and Hispanic youngsters who are
at higher risk than whites.
Her first book, Low-Fat Soul, was published in 1996. In it, she
advised readers to, “boot the fat, boost the flavor,” by substituting smoked lean turkey and fish for bacon and ham hocks and
by using lard and butter sparingly. Publisher’s Weekly wrote that
her second book, Essence Brings You Great Cooking, was written
with two purposes: to celebrate African American food traditions in all their diversity and to create a cookbook that would
make nutritious home cooking appealing to the everyday cook.
The reviewer stated that she had succeeded on both counts.
A longtime member of Les Dames New York, Jonell had been
active on many committees, including most recently Green
Tables. She was also a generous benefactor, financing a scholarship in the name of Chef Edna Lewis. This scholarship is being
renamed in honor of Jonell Nash. Contributions can be sent
to Les Dames D’Escoffier New York, Attention: Susan Lowry,
HMGT, 300 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Please note on
the check or money order, “In honor of the Jonell Nash Memorial Scholarship.”
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
San Antonio
Celebrates
Meals on Reels
in Grand Style
Tables cloaked in lavender and aubergine linens—radiant with candlelight
and flowers—welcomed 185 guests to a
historic venue, The St. Anthony Hotel for
the chapter fundraiser, Meals on Reels,
on February 26. Guests enjoyed a cocktail
reception, cooking demonstrations, and
a multi-course meal prepared by chapter members—the leading ladies of San
Antonio’s culinary scene. The elegant menu
featured Lobster Bisque; Grilled Quail
with Rose Petal Sauce; Grapefruit and Pink
Peppercorn Sorbet; and Julia Child’s Beef
Bourguignon. A Kerrygold cheese course
was also served. Dessert included Chocolate
Ganache on Crushed Pistachios with Floral
Cream. Each course was paired with wine
and a culinary-themed movie clip. Silent
and live auctions fueled the festivities. The
event generated a profit of $77,000, which
will be used for scholarships, Green Tables,
and other programs. Special thanks are
extended to all the participants, to the food
and beverage donors, and The St. Anthony
Hotel and culinary staff. It was a dazzling
event and by all accounts, a great success!
This year the San Antonio Chapter (LDEISA), is celebrating its twentieth anniversary.
Elegant tables and swag
brought glitz to the evening.
Stepping out with Les
Dames. Red Carpet Glam:
LDEI's 2003 Grande Dame
Rosemary Elton Kowalski,
who shares the honor with
Abigail Kirsch (New York).
L-R: Double Feature—the
mistresses of ceremonies.
Ready for a close-up:
Grilled Texas Quail in Rose
Petal Sauce. Live and silent
auctions brought in half the
revenue for the evening.
A special framed photo
of Auguste Escoffier was
among the auction items.
An Oscar Performance! San
Antonio’s Dames-chefs and
Chef Michael Mata and his
staff from the hotel did a
superb job!
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 25
Member Milestones
Birmingham
Katherine Cobbs has developed 75
recipes for her new cookbook, Classic
Southern Cooking, from the Editors of
Garden & Gun (2015); it features contributions from many of the finest chefs in
our region. www.katherinecobbs.com
Annette Thompson was elected President of the Society of American Travel
Writers at their
Reykjavik, Iceland
convention. Annette visited over
130 barbecue restaurants and chose
to include about 75
of the state’s most
storied joints in her
Annette Thompson
new book, Alabama
Barbecue. It is being promoted by the
Alabama Tourism Department.
www.annettethompsontravel.com
BOSTON
Denise Herrera,
VP of Operations
for Burtons Grill,
was recognized as
a 2015 Women
of Influence. In
2004, Herrera
partnered to create Denise Herrera
the contemporary
American grill concept in her role of
executive chef. She currently oversees all
branches of operations and exemplifies
what it is to be a successful woman in
the restaurant industry.
CHARLESTON
Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree has
been inducted into Who's Who of Food
& Beverage in
America.
She was
honored in
Chicago
on May
4 during
the James Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart
Beard Foundation Awards. Nathalie and
Cynthia Graubart (Atlanta), both James
Beard cookbook award winners, coauthored Mastering the Art of Southern
Vegetables, released March 1 by Gibbs
Smith.
Marion B. Sullivan, a Charleston
founding member, received the Charleston Wine + Food Festival's 2015 Laura
Hewitt Culinary Legend Award in
26
Dottie Koteski (Philadelphia)
March to salute
her contributions
to the culinary
community. A
faculty member of
The Culinary Institute of Charleston, Marion was
recipe editor for
Heritage––Chef
Sean Brock’s James
Beard Foundation
award-winning
cookbook.
The Mansion
on Turtle Creek
Cookbook with
Chef Dean Fearing.
www.truetexascusine.com
Marion B. Sullivan
Nancie
McDermott's
latest cookbook, Simply VegNancie McDermott
etarian Thai: 125
Real Thai Recipes
debuted in the spring. The new edition of Real Vegetarian Thai, is mostly
vegan and gluten-free, and introduces
the “Meatless Mondays” generation to
Thai cuisine’s delights. Nancie has book
events around the south this summer,
along with classes at Southern Season.
www.nanciemcdermott.com
CHICAGO
Donna Battle Pierce, a 2015 recipient of
a Harvard Nieman Foundation Visiting
Fellowship, is researching historical black
recipes and cooks for a cookbook about
the Southern food that moved North
during the Great Migration. Since spending January on campus, Donna returns to
Harvard in July to complete research at
the Schlesinger Library.
http://skilletdiaries.com/
Colorado
Carol Fenster
promoted her
latest gluten-free
cookbook, 100 Best
Quick Gluten-Free
Recipes, on the
PBS-TV show,
Carol Fenster
Creative Living
with Sheryl Borden.
She demonstrated how to bake with
coconut flour, prepare black quinoa, and
make gazpacho without bread as a thickener. www.carolfenstercooks.com
Dallas
Dotty Griffith is co-authoring a cookbook with Houston chef and restaurateur Sylvia Casares. The Enchilada Queen
Cookbook, A Tex-Mex Tour of the Rio
Grande is scheduled for publication in
fall 2016. Dotty is the author of nine
other cookbooks, including editor of
Tina Wasserman's
newest book, EnDotty Griffith
trée to Judaism for
Families-Jewish Cooking and Kitchen
Conversations with Children was a finalist
at the IACP Cookbook Awards in the eBook category. This is the first interactive
cookbook for children with adult recipes
emphasizing sustainability and historical
facts. It's also available in hard copy.
Karol Wilson, a publicist and gourmet
food writer for The Dallas Examiner will
be doing a regular column for the Dallas
magazine Modern Lifestyles. www.examiner.com/topic/dallas
Liz Baron and husband, Jim, owners
of Blue Mesa Grill and TNT/Tacos
and Tequila, opened two new sites: the
Quadrangle in Uptown, Dallas and the
Mosaic in San Antonio. Their concept,
which originated with TNT in Austin,
centers on taco and tequila bars and a
full menu offering of fresh ingredients.
www.tacos-and-tequila.com
Houston
Marie LeNôtre,
founder and director of the Culinary
Institute Lenôtre,
has written a new
book, Appetites: A
Memoir (Bright Sky
Press), which shares Marie LeNôtre
Marie’s childhood
dreams and adolescent struggles, the
pains and joys of love in France, and the
way she made the famous culinary name
of LeNôtre her own.
Philadelphia
Deanna Segrave-Daly, along with Dallas
Dame Robin Plotkin and two other
dietitian foodie bloggers, last fall held
the first ever Blog Brûlée: “Setting Fire to
Better Blogs” conference for twenty registered dietitians and healthy food bloggers.
Planning is already underway for a 2015
Blog Brûlée event,
which will provide
further relationship
building.
New York
Melanie Young
published Fearless
Fabulous You! Lessons
Melanie Young
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
on Living Life on Your Terms. Melanie has
earned certification as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.
whole grains. She is a veteran journalist and
food writer, and has contributed to Gourmet,
Saveur, and Gastronomica.
Northeast
SAN ANTONIO
Jamie Cruz of Springdell Farm was appointed to the American
Farm Bureau Federation National Young
Farmer & Rancher
Committee. Members
of the committee study
farm and food policy
issues and participate
in leadership training
exercises.
Jamie Cruz
Jenny Johnson is an
Emmy Award winning
executive producer,
entertainment, and lifestyle television personality based in Boston––a Jenny Johnson
Top 10 Market. This
year Jenny started her own production company to create the “Dining Playbook” offering an inside guide to the best restaurants,
nightlife, and celebrity chef interviews.
Denise Landis
launched the Cook’s
Cook this year. She
is the founder and
publisher of the online
magazine. Denise has
been testing recipes for
The New York Times
for twenty years and
is a contributor to the
newspaper’s “Dining In/
Dining Out” section.
Her current book is
called Dinner for Eight.
Dorie Greenspan’s
newest publication,
Baking Chez Moi,
focuses on French
home-baked desserts.
The New York Times
calls the award-winning
author of nine cookbooks a “culinary
guru.” Dorie is a special
correspondent for Bon
Appétit magazine and a
frequent guest on National Public Radio's All
Things Considered and
The Splendid Table.
Marty Gonzalez was awarded the Excellence
in Service Award by the American Diabetes
Association of San Antonio. In her 14 years of
service to this chapter,
she has served in many
capacities including as
fundraising chair, as
community leadership
board chair, and as a
national committee
Marty Gonzalez
member.
Denise Mazal, chef/
owner of Little Gretel
Restaurant, was selected
as 2014 Businesswoman of the Year by the
Boerne, Texas, Chamber of Commerce.
After 20 years in a retail
Denise Mazal
business, in 2009 she
opened a restaurant that features her Czech,
Austrian, and German heritage. Denise
was recently nominated for the Best Chefs
America Award.
San Francisco
Denise Landis
Photo by Dame Eva
Baughman.
Dorie Greenspan
Maria Speck
Maria Speck shares
Photo by Somerby Jones.
classic, comforting
recipes in her awardwinning, new cookbook titled Simply Ancient Grains. She makes cooking with ancient
grains faster, more intuitive, and easier than
ever before. Maria has a lifelong passion for
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 Amy Hoopes, Chief
Marketing Officer
and Executive Vice
President of Global
Sales for Wente Family
Estates, was a recent
honoree at the posh,
Amy Hoopes
2015 Marketing Hall of
Femme awards ceremony in New York City.
Sponsored by Direct Marketing News, the
event acknowledges and celebrates women’s
progress in marketing.
Andrea Nguyen shares secrets for making
irresistible bahn mi in The Banh Mi Handbook—selected as one of the best cookbooks
of 2014 by National Public Radio. The book
presents traditional and modern recipes for
the popular Viet sandwich. Published July
2014, the book is in its fourth printing.
Vietworldkitchen.com
Sara Wilson, managing
partner of Market Hall
Foods and president
of Manicaretti Italian
Food Imports, was inducted into the inaugural class of the Specialty
Food Association's Hall
of Fame. Individuals are Sara Wilson
honored whose “accomplishments, impact, contributions, innovations, and successes within the specialty food
industry deserve praise and recognition.”
WASHINGTON
Cathy Barrow won the 2015 IACP
Single Subject Cookbook Award for Mrs.
Wheelbarrow’s Practical Pantry (W.W.
Norton). https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=8wH7Vq7Rtgo
Monica Bhide announces her latest book–
–A Life of Spice––released May 2015. It is
filled with essays that reflect food, culture
and life. This is her sixth book.
Cynthia Glover, principal of Smart Works,
A Marketing Company, was selected as a
consultant to KGRW & Associates architects and the local government of Howard
County, Maryland. She will work on a
project intended to make Howard County a
premier, aging-friendly community for baby
boomers and their caregivers.
Aviva Goldfarb has become a monthly
contributor to The Washington Post’s online
column, On Parenting, writing about food
and family. Read her first post here: www.
washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/
wp/2015/04/01/should-family-dinnertrump-extracurriculars/
Pati Jinich has begun her fourth consecutive
season of Pati’s Mexican Table on PBS-TV
and public television stations nationwide.
The new 13-episode season began airing on
April 4.
Michelle Poteaux received a RAMMY (Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington) nomination for Pastry Chef of the Year.
This is the third nomination for Michelle,
the pastry chef/owner of the contemporary
French restaurant Bastille and Bistrot Royal,
a cozy bistro. The awards ceremony was held
on June 7.
Nora Pouillon was featured in the April
2015 Washingtonian magazine in a threepage article, "Nora the Explorer." She created the first certified organic restaurant in
the U.S. Her memoir, My Organic Life: How
a Pioneering Chef Helped Shape the Way We
Eat Today was just published. Nora is hosting
a Legacy Awards winner in 2015.
Amy Riolo released her sixth cookbook The
Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: Harness the Power of the World's Healthiest Diet
to Live Better, Longer in April 2015. www.
amyriolo.com
Susan Soorenko was nominated for the
Laurey Masterton Golden Amulet Award,
presented during the Women Chefs &
Restaurateurs awards gala, “Women Who
Inspire.” The award was founded in memory
of Laurey, who always wore an amulet filled
with 1/12th teaspoon honey—the lifetime
production of one worker bee. Carla Hall
(Washington) co-hosted the event.
UPDATE: In the spring Quarterly, Sharon Kramis, a Seattle Chapter founder, was missing in
the article on the chapter's 25th anniversary.
27
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Chef Amanda Cohen
Dirt Candy, New York, NY
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28
Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Reception Held for North Carolina
Chapter Formation
By CiCi Williamson (Washington)
LDEI Secretary Sharon Olson (Chicago), Grande Dame Nathalie
Dupree (Charleston), and CiCi Williamson (Washington) traveled
to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on April 20, to give a presentation to
a group of women in food professions who are interested in starting a
new chapter.
Coming from several North Carolina cities, including Chapel Hill,
Durham, Raleigh, and Greensboro, were 27 attendees. Colleen Minton, Founder and Director, TerraVita Food & Drink Festival, Chapel
Hill, organized the event, handled reservations and other details. She
secured a meeting room for the group at Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill,
where they viewed CiCi’s LDEI History PowerPoint presentation. Sharon, Nathalie, and CiCi addressed the group and helped answer their
questions about new chapter formation.
An additional 10 women who were unable to attend are also interested in becoming members of a North Carolina Chapter, which would
be based in the tri-city area. Nancie McDermott (Charleston) and
Jean Anderson (New York) also live in Chapel Hill.
As LDEI Secretary, Sharon is tasked with potential new chapter
formation and has helped update the LDEI Chapter Formation
Handbook. CiCi—the fall and spring LDEI Quarterly editor—and
Nathalie flew to Birmingham in 2013 to meet with a large group of
women who subsequently applied to charter a chapter. Birmingham’s
petition included 54 members, the largest number to join LDEI as a
new chapter, becoming LDEI’s 29th. Nathalie has long been interested
in helping start a new chapter in North Carolina. She previously met
with a smaller group of women and helped to gather names and contact information for many of the women who attended the reception.
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 L-R: CiCi Williamson, Colleen Minton, Sharon Olson, and
Nathalie Durpee. Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree of Charleston
speaks to potential North Carolina Dames.
29
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30
ITEM 127 © 2014 O WINES, WOODINVILLE, WA 98072
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Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Submission Guidelines
Re-Branding
Les Dames d'Escoffier
Deadlines
By Shara Bohach
(Cleveland)
Photography/Images
As Les Dames d'Escoffier looks to increase
its brand awareness, we all look for ways
to do our part. On the PR committee, I
was asked to review a draft of the new PR
manual.
As I read through the
acknowledged weaknesses
the brand,
Aloha! of
Please
join me
Iinrealized
something
welcoming
LDEI's
was
missing.
noted
Social
Media Iadministhe
logo
itself
as
a
trator Tara Anderson.
weakness.
The
name
We are fortunate to
of
theher
organization,
have
talent, enthuminuscule
comparedI Shara Bohach
siasm, and expertise.
to the mark, lacked
presence and when used small was unreadable. The mark itself was recognizable, but
small details detracted from its clarity.
I proposed that the logo should be redesigned for name presence, and suggested
adding a tagline to increase understanding of the organization. I volunteered my
firm, Unity Design, with its branding
expertise, for the endeavor. We planned to
increase brand and name presence, while
not infringing on established brand equity.
Maintaining the previous font (Garamond),
we made the organization name large with
“International” underneath in all caps, and
with an elegant rule between. This allowed
the entire name to carry much more weight
with a polished look.
We made refinements, cleaning up the
mark and added a heavier outer border to
help it stand out. We designed both vertical
and horizontal configurations for the logo.
We proposed a number of taglines, from
creative solutions to utilitarian (who we are,
what we do). This has sparked a lengthier
debate that continues. Watch for a new
tagline perhaps in 2015!
After the Board's approval, we went a step
further to develop logos for each chapter.
Chapters can find the new international
logo and their chapter logos by logging into
the website and going to Member Center >
Documents. Logos are supplied in JPG and
EPS formats.
Unity Design (unitydesign.biz) is a
brand-focused print and online design firm
that specializes in the culinary industry.
S U M M E R Q uar t erly 2 0 1 5 2015 FALL ISSUE - AUGUST 1, 2015
2016 WINTER ISSUE - November 9, 2015
Electronic images must be properly focused and 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. Please identify individuals
in photos from left to right in the message of your email. Include photo
credits, if required, and captions. ALL PHOTOGRAPHS MUST COME WITH
CAPTIONS TO BE PUBLISHED.
Member Milestones
LIST DAME’S NAME and XXX CHAPTER. Each Dame may submit up to 50
words about honors or important business-related activities, as preferred, to
appear in print. Please include a website URL, if applicable. You may email
a quality headshot to accompany your news. Press releases and cookbook
covers are not accepted. Email your Member Milestone and photo to
Member Milestone Editor, Dottie Koteski at [email protected] by
the deadline listed above. Entries received after these dates may appear in a
following issue. Photos of Dames networking at conferences or other chapter
events may also be sent to this section. Note: Due to space constraints, only
two Member Milestones will be published per Dame per year.
Chapter News
CHAPTER XXX (By, the submitter's name, office-or title, if any). Each
chapter may submit 250 words as you would like to see it in print. You may
include photos to accompany your news, noting photography requirements
above. Submissions that exceed the word count will be edited. (A lengthy
submission on a special chapter event could be considered for a feature;
contact the editor in advance.) Press releases are not accepted. We regret
we don't have space to print full menus but menu items can be included
in the copy. Submissions not conforming to this format may not be printed
due to deadlines and volunteer’s lack of time. Email to Janet Burgess at
[email protected] by the deadline date. Entries received after
this date may appear in the following issue. Note: "Chapter News" and
"Member Milestones" may be dispersed through LDEI social-media
channels, as well as in print and online.
E-News
This bimonthly publication will keep you informed about events in other
chapters and encourages networking. Press releases are not accepted.
Include an email contact, date, time, and cost for chapter events. Lack
of space prevents member milestones, product news, listing of cooking
classes, or tours. You will receive a reminder call for “E-News” email.
Respond to E-News Editor, Shelley Pedersen, at [email protected]
Upcoming
in the
fall issue
• Winners of LDEI's M.F.K. Fisher Awards
• Introducing the 2015 Grande Dame
• Nashville Chapter Review
31
Atlanta
Austin
Birmingham
Boston
British Columbia, Canada
Charleston
Chicago
Cleveland/Northeast Ohio
Colorado
Dallas
Hawaii
Houston
Kansas City/Heart of America
London, England
Los Angeles/Orange County
Miami
Minnesota
Monterey Bay Area
Nashville
New York
Northeast
Palm Springs
Philadelphia
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San Antonio
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San Francisco
Seattle
St. Louis
Washington
PREsorted
First Class
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Louisville KY
Permit #1051
P.O. Box 4961
Louisville, KY 40204
Panicles of Gold: A Pre-Conference Rice Seminar
By Susan Slack (Charleston)
One of the Lowcountry’s greatest culinary
gifts is Carolina Gold Rice––the "grandfather
of long-grain rice in America.” For a historical overview of the heirloom grain, travel to
Middleton Place for a day of lectures, tours,
and tastings. The eighteenth-century rice
plantation, a National Historic Landmark,
was home to the illustrious Middleton family––planters and statesmen that included a
signer of the Declaration of Independence,
the second president of the First Continental
Congress, and a state governor. An equally
important part of the story is the AfricanAmerican population. Women were central to
rice production, as they were in West Africa,
contributing specialized knowledge for methods of cultivation and processing.
Begin the day with breakfast-on-the-go from
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, touted by Oprah
and Food & Wine. Our esteemed scholars are
Dr. David S. Shields, the McClintock Professor of Southern Letters at the University of
South Carolina; and Glenn Roberts, CEO of
Anson Mills, which specializes in the restoration, milling, and packaging of heirloom
grains. Discussions will address the influence
of the golden grain on Colonial Charleston’s
economy, culture, and cuisine; its demise
and repatriation, and the role it plays in the
modern Carolina Rice Kitchen.
The Edna Lewis Luncheon will showcase
elegant Lowcountry fare with seafood caught
just offshore; local, heirloom ingredients
like Carolina Gold Rice (Anson Mills); and
fresh produce from the plantation’s organic
garden. Pan-Fried Quail (Manchester Farms)
will be prepared using our legendary Grande
Dame’s recipe. As consultant-in-residence at
Middleton Place Restaurant in the 1980s,
Edna Lewis codified the kitchen to focus on
authentic Lowcountry dishes.
After lunch, join our scholars for an informative stroll around the demonstration rice
field to the old mill and slave chapel. A costumed interpreter will be on hand to discuss
planting methods and the recent harvest. Or
meander through the exquisite gardens, and
Eliza's House (former slave cottage). We’ll
gather once again for a private tour of the
treasure-filled House Museum, built in 1755
to serve as the gentlemen's guest quarters.
Thursday, October 29—8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Panicles of Carolina Gold Rice and milled rice. Dr.
David S. Shields: Distinguished Professor, University
of South Carolina. Glenn Roberts: proprietor of
Anson Mills—specialty grains supplier, Columbia,
S.C. Aerial view of Middleton Place.