CONFERENCE COVERAGE ISSUEConference, Deidre Schipani read Marjory Wentworth’s soulful ode to the 10th Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Inspired by local James Beard chefs, Marjory

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C O N F E R E N C E C O V E R A G E I S S U E

2 L e s D a m e s d ’ E s c o f f i e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l2 L e s D a m e s d ’ E s c o f f i e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l

FEATURES

4 A Dame in Ecoffier's Kitchen

5 Thanks from Charleston

6 Pre Conference Events

10 Presidents Dinner

12 Opening Reception

13 Keynote Speaker

14 An Autumn Affair

16 Concurrent Sessions

21 A Taste of Charleston

22 Partners' Showcase Luncheon

24 Green Tables

25 Chapter Photos

28 M.F.K. Fisher Awards Presentation

29 Legacy Awards Luncheon

30 Grande Dame Award Banquet

DEPARTMENTS

32 Chapter News

36 Member Milestones

39 Submission Guidelines

Recipe for Success “It’s not about magnolias and sweet tea, although a little sugar never hurt

anyone...” South Carolina Poet laureate Marjory Wentworth, “Here is Where We Eat the Sun.”During the General Session Welcome of the 2015 Charleston annual

Conference, Deidre Schipani read Marjory Wentworth’s soulful ode to the 10th Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Inspired by local James Beard chefs, Marjory says the idea of this poem comes down to ingredients. Th e “Holy City’s” grand cuisine developed from a distinctive mélange of indispensable ingredients within certain geographical boundaries.Th e right mix of ingredients is also why the annual Conference

was such a success and rising to new heights, like Carrie Morey’s hot Charleston biscuits! Key ingredients included: • Record-breaking attendance with 350 participants. • Generous business partners. Reach out with appreciation for their

participation and invaluable support.• Conference advisory Committee: Jennifer Goldman and Paige

Crone, Deidre Schipani, Danielle Wecksler, Libba Osborne; the Charleston Board; Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree; committee chairs; and the membership.

• “History, Hospitality, and How-To”—Sessions on leadership and legal issues; chapter toolkits; top-notch educational speakers off ering new perspectives, interaction, savvy social media techniques, and opportu-nities to immediately implement concepts learned at conference.

• Keynote Speaker Carla Hall’s heartfelt message of enthusiasm, motivation, and laughter connected instantly with the audience. au-thenticity is the quality she values most. She councils, “Stay authentic and be your true self,” and “Own your beauty—be authentic!” On celebrity, she says, “I take it all with a grain of salt.” another pearl of wisdom: “Get to know your palate…understand what you like to do and be fi rmly rooted in that.” Carla advises Dames to “learn some-thing new everyday.” She adds, “Success is doing the things you love.”

• lDEI’s newest Grande Dame Joan Nathan—philanthropist, culinary expert, historian, and role model.

My appreciation goes to the Dames, and also Mike Mathes, who contributed articles and photos to this issue; to Maryanne Muller (Boston) for graciously assisting at Middleton Place; and to gifted designers Bernie Mudd White and Joni Keith. Th irty years ago, in 1986, lDEI started with fi ve chapters and 225

Dames. Th ere are 36 chapters today—six formed in 2015—and cur-rently 2,100 Dames. Mexico Chapter joins our international chapters British Columbia and london. Can Scotland be far behind? Th ere are still mountains to climb, but at conference, lDEI Founder Carol Brock expressed her elation over the growth of the organization, “Dames shout it out... onward and upward!”—Susan Fuller Slack, Editor, Winter Quarterly

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2016 Grande Dame Joan Nathan. Roberta Morrell at Autumn Affair. Keynote Speaker Carla Hall.

IN THIS ISSUE

FROM THE EDITOR

ON THE COVER: Charleston L-R Front: Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree, Paige Crone, Jennifer Goldman. Second row: Celia Cerasoli, Deidre Schipani, Sarah Graham, Beth Price. Back row: Susan Slack, Danielle Wecksler, Donna Gustafson, Nancie McDermott. Photos Right, Top: Libba Osborne, Jen Kulick, Cappie Pete, Katherine Frankstone, Lauren Mitterer, Marion Sullivan. Cover photo, Charleston house: Sandy Hu.

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PresidentMaria GoMez-Laurens Manager, Hospitality, HelmsBriscoe11241 Avenida del GatoSan Diego, CA 92126(858) 633-7515 | [email protected]

First Vice Presidentstacy zeiGLerDirector of Sales, Bold American Events2929 Surrey LaneAtlanta, GA 30341(678) 302-3232 | [email protected]

Second Vice Presidentann stratteOwner, My Personal Chef100 Severn Avenue, #506Annapolis, MD 21403-2622(410) 903-2682 | [email protected]

Third Vice PresidentHayLey Jo Matson-MatHesOwner/Culinary Consultant2333 Kapiolani Blvd #3516Honolulu, HI 96826(808) 941-9088 | [email protected]

SecretaryBeV sHaFFerVitamix World Headquarters3433 Blake RoadSeville, OH 44273(440) 781-7202 | [email protected]

TreasurerDeBoraH orriLLCulinary Consultant 64 Vanguard WayDallas, TX 75243(214) 343-0124 | [email protected]

Chapter Board LiaisonsJuDitH BeLLos CES & Judy's Catering/Benito's Gelato/Arctic Dairy10405 Clayton RoadSt. Louis, MO 63131(314) 524-0869 | [email protected]

KatHy GoLD The Cooking Company/In The Kitchen Cooking School 10 Mechanic StreetHaddonfield, NJ 08033(609) 206-4511 | [email protected]

DeBoraH MintcHeFF Live Forward Coaching129 East 69th StreetNew York, NY 10021-5000(212) 879 0383 | [email protected]

Immediate Past PresidentLori WiLLis Willco Communications & Strategic PR1159 Charter Oak Pkwy Creve Coeur, MO 63146 (314) 994-4602 / (314) 456-5457 [email protected]

Executive DirectorGreG JeWeLLPresident, AEC Management ResourcesP.O. Box 4961Louisville, KY 40204(502) 456-1851 x1 | [email protected]

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.

It is with great honor that I write my first President’s message with a summary of our great Charleston Conference—“Southern Hospitality” at its best. Having visited Charleston two years ago when the Board and the Charleston Chapter were searching for the perfect conference hotel, to experience the end result was truly special. From the leadership Forum to the breakout

sessions and events out of the hotel, the count-less hours of planning and hard work by the Charleston Chapter were evident. The Friday night riverside event was spectacular with great food, energetic dancing to live music, and great singing by some talented Dames. Congratu-lations to Conference Chair Paige Crone, Presi-dent Jennifer Goldman, and every Charleston Dame. Thank you for an amazing and memo-rable conference. “Own your Power.” Speakers with strong

messages provided us with great tools to help us—not only as professionals but also as women. Some of the statements that resonate in my mind are from our keynote speaker, Carla Hall (Washington, D.C.), who sprinkled stardust on us. Her message to us was power-ful, inspirational, and emotional: “Own your Power” and “There is no mistake we are here today.” and sure enough, there is no mistake that we broke our attendance record again this year; 350 Dames and guests attended!“Inspire, Ignite, and Impact.” Our Chapter

Board liaisons, Deborah Mintcheff (New york), Deborah Orrill (Dallas), and Bev Shaffer (Cleveland), coordinated a wonderful leadership Forum. Each chapter received an educational package including lDEI’s Public Relations Man-ual—created by Third Vice President Hayley Matson-Mathes (Hawaii); Chapter Guidelines; and “Robert Rules of Order Quick Study.” Rox-anne Kaufman Elliott’s delightful presentation focused on how to create a written plan for any goal, personal or professional. Her key aspects were “Inspire, Ignite, and Impact.” Thanks to Alice Gautsch Foreman (Seattle) and Brock Circle members for their financial contribution in making this great educational event possible.“Don’t be afraid to seek out mentors and be

inspired by them, especially if it’s your own mom,” said Erin Byers Murray (Nashville), this year’s M.F.K. Fisher award winner. Congratula-tions, Erin, for your excellent work and also for acknowledging the true power of learning from other women. Our Green Tables presentation was powerful

and inspirational; we learned from Susan Wig-ley (Charleston) how the Charleston Chapter, through food, helped heal the city after the mass church shooting. Susan Jaime (San anto-nio) shared their incredible local program called “The Junior Master Gardner,” which they have

taken successfully to Guatemala.Congratulations to the six legacy award win-

ners and the Dames who hosted each of them for a lifetime learning experience. We thank the Julia Child Foundation for their continuing financial contribution and support.The culmination of our conference came at the

Saturday banquet as we gathered to recognize and honor the extraordinary work of Grande Dame Joan Nathan (Washington, D.C.). We are truly honored to add yet another amazing woman to the list of incredible Grande Dames.Throughout this wonderful conference, we

had the presence and support of our amazing and generous partners—those returning and new ones. Thank you for all you do. We look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C. Returning home, it took me a few extra days

to absorb this wonderful conference experience. your lDEI Board will continue the great stra-tegic vision and mission of our past presidents while focusing on financial growth, new chapter development, branding, and, yes, of course, celebrating lDEI’s 30th anniversary. This will be a year to remember! attendees, bring the message, “Own your

Power,” back to your chapters. Continue the wonderful work you do. Remember the reasons you joined lDEI. It is through our passion, love, vision, respect, support of one another, and commitment, that we will keep growing. We are the architects of our history and the creators of the legacy for future generations. I look forward to working with you and welcome your ideas. We are one, and together we can continue to make this a greater organization.

Maria Gomez-laurensPresident, les Dames d’Escoffier International

We are the architects of our History2016 LDEI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

4 L e s D a m e s d ’ E s c o f f i e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l

By Chrissie Walker (london) The london Chapter is proud to introduce

Head Chef Kim Woodward of the Savoy Grill. She is our latest Honorary Dame and the very first woman Head Chef at the Savoy Grill where auguste Escoffier first came to fame. The Savoy Grill is located at The Savoy, an iconic luxury hotel in central london.Kim has worked for The

Gordon Ramsay Group, who run the Grill, for quite a few years. She has honed her craft both here in the u.K. and in the u.S. and is now dedicated to continuing the history of classic dishes and service at the Savoy Grill, while introducing a little innovation of her own. She says that there are dishes that she could never remove from the menu, but she tries to reflect seasonality.Kim was born and brought up in Chester

in the north of England and was drawn to hospitality as a career, studying for both front and back of house. She was offered a chance to work as a chef in the u.S. where she rose through the kitchen ranks. She married an american and returned to the u.K. where she joined the celebrated Gordon Ramsay.Kim has a passion for food but also for

getting the best from her staff and is much involved in choosing and mentoring the young apprentices who work with her. She has a close relationship with the local catering college and divides her time equally between management and cooking. She has strong interpersonal as well as culinary skills, which well equip her for

the high-powered position at the world-famous Savoy Grill.The Savoy Hotel was built by impresario

Richard D'Oyly Carte, who made his money from his association with such Victorian celebrities as W.S. Gilbert and arthur Sullivan. It was they who penned the comic operas, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado.The establishment opened its doors in august

1889. It was the first in the Savoy empire of hotels and restaurants that have been owned by the D'Oyly Carte family for more than a century. The Savoy is a promoter of luxury and became the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights and elevators. There were even bathrooms in most of the rooms, which was not usual in the 1800s, neither in hotels nor in many homes.D'Oyly Carte employed César Ritz, who had

opened the successful Maison de la Conver-sation restaurant in Germany with auguste Escoffier. The two were invited to london to become the first manager and chef of the new Savoy. César later opened his own establish-ment and it is still called The Ritz. That French chef Escoffier—the man who has lent his name to our order—introduced standards for what has become known as fine dining. That ethos continues today at the Savoy Grill with dynamic Kim Woodward at the culinary helm.The great and the good have dined here.

George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, lena Horne and Noël Coward, laurence Olivier, and even The Beatles have crossed its threshold. Winston Churchill loved the place and he often took his cabinet to lunch. The food, ambiance, and discreet yet attentive service have given the

restaurant the highest of reputations, of which Kim is so proud.It would be a shame to visit the Savoy Grill

and not taste the well-known dish, Omelette arnold Bennett. It is a recipe that has been much emulated by other chefs and cookbook writers, but it originated at The Savoy. The Victorian novelist arnold Bennett is perhaps better known for having an egg dish named after him than he ever was for his prose. He wrote a whole novel while staying at The Sa-voy, and during breaks in writing he requested an omelette containing smoked fish. The chefs made such a perfect one that Mr. Bennett wanted the same wherever he travelled. It is a rich dish and it is easy to see why arnold became so enamoured of this delightful creamy concoction. Whilst Kim looks for contempo-rary inspiration, she is keen to maintain those long-standing and popular menu items.For those card-carrying carnivores, Kim pres-

ents plenty of meat options on the Savoy Grill bill of fare. There is a daily-changing trolley menu, which tempts the diner with lamb and pork, and includes the iconic steak and kidney pie. Just as traditional is the Sunday roast rib of beef served with the indispensable yorkshire pudding. There are succulent steaks aplenty and a wine list of good reds to accompany them.Chef Kim Woodward is young but is success-

fully managing to balance the needs of modern diners while maintaining the standards and the cachet of such a well-established restaurant. yes, she’s the first woman to take charge here, but it’s reasonable to assume that auguste Escoffier would approve of this lady with such evident skills and energy.

a Dame in Escoffier’s Kitchen

Head Chef Kim Woodward at the Savoy Grill.The Savoy Grill. Photos: The Savoy Hotel, London. A savory Savoy pie. Ph

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C o n f e r e n c e C o v e r a g e


On behalf of the Charleston Chapter, we express our gratitude for your participation, passion, and commitment to lDEI. We surpassed all attendance records during the Charleston Confer-ence and had a blast while doing so! From the president’s dinner and pre-conference tours, to rid-

ing the water taxi to beautiful lowndes Grove Plantation, and dancing the night away at lowcountry live, a Taste of Charles-ton—and beyond—the conference was a success! Th anks for every seminar you attended, for every moment spent enjoying the hospitality suite and our artisan market, for every fl apper headpiece you donned, right down to the last Bloody Mary and biscuit consumed…you made it wonderful! Even more so, hearing your expressions of enjoyment and

satisfaction made us proud of our hard work and proud to have made your trip down South a genuine Charleston experience.

We are grateful for the leadership of Lori Willis, and look forward to working with new lDEI President Maria Gomez-Laurens. Con-gratulations to Grande Dame Joan Nathan—you inspire us all! We have made great memories together. Now, we pass the prover-

bial torch to our sisters in the nation’s capital and we are excited to be your guests. Th anks for doin’ the Charleston with us.

Take care y’all,

Paige CroneJennifer GoldmanDeidre Schipani


C o n f e r e n c e C o v e r a g e

Sunset photo: Julie HettigerDames: Susan Slack


Remembering Edna lewis & Café NicholsonBy Carol Brock (New york) at les Dames 2015 pre-conference seminar

at Middleton Place plantation in Charleston, we lunched on succulent grilled quail prepared from Edna Lewis’s recipe. Edna was chef-in-residence at Middleton Place Restaurant in the late 1980s. Post luncheon, there was a lengthy Q&a session. Edna was a member of our New york les Dames Chapter and was honored as Grande Dame at Th e Carter Presidential Cen-ter at the 1999 atlanta Conference. I felt that I certainly must, and did note this, and then I mentioned dining at her Café Nicholson in 1951—the fi rst Café Nicholson on East 57th Street, between Second and Th ird avenues. I credited Edna for bringing fi ne dining to New york City as did the 1939 World’s Fair, which drew the greatest chefs from Europe, asia, and North africa; many relocated to the city to open fashionable restaurants.Th e fi rst Café Nicholson restaurant was on

the second fl oor of a brownstone, but the walkup was a true delight with murals by ludwig Bemelmans (illustrator of the Madeline books). Th e room was white with two palm trees, round café tables topped with marble, and bentwood-and-wires chairs. Th e menu was brief and innovating for those days, and the food was spectacular—simple and delicious. In fact, William Faulkner had asked Edna, “Did you study in Paris?” But no, she was self-taught, learning in her mother’s kitchen and

from classic cookbooks with a heavy Southern accent. She was a Grand Dame of Southern cooking even back then. I chose the same meal from Café Nicholson’s

menu more than once. It certainly was not what was being served in New york at the time. My appetizer was stuff ed mussels; the bluish-black half-shells stood out on stark white oval plates—each heaped with curried rice. a glorious, individual hot cheese souffl é preceded a very simply dressed salad of buttery Boston, which was amazing in those days. Surprisingly, there were no hot biscuits—those irresistible Southern biscuits that Edna made superbly (Truman Capote always requested them). and even though it was unusual to do so, for dessert I always ordered the individual, hot, dark chocolate souffl é—Edna’s signature

dish. unfortunately, during a stop at Fearrington House in

North Carolina, I didn’t lunch, not realizing Edna had been a guest chef in the early ‘80s before moving to Middleton Place, and that her famous Hot Chocolate Souffl é was still on the menu.In 1948 Johnny Nicholson, a window

dresser and antique dealer, decided to open a restaurant. His friend Edna, known for her Southern cooking, walked by one day and he immediately asked her to join him in the venture rather than accept a job as a domestic. Th e fi rst Café Nicholson stayed on 57th Street a few years, then relocated to East 58th Street near an entrance to the Queensboro Bridge. Johnny had fallen in love with the Café Greco in Rome and wanted to replicate it. Th is was the Café Nicholson where society dinned—Tennessee Williams, Richard avedon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Diana Vree-land, and Marlene Dietrich. Charter Member Margaret Stern dined

there twice with Roy andries De Groot. Rozanne Gold remembers the décor (of the second Nicholson) resembled a “Parisian plea-sure palace.” a fi ve-page article on Edna in the New York Times Magazine (October 28, 2015, “Th e Black Roots of american Cooking”) discusses the unique establishment. Café Nicholson cast a spell over me. For

years, there has been a small, round, marble-topped table with a bentwood chair and a palm-like, seven-leafed banana plant in my kitchen replicating what was in the café. It impacted what I did for 35 of my years of food journalism-photography.

Southern Hospitality Suite

P r e C o n f e r e n c e E v e n t s

The Charleston Dames’ Southern Hospitality Suite hosted a Local Artisan Marketplace with signature Charleston products. Later it became the setting for culinary conversations with cookbook authors and a tranquil spot where Dames and their guests could relax and enjoy signature sips and nibbles.

Reception honoring Edna Lewis in 1987. L-R: Unknown gentleman, Edna Lewis, Ma-ria Keneally (Museum Shop Manager Middleton Place), Rosemary Hertel (Former PR Director Middleton Place), and actress Candice Bergan. Courtesy of Maria Keneally and Cliff Lipson Photographs.

Grande Dame Edna Lewis. Photo: Kevin Mitchell, Edna Lewis Foundation.

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By CiCi Williamson (Washington, D.C.)En route to the 18th century Middleton Place plantation, our coach

passed beneath sun-dappled live oaks tinseled with Spanish moss. We were on our way to a day of discussing and dining a la riziculture, chaired by Susan Slack (Charleston). Th e 60 Dames and guests broke into their colorful, chrysanthemum breakfast boxes to discover three fragrant biscuits—cheese, rosemary, and one slathered with blackberry jam—provisioned by Carrie Morey’s Charleston-based company, Callie’s Hot little Biscuit. along the 30-minute drive, Sarah Graham (Charleston) gave an in-depth talk about the area’s history.Hopping off the coach, we strolled to the Pavilion, a special group

venue where the lectures and luncheon were held. Sarah had arranged for a mini-version of the plantation’s local-crafts and book shop to be displayed inside. Tracy Todd, COO of Middleton Place, welcomed us to the 1741 plantation that survived the Revolutionary and Civil War and was home to arthur Middleton, a signer of the Declaration of Indepen-dence. It has the oldest landscape gardens in america. Introduced by Nathalie Dupree, the leadoff speaker was Dr. David S.

Shields, a “Renaissance man and a peculiar kind of historian who likes to make things appear again that are no longer here.” He said, “Carolina Rice is considered the grandfather of long grain rice in the americas. It’s a medium-to-long grain, non-aromatic rice with a starchy feel that grows 6 to 7-feet high. It’s a good base for marrying fl avors and cooks to a creamy consistency for rice pudding. Escoffi er used pounded cooked rice to make bisque soups.”In 1994, Glenn Roberts, formerly a hotel and restaurant designer, de-

cided that authentic lowcountry cuisine must live again. He said, “We’ve lost so much, I don’t yet know what we’re bringing back. If you want to fi nd out about food, sometimes you have to look beyond the cookbook to seed catalogs and farm journals.” Glenn is the founder of anson Mills and grower of Carolina Gold Rice, which is sold primarily to chefs.Th e luncheon menu, organized by Marion Sullivan, was prepared

from recipes of Grande Dame Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. Middle-ton Place lowcountry pickled shrimp comprised the fi rst course. Th e main dish was quail donated by Manchester Farms of Columbia, South Carolina, and—procured by Nathalie, accompanied by Hoppin’ John, and Southern Turnip and Mustard Greens. Dessert was a delicious an-son Mills Carolina Gold Rice Pudding that illustrated the starchy feel of

Th e legacy of Carolina Gold Rice Culture: A Seminar at Middleton Place

the grain. Th e tables featured menu cards and Nathalie’s eclectic teapots, fi lled with Carolina Gold Rice panicles, okra, and cotton branches. Each guest received a trendy mesh bag from Andrea Limehouse of lime-house Produce that held organic, heirloom Carolina Gold Rice from anson Mills and quail egg shell cutters from Manchester Farms. Nancie McDermott and Susan shared resource and information packets. after lunch, we roamed the grounds; had a talk at the two-family slave

dwelling, Eliza’s House; and a tour of the mansion house museum. Ev-erything in the house is original and belonged to the Middleton family in the 18th and 19th century, including four rare Benjamin West por-traits. Th anks go to Charleston Dames Nathalie Dupree, Susan Slack, Marion Sullivan, Sarah Graham, and Nancie McDermott for arranging the informative all-day tour.

Clockwise from top left: Middleton Place Lowcountry Pickled Shrimp. Museum Shop buyer Maria Keneally with Dame Sarah Graham. Miss Edna Lewis’ Grilled Quail from The Gift of Southern Cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. Dallas Dame Tina Wasserman holds a panicle of Carolina Gold Rice.L-R: Dr. David Shields, Susan Slack, and Tracey Todd–Middleton Place VP & COO. L-R: Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills, Nathalie Dupree. Photos by CiCi Williamson.

1. Danielle Wecksler creates fl apper headpieces for the Grande Dame banquet. 2. Culinary historian and cookbook author Renée Marton (New York). 3. Award-winning journalist Toni Tipton-Martin (Austin) chronicles African American cookbooks. 4. Jacqui Pickles (London) admires a sweetgrass basket, valued by art collectors and museums. Lowcountry coil basketry is one of the oldest African crafts in America. 5. Marilyn Dingle learned the art of basket making from her great grandmother, as a child. Her ancestors brought the West African tradition to the Lowcountry over 300 years ago. Marilyn’s work has been displayed at the Smithsonian. 6. L-R: Vivián Joiner and Stephanie L. Tyson are North Carolina Dames. 7. Executive Director Greg Jewel and Administration Director Bernie Mudd White. 8. L-R: Author Carrie Morey of award-winning Callie’s Charleston Biscuits and noted Southern chef and author Virginia Willis (Atlanta). 9. L-R: Clare BoBo (Hawaii), Devany Vickery-Davidson (Charleston), and Nancy Edney (Hawaii). Photos by Susan Slack.

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Clockwise from top left: Dames Beth Allen and Kerry Marhefka at Shem Creek. Dame Nicki Root prepares salad for lunch. Dames en-joy lunch during the Abundant Seafood tour. Mark and Kerry Marhefka clean fish for a dockside lunch.

an abundance of Seafood at Shem CreekBy ann Stratte (Washington, D.C.)“What Mark and I have accom-

plished could not have happened in another town,” says Kerry Marhefka of abundant Food’s unique and successful business model. “as a result of the support of local chefs and residents who value where their food comes from…the city of Charleston is the magic.” Just over the Cooper River from

Charleston, 25 lucky Dames waded through supermoon-influ-enced, record high water on the docks of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina to meet Kerry and her husband Mark Marhefka, owners of abundant Seafood and our hosts for the morning. We were there to learn about their mutual love and re-spect for the ocean, its inhabitants, and their mission to maintain its sustainability. Kerry, a former fisheries biologist for the South atlantic Fishery Management Council (SaFMC), and Mark, a second-generation fisherman, lit-

erally transformed the Charleston area seafood scene with their “boat to table" movement. Our group had the pleasure of

meeting Mark’s “mistress," amy Marie, a 39-foot fishing boat he takes 50 miles offshore fishing the coasts of the Carolinas and as far south as St. augustine, Florida. amy Marie is a classic workboat—no head and few amenities—hold-ing up to 6000 pounds of fresh fish. While out at sea, Mark calls in by satellite phone and reports to Kerry exactly what he is catch-ing. She alerts the local restaurants of the fish varieties that will be on the way to the docks. The talented chefs place orders and create their menus, knowing the freshest avail-able catch will be arriving for their diners to savor the following day. Chef Sean Brock, of Husk and McCrady’s, is a big fan. “Basi-cally, if Mark brings it in the door, we’ll cook it. It’s the trust thing.” Without a doubt, abundant Seafood plays a big part in making Charleston one of the top food cities in the nation.

Mark and Kerry have eliminated the middleman, namely large-scale seafood distribution centers, sell-ing the catch themselves. They not only supply the city’s top restau-rants with their favorite fish but spread the wealth through their dockside Community Supported Fishery (CSF). Serving over 300 local residents for six years, the CSF shareholders can bring home the same high-quality fish as the local restaurants, well below local supermarket prices.The Marhefka’s are culinary

educators who familiarize profes-sional and home chefs with the potential uses of lesser-known fish, such as amberjack and wreckfish. after years of overfishing, snapper-grouper stocks were significantly compromised causing the South atlantic Fishery Management Council to implement some of the toughest regulations in its history. as a result, a greater variety of unique fish options are found on local menus, loved by chefs and diners alike. In mid-November, the weekly baskets of the CSF

members contained a red, fleshy fish in the tuna family called little Tunny. Restaurant chefs are featur-ing banded redfish as their crudo offering. after a tutorial from Mark on fileting fish, we were handed a lovely glass of Conde de Subrirats, NV Cava Brut by Nicki Root, owner of Grassroots wine. Nicki’s company “is a distribu-tor of wines produced by family owned producers whose bumper sticker mottos are ‘Farms, not Fac-tories’ and ‘Tractors, not Tankers.’” The bubbly was a perfect match to the lovely smoked amberjack we enjoyed while soaking in the beautiful sunny weather ordered especially for us. We sat down at elegantly set picnic tables and indulged on an incredible lunch of freshly caught, local wreckfish and a variety of tasty salads, while sip-ping two special French wines—a rosé and a muscadet—provided by Grassroots. Heartfelt thanks go to Kerry, Mark, Nicki, and all the Dames who performed magic for us on the beautiful shores of Shem Creek.


Steeped in History: Charleston Tea Plantation By Nichole Bendele (San antonio)Dames traveled to nearby Wadmalaw

Island to learn about growing tea in South Carolina. We were guided through the tea plantation on a trolley named after the famous racehorse, Sea Biscuit. We visited the nursery where cuttings of tea plants were growing. The tea plant is from the Camellia family but only the Camellia sinensis variety has caffeine. Tea plants thrive in conditions of high humidity, heat, rainfall, and well-drained soil. The plants are watered one inch per week for 52 weeks using pond water. Tea plants can grow up to 30 feet tall but are pruned back to approximately 3½ feet tall so they become bushy and form more leaves. They are harvested every three to four days during the april-October season. The plants can live to be 600 years old.Tea first arrived in North america from

China in 1799 with famed French botanist, andré Michaux, who brought it to Middle-ton Place for ornamental use. Eventually, the lowcountry was considered an ideal climate to grow tea for consumption; several tea plantations were started in the 1800s. The most successful was Pinehurst Tea Plantation founded by Dr. Charles Shepard, who won first prize at the 1904 World’s Fair for his Oolong Tea. His plantation closed following his death in 1915 but many of his tea plants were imported to Wadmalaw Island and are part of the current Charleston Tea Plantation.after touring the tea plantation, we went

inside to see the production process. The har-vest was finished for the year, so we watched short videos next to the equipment on how the process was done. We saw the “withering bed” where tea leaves sit for about 18 hours followed by the “roto-vane machine” where the leaves are broken down into small piec-es. Then they go to the “oxidation bed” where the good flavor comes from. lastly, the leaves go to the “dryer” where the flavor is sealed

until you use them to brew a cup of tea.We tried several delicious teas produced

by the Charleston Tea Plantation—hot and cold—in the wonderful gift shop and Tea Bar before having a picnic lunch under the big oak trees. Bill Hall, third generation profes-sional tea taster and founder of the Charles-ton Tea Plantation in 1987, visited with us. He mentioned the history of tea began in 2737 B.C. China when a servant boiled drinking water for Emperor Shen Nung and tea leaves felt into the pot. The Emperor enjoyed the flavor and tea became a popular drink! Tea is the second most consumed beverage after water.To become a tea taster, Bill apprenticed

four years in london. afterwards he wanted to start a tea plantation and harvest me-chanically. Note that if using manual labor, it would take 400 people to work the tea plantation. Bill practices sustainability and no pesticides are used. There is no erosion because of the density of the growing plants, which are also high-oxygen producing.He also explained that green tea, black tea,

and oolong tea are all from the same plant but processed differently. Black tea is on the oxidation bed forty-five minutes before going into the dryer. Oolong tea is left on the oxidation bed for fifteen minutes while green tea is never left on the oxidation bed and goes straight to the dryer. He explained that Camellia sinensis is authentic tea; if made from anything else, it is not tea.Bill mentioned the partnership he formed

with the Bigelow Family. all tea labeled “Charleston Tea Plantation” is from his plan-tation. If the tea is labeled “Bigelow” it can be imported tea from around the world.

Touring GrowFood Carolina and DirtWorks Farm

By Holly Chute (atlanta) I was fortunate enough to attend the

Charleston preconference tour, GrowFood Carolina and DirtWorks Farm. DirtWorks Farm, the only incubator farm in the state, leases plots of land to farmers and those who hope to become farmers. Tour hosts Sara Clow and Jamee Haley were pas-sionate and informative as they provided an overview of the farm while we traveled to its location on historic Johns Island. It is impressive to see how DirtWorks Farm cultivates and mentors farmers with the goal that they will eventually purchase and farm their own land. During the process, they are able to grow crops of their own choice and “test the waters” to determine if the path they have chosen is a viable one. Starting small, they lease affordable plots of land and expand as their knowledge and success develops. This is an awesome model for other states to replicate when proven successful. DirtWorks Farm is just begin-ning to graduate the first class of farmers, which will provide validity in its model. GrowFood Carolina is a Charleston food

hub that provides an outlet for farmers to deliver their products to sell and distrib-ute to local markets and restaurants. It is a great resource for incubator farmers as well as smaller farms to be able to get their products to a wider audience. It is an impressive facility that continues to expand with its success. The entire tour was most enjoyable and very informative. It was most inspiring to me as I work as the Executive Chef for the Georgia Grown program with the Georgia Department of agriculture. I hope to share what I learned with my Georgia coworkers.Editor’s Note: Holly served as Executive Chef

at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion for more than 30 years.

DirtWorks, the first and only incubator farm in the state of South Carolina is growing the next generation of farmers. Photo by Nicki Root.


Nichole Bendele and Waddy the frog, who hangs out at the Charleston Tea Plantation. Waddy holds a tea mug and wears a leg bandage with a note about his injury from “playing leap frog.” Camellia sinensis tea plants. Photos by Nichole Bendele


President's Dinner

LDEI Past Presidents: Beth Allen, Toria Emas, CiCi Williamson, Renie Steves, Mary Ellen Griffin, Sandy Hu, Abigail Kirsch, Pat Mozersky, Katherine Newell Smith, Carol Brock, Teresa Farney, Mary Moore, Susanne Brown. Photo: Greg Jewell. President’s Dinner: Charleston Dame Jennifer Goldman introduced Master French Chef Nico Romo of Fish restaurant. He prepared a multi-course dinner for 13 LDEI past presidents, the 2015 Board, and their guests. 2015 LDEI President Lori Willis hosted the memorable event. L: Deborah Mintcheff and Suzanne Brown. R: Jacqueline Orak and CiCi Williamson. Photos by Lori Willis.

Gullah-Geechee TourDame Jeanne DeCamilla hosted a Saturday pre-

conference Gullah-Geechee Tour that was quickly sold out. The fortunate Dames that signed up were treated to a side of Charleston history not often seen by tour-ists. alphonso Brown, a retired band director with the Charleston County School District, owns and operates the acclaimed Gullah Tours. For this event, he cre-ated a unique tour with emphasis on the influence and importance of black residents and culture in the low-country. The attendees were educated and entertained by alphonso’s many stories of people and places that helped shape Charleston’s rich history. Chef BJ Den-nis, a popular personal chef and caterer, joined us along the way at historic Gadsdenboro Park. Chef Dennis, a Charleston native, is dedicated to the preservation of the Gullah cuisine. The Dames enjoyed deviled crab, rice pudding with muscadine grape jam and salted brown butter pecans, and sautéed collard greens. Chef Dennis spoke about his passion for making sure that the foods that were essential in our past remain an important part of our present culture. Everyone left alphonso and Chef Dennis with a better understanding and greater apprecia-tion of the Gullah-Geechee heritage.

L-R: Chef BJ Dennis, Dame Jeanne DeCamilla, and tour organizer Alphonso Brown. Photo: Jeanne DeCamilla. During the Gullah-Gechee Tour, Dames enjoyed a taste of BJ Dennis’ deviled crabs. Photo courtesy of BJ Dennis.


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a Culinary History TourDames Cappie Peete and Nicki Root orga-

nized a fun food and beverage tour focused on the history of McCrady’s Restaurant and the Heyward-Washington House. McCrady’s sommelier Jodi Bronchtein shared the establishment’s fascinating history. In 1778, Charleston barber Edward McCrady opened the historic house as a tavern. He connected it to a new building through a second story, double piazza called the long Room. Th e space became the hub for the city’s social scene and in 1791, the site of a 30-course dinner for President George Washington, hosted by the Society of Cincinnati. Th e Heyward-Washington House on Church

Street was built around 1772 as the town home of Th omas Heyward, Jr., a london-educated lawyer and planter who became a patriot leader and one of four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence. Th omas was the ancestor of Dubose Hey-ward who wrote Porgy—the inspiration for Gershwin’s iconic opera, Porgy and Bess. Th e book’s setting, Cabbage Row, is located near the Heyward-Washington House. Th e City

of Charleston leased the home in 1791 as a residence for George Washington during his weeklong visit; at the time, the kitchen was being remodeled. In 1794, Judge John Grimké purchased the home. His daughters Sarah and angelina were abolitionists and helped found america’s feminist movement. Th e two-story brick kitchen (shown in the photo) is one of

the original outbuildings and dates back to 1740. Th ere is a huge hearth, a beehive oven, and cooking utensils from the period. arche-ologists have recovered colonoware from the detached kitchen—colonial pottery made by african and Native americans. Th e structure is the only extant 1740s kitchen building in Charleston.

Photo by Sandy Hu


O p e n i n g R e c e p t i o n

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1. Executive Director Greg Jewel with Kentucky Dames (L-R): Michele Bowling and guest Barb Grosso, Elizabeth Weimer, Jami Estes, Lisa Windhorst. 2. LDEI President Maria Gomez-Laurens (LA/OC-San Diego) with Nancy Jessup (New York). Photos 1 & 2: Lori Willis. 3. Carol Brock (New York) and Hayley Matson-Mathes (Hawaii). 4. North Carolina Dames: L-R: Colleen Minton, Ellen Clevenger-Firley, Sandra Gutierrez, and Kelly Taylor. 5. Renie Steves (Dallas) and Teresa Farley (Colorado). 6. Bill Emas and Toria Emas (Chicago) with Sandy Arlinghaus (Ann Arbor). 7. Sylvia Garnier (Nashville) with Hawaii Dames Abigail Langlas and Kathi Saks. Photos 3-7: Mike Mathes. 8. St. Louis Dames, Front: Roberta Duyff. Back row L-R: Marilyn Freundlich, Mary Sutkus, Cecily Hoffi us, and Judith Bellos. 9. Boston Dames Guida Ponte, Miriam Michalczyk, and Maryanne Muller. Photos 8 & 9: Lori Willis.

tHe BiG Picture: Dames Gather For opening reception There is an old proverb that says, “A picture paints a thousand words.” These snapshots convey the excitement of the 2015 Charleston Conference Opening Reception in the picturesque setting of the Marriott Charleston courtyard. During the traditional conference kickoff, Dames enjoyed small bites with big fl avors and sipped wine while networking, reconnecting with friends, and greeting fi rst-time attendees, several from LDEI’s newly formed chapters.


a Tribute to Carla HallBy Valentina Harris (london)I have to confess that I had

never heard of Carla Hall before she bounded on to the stage to give the keynote speech at the lDEI Charleston Confer-ence last month. By the time she had fi nished regaling us with stories of her life in the food business—in particular, the mad world of television and food—it seemed to be at exactly the same level of insanity whichever country one is talking about! after 40 minutes or so had whizzed by, I for one, felt that I knew this woman quite well! So many of her anecdotes about being a woman in this industry resonated with many Dames in that room, including myself. More than once, she caused me to want to leap to my feet and shout out my understanding, letting her know that I knew almost exactly what she was talking about. In her brilliant speech, Carla

managed to be funny, poi-gnant, and clever. She remind-ed us that no matter how hard it all seems sometimes, this marvellous world of food be-longs to us because we have all been blessed with a skill that connects us inexorably to what we do. However much we sometimes complain, there is little else we would do because there is literally nothing that fi lls us with so much joy. In the end, if we are really, truly honest, we’d rather be in the kitchen than anywhere else. Carla managed to give us great

insight into the journey of her life including the trials and tribulations she has experienced in order to get where she is today. My traveling companion, Dame Jacqui Pickles, went on to New york, and thanks to Carla and Carol Brock, she had the opportunity to appear as a guest on aBC’s “Th e Chew.” as you know, Carla is a co-host on the popular lifestyle series. I’m sorry to say Jacqui didn’t get a lot of air time, despite hours spent making herself look even more glamorous than she al-ready is! However, she was able to watch Carla up close and in action. Her only comment to me when I pressed her was, “amazing!” and that is what Carla Hall is:

amazing! To my mind, it was really impressive that after giv-ing that speech (which you can listen to online at www.ldei.org, by the way), she could easily have disappeared to do whatev-er it is that famous people do in their spare time. I can think of several u.K. food and cooking personalities—many women—who would have done, and often do, exactly that. Instead, she stayed at confer-

ence and partied on with us as a Dame, attending all the various fi xtures. and when I asked her if I needed to run this by her or her “people” before submitting it for print, she thought about it for just one second before graciously, and somewhat astonishingly, saying: “No, that’s OK, go right ahead.” Now that really impressed me, and so it made writing this so much more of a pleasure. I feel really honoured to have been there for Carla’s inspiring speech and to have met such an amazing Dame.

After the General Session Welcome, Dame Carla Hall presented her inspiring keynote speech. The Opening Breakfast included Lowcountry Shrimp & Grits, and yogurt parfaits with fresh berries. Photos: Susan Slack

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An Autumn Aff air By Toria Emas (Chicago)Southern hospitality reigned at “an autumn aff air.” For

the fi fth year the Charleston Chapter gathered the best of the region’s wine and food to treat the palates of the guests and members at their sold-out event. Th is year, lDEI conference attendees who supported the fundraiser were whisked off to historic lowndes Grove Plantation via water taxi that was boarded on the banks of the ashley River across from the host hotel. lowndes Grove is Peninsula Charleston's last remaining city plantation, and dates back to 1786.as the sun set, lDEI members and

guests were greeted at the shore of the plantation. under the oaks of the beautiful lowndes Grove, they feasted on char-cuterie from the Meathouse Butcher Shop and fresh ravioli from Rio Bertolini’s Pastifi cio artiginale. Smart guests saved room for the Rio Bertolini Gelato Cart and seasonal pumpkin gelato later in the evening. Pinot Noirs ruled on the lower level, while the tented area held wines sampled from Virginia to South africa and everywhere in between. Tables off ering food from Charleston’s premier chefs and shops were sprinkled among festively displayed silent auction items. Judith Schad (Chicago/Kentucky) enjoyed seeing her award-winning Sofi a Cheese served to the guests. Th e delicate washed-rind chèvre is named for her dear friend Sofi a Solomon (Chicago) who was delighted with the recognition. No one could pass by Callie’s Hot little Biscuit without stopping for Carrie Morey’s biscuits and coff ee from King Bean Coff ee roasters. a highlight was the Caulifl ower Soup with Truffl e Brioche Crumbs prepared by Michelle Weaver from the Charleston Grill. Celia Cerasoli and Celia’s of Charleston mystifi ed guests with artisanal lasagne made with 25 to 30 layers of delicate, handmade egg and spin-ach pasta. all the while, the band played on. Four 2015 scholarship recipients were introduced by Susan

Wigley and applauded for their determination and skills ranging from hospitality, tourism, and baking to pastry arts. Kudos to President Jennifer Goldman, Lauren Mitterer (event chair), Deidre Schipani, Lisa Brophy (silent auction co-chairs), and other organizers including Danielle Wecksler, Tanya Guerreri, Celeste Albers, Anne Semmes, Maggie Brett, Beth Price, Marion Sullivan, Libba Osborne, Jacque-line Orack, Jen Kulick, Cassondra Hall, Devany Vickery-Davidson, Patricia Agnew, and Susan Wigley.Th e magical evening was creative, fun, well-executed and

raised proceeds for scholarships for aspiring women and the lowcountry Food Bank’s fi ght against hunger.

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1. The elegant tented venue, adjacent to the Main House. 2. French macarons from Christophe Artisan Chocolatier-Pâtissier. 3. Susan Wigley awarded three scholarships during the event. Photo: Susan Slack. 4. Welcome to Autumn Affair. 5. Jennifer Goldman and Deidre Schipani greet guests. 6. The landing dock at Lowndes Grove Plantation. 7. Melanie Young and Nathalie Dupree. Photos: Susan Slack. 8. Ravioli with fall vegetables from Rio Bertolini’s Pastifi cio Artiginale. 9. Charcuterie from the Meathouse Butcher Shop. 10. Tim Bushey serves wines for B.R. Cohn Winery. 11. Celeste Albers (L) pioneered organic farming in South Carolina, and Chef Sarah O’Kelley is studying to become a sommelier. 12. Water taxi transportation to Autumn Affair: Kelly Patkus, Christine Rudalevige, Toria Emas, Patty Erd, Ida Rodriguez (seated), Nancy Eisman. Photo: Bill Emas. Photos 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11: Keely Laughlin.

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Session 2

Session 1


Th e Edible South: Th e Power of Food and the Making of an American RegionBy ann M. Evans (San Francisco and Sacramento)Drawing upon her 2014

university of North Carolina Press book by the same name as that of the workshop, Professor Marcie Cohen Ferris presented a brief history of the South as interpreted through women’s voices around food. Her research is based on letters and diarists of those inside and out of the South. She began by acknowledging the contrast and contradiction that accompanies any discussion on this topic. Marcie credited the writings of

the late John Egerton and John T. Edge, Director of the Southern Foodways alliance, with infl uenc-ing her own approach to food cultures in the region.From early writings about

Southern cuisine—greens, butter beans, pork, stone ground grits, sweet potatoes, fi eld peas, and hot cornbread—Marcie recast the story of the Southern larder, which was derived by global infl u-ence. Many came of their own free will, others were enslaved; both brought with them seeds and breeds, husbandry and cultivation skills, and recipes for the table as well as for preserving the harvest. In looking to the past, she quot-

ed, for example, Ruth Hastings of Society Hill, South Carolina, who wrote letters in the early 1850s to her home in the North. Th ere’s a lot of food, Ruth observed, “Here they eat hot, sweet potato cakes with butter for breakfast, unlike our character-building bowls of oatmeal.” Th at small diff erence in the day’s start refl ected a diff er-ence in the productivity of the

two lands and the agricultural system and cultural underpinning of their economies. Marcie touched upon women’s

food writings that depicted the american Revolution, the Civil War with its eventual strategy of starvation against which women rebelled and rioted to feed their families. She went through the Reconstruction, the Progressive Reform in the 1900s with do-mestic education, and eventually the New Deal of the 1930s and ‘40s. It was in this era, she says, that the public relations machine steeped the South in the fl avors of the past, depicting a mythic South.Th e tourist image of the generic

mammy fi gure, Marcie says, gave no name as if to take the human-ity away. In contrast, photogra-phers of that era such as Dorothea lange and Marion Post Wolcott of the Farm Security adminis-tration, documented Southern poverty and depression. In the 1960s, the South’s

poverty broke through to the national psyche, achieved in part through publicized hunger tours such as that conducted by Sena-tor Fritz Hollings of South Caro-lina. Two tumultuous decades later, women’s voices again rose up around food, this time with a new narrative that untethered food from the complexity of the region. Marcie sited the voices in the

1980s and ‘90s of luminaries like Grand Dame Natalie Dupree of Charleston with her book New Southern Cooking; african-amer-ican chef and restaurateur Edna Lewis; and culinary historian Karen Hess. Into the 21st century, chefs, venture capitalists, and scholars rekindled regionalism. With it, Marcie said, have come new voices taking their rightful place around the Southern table.

Reinvention: Staying FreshBy Michele Scicolone (New york)Moderator: Carolyn O’Neil, M.S., R.D., of O’Neil Nutrition

Communications; TV personality and cookbook author. She began this popular session with insights into how some famous personalities cope with life changes, like retired CEO, Jack Welch (General Electric), who advises, “Change before you have to,” or Elizabeth Taylor who would suggest “Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.” Th e panel included Stephanie Barna, the

founding editor of the Charleston City Paper who changed careers after 17 years. Stephanie said that boredom is a good guide to know-ing when it is time to make a change. Her transition from journalism to public relations was strange at fi rst but she soon adjusted. She advises not worrying about change, but to “har-vest it” and move on to the next chapter. Scott Barnwell described himself as a “serial

entrepreneur.” He began his career as a college student making key lime pies for his landlady’s bridge club. Today, at 51, he is the owner of High Wire Distilling Company, his sixth busi-ness. He sites creativity, curiosity, and tenacity as the secrets of his success and recommends dreaming big, letting go of insecurities, and owning your dreams. Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree is a cookbook author, teacher,

and TV personality. She says that she was not very good at anything when she was younger and was slated to become a typist. Fortunate-ly, she discovered a love for cooking and decided to pursue a career. She spoke about handling fears of failure and urged the audience to face up to and work through them. Nathalie says that life changes—we often have no control—so what counts is keeping our passion alive. Interns and younger friends inspire her and teach her new things, for example, all about cake pops!Angie Mosier of Placemat Productions, a marketing and consulting

company, said she loves new challenges and that her greatest motiva-tor in life was “fear of missing out.” She began as an accountant but realized she preferred making wedding cakes. Th is led to a career as a food stylist and her current job as a food photographer. When faced with failure, angie considers “What do I have to do to make this work?” She recommends embracing new technology and changes that come our way or risk being left behind.

“Be daring, embrace change, and take chances.” Michele Scicolone

C o n c u r r e n t S e s s i o n sTop, L-R: Carolyn O’Neil, Angie Mosier, Nathalie Dupree, Stephanie Barna.

Session 3


african Infl uence in lowcountry CuisineA Global Culinary Initiative PresentationBy Suzanne J. Brown (atlanta)Without the verbal histories brought to the colonies

through the atlantic Slave Trade, predominately in the 1700s and 1800s, there would be no record of the rich heritage of Southern food, grounded in Gullah-Geechee food culture, tradition, and cooking techniques. Th ree lowcountry food and culture experts, Jonathan Green, Che-Farmer Matthew Raiford, and Chef Kevin Mitchell, provided an educational, informative presentation on the signifi cant impact the Gullah (South Carolina)-Geechee (Georgia) food and culture heritage has had and continues to have on the evolvement of interna-tional cuisine. Rice cultivation goes back

hundreds of years to asia, but it’s West africa that introduced rice to North america. Brought to Sullivan’s Island as early as the late 1500s, slaves from West and Central africa were dropped off at rice fi elds where jobs were plentiful. Sold to wealthy plantation owners, these africans introduced complex agri-cultural technology needed to grow rice. Referring to the cultural background of slaves transported to the lowcountry, Jonathan explained how their language, spiritual beliefs, knowledge of agricultural methodologies, food, and cooking techniques—that we know today as Gullah- Geechee, is not only the basis of Southern Cookery, but has inspired recipes throughout the world. In his international food classes at the Culinary

Institute of Charleston, Chef Mitchell informed us that global cultures add indigenous ingredients to rice, such as vegetables and spices. Risotto, Pilaf, Perlo, and Pileau are essentially the same dish, but may use a dif-ferent rice varietal and spice to localize it. all three culinary experts shared the Gullah food leg-

acy stemming from the West africa trade years in the 17th and 18th centuries, passed down for generations as families shared their recipes and techniques through verbal histories. CheFarmer Raiford spoke about a cookbook, written in the early 20th century, which was shown to him by a St. Simon’s Garden Club when he was giving a presentation. With a quick glance, he realized it was written in Gullah-Geechee style; specifi -cally, a recipe called for an ingredient amount that was

“the size of a black-eyed pea.” Terms like “little pinch of this” were also common to the cooking techniques. Without measuring utensils, Gullah-Geechee people cooked food by “taste,” and created their own termi-nology native to their heritage. In his presentation, Chef Mitchell said the essence of Gullah cooking was “to get the most from the least.” Rice, corn, potatoes, collards, seafood, and pork were basic ingredients for they were the most dependable crops and the most available meats. Th e best vegetables and meats went to the plantation owners and were prepared by house cooks; fi eld cooks prepared the rest.Th e three presenters emphasized the need for preserv-

ing Gullah-Geechee history through education. One way is to encourage more african-american chefs to open restaurants and preserve the cooking techniques. authentic Gullah food is “prepared from the heart,” said Jonathan. as one of the most contemporary art-ists of the Southern experience, he is founder of the lowcountry Rice Culture Project and is working to open a new International african american museum in Charleston early next year. CheFarmer Raiford continues to run the family farm in Brunswick, Georgia and is owner of Th e Farmer and Th e larder. He is also associate Professor of Culinary arts—Col-lege of Coastal Georgia. In addition to teaching a course at Charleston Culinary Institute, Chef Mitchell tested recipes for Charlotte Jenkins, author of Gullah Cuisine, and works with Glenn Roberts and David Shields in the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation. all presenters shared the infl uence their grand-

mothers had on inspiring their love for cooking and teaching them the importance of preserving Gullah-Geechee cultural heritage. Th eir conversations and lessons in cooking were shared with love. “Th e Gullah heritage must be preserved,” said Jonathan who is researching and working to preserve his heritage through art and education. Visit www.ldei.org/index. php?com=gci to download the

GCI committee’s latest newsletter, Th e GCI Africa Issue. Editor’s Note: Suzanne J. Brown founded the Global

Culinary Initiative in 2009. She and GCI Chair Sandy Hu (San Francisco) served as former LDEI international presidents. After two years, Sandy has passed the GCI chairmanship to Roberta Duyff (St. Louis) and Susan Slack (Charleston). Inspired by Sandy Hu’s spirit of lead-ership, the committee continues to foster Suzanne’s vision to “embrace global communities through culinary connec-tions.” Contact Roberta or Susan if you are interesting in working with GCI.

a sMiDGen oF GuLLaH HeritaGe

Nearly 500,000 Gullah-Geechee people live today between Jacksonville, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida. They reside along the coastal areas and barrier islands, hence the term, “Lowcountry.” (Charleston Historical Foundation).Beginning in the late

1500s, Africans from West and Central Africa were brought to Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, through the Slave Act. When European settlers began to explore the Carolina coast, they discovered rice growing along swampy coastal areas. The rice was from seedlings transported to this area by African slaves. (Jonathan Green, Charleston City Paper).Survival of Gullah-Geechee

culture is due to the resil-iency and community shared among enslaved plantation workers who are responsible for cultivating rice crops. These hard workers were dependent on each other, realizing their survival de-pended on working together and learning how to be self-suffi cient (CheFarmer Matthew Raiford).Saving seeds from crop to

crop, one-pot cooking, and cooking in ashes are three examples of Gullah heritage that continue today. (Che-Farmer Raiford and Chef Kevin Mitchell).“Grow fresh and eat local”

was not a trend, but neces-sity. Gullah people ate what they raised and if a crop was bad, they didn’t eat it. The Port of Charleston

received spices from around the world, used by local cooks as ingredients. For in-stance, cinnamon was used in nearly all vegetables.Knowledge of agriculture

and cooking techniques were not the only contribu-tions of the Gullah-Geechee. They brought their own language, crafts (basket making), music, religion, ironwork, and carpentry.

L-R: Roberta Dyuff, CheFarmer Matthew Raiford, Jona-than Green, Chef Kevin Mitchell, and Sandy Hu. Morn-ing Winnowing from the collection, "Unenslaved: Rice Culture Paintings” by Jonathan Green."


Session 5

Session 4By Susan Slack (Charleston)Moderator Nancy McDermott (Charles-

ton) set the stage for a conversation with Dr. David S. Shields, professor of Southern letters at the university of South Carolina, and Glenn Roberts, owner of anson Mills, on the restoration of Southern heritage foods that have been lost to cultural memory. Carolina Gold Rice propelled the economy of

18th century Charleston—crown jewel of Brit-ain’s colonial empire—to great wealth. Th us, the groundwork was laid for the Carolina Rice Kitchen. Th e rice and cuisine began to disap-pear with the Civil War, and were virtually extinct after the Depression.In 1998, anson Mills began restoring

Carolina Gold Rice and other heritage grains. Th rough the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation, David and Glenn collaborate to systematically identify and repatriate nearly extinct staples of the antebellum Southern larder. Th ey hope to reestablish the cuisine of these vanished foods. David says, “Before we started the restora-

tions we did extensive research on what it was exactly that had to be brought back. We had the recipes and descriptions of what things tasted like, but we didn’t have the ingredi-ents…only okra and collards survived. Flavor is considered the signature for nutritiousness.” In a fortuitous accident, the food sleuths

rediscovered the Carolina african runner peanut—the “ancestral peanut of the South.” Twenty seeds survived in a peanut breeder’s freezer in North Carolina. Th e peanut had been carried to america with the african slave trade; enslaved africans grew it in their gardens. Th e legendary Bradford watermelon, believed

to be extinct since the early 1900s, is a fruit David yearned to taste. lamenting its loss, he set pen to paper. By divine providence, a Sumter, S.C. landscape architect read one of his articles and called to say that his back fi eld was full of Bradford watermelons. He was Nat Bradford, eighth-generation namesake of the original grower. Before long, David and Glenn were in the fi eld boiling down water-melon juice to make rich, red, syrupy Bradford watermelon molasses. David opined, “When we got down to the thick truth of the matter, it was so splendid and unique a taste…anyone interested in a new variety of sweetness would love this.” Charleston Dame Ann Marshall and her husband Scott of High Wire Distillery distilled a portion of the watermelon crop to

produce an exquisite watermelon eau de vie. Th e fork-soft rinds were made into pickles at Th e Culinary Institute of Charleston. When thinking of the next foods to bring

back, David suggests sweet-tart (sub-acid) strawberries and cherries. “Southerners,” he explains, “once preferred juicier berries with an acid note to compliment the sweetness.” Exquisitely perfumed strawberries gave way to hardier berries that could withstand transport. “lets give mulberries another chance,”

implores David. Mulberries experienced the fastest decline of any fruit in america. In the old South, dropped fruit fed hogs and chick-ens, fl avoring the meat. Th e juicy berries are too perishable for transport, but good for jam and wine—“one of the great Gullah-Geechee beverages on the seacoast.” David suggests nu-tritious dried mulberries as a food supplement for chickens. Glenn and David documented about 30

support crops for Carolina Gold rice. Glenn, an agricultural historian, says, “Th ink in levels regarding the Carolina Rice Kitchen.” Th ere were market crops (e.g., Carolina Gold Rice); elite city gardening; and hidden gardens where, “we fi nd the ingredients we can’t document.” Glenn off ers four transformative ideas to

take away. Parching improves the fl avor and nutritional profi le of landrace crops. Sour evokes memories of black skillet cornbread made with homemade buttermilk that has

Social Media: It’s A Brave, New WorldBy Katherine Newell Smith (Washington, D.C.)“I’m going to talk with

you today about what I like to call my secret weapon,” said Katie Wells of KEW Solutions, while introducing her portion of the session.Katie proceeded to help the audience down-

load the CrowdFire app that she says “will increase your Instagram audience.” CrowdFire links to any site you choose that might have similar followers. you can send up to 150 of those followers—per hour—an invitation to like your Instagram or Twitter feeds. Katie claims to have had a 33 percent success rate with CrowdFire to build clients’ audiences.She also suggested using Schedugram to

schedule Instagram posts in advance; Ins-tagress, which targets likes, comments, and follows by hashtag subject; Instagram’s Boo-merang app to spice up your Instagram feed; Hyperlapse to make time-lapse videos; layout, to combine numerous shots in a single post, and Picstitch, which combines multiple photos in one frame.Sharing the stage with Katie, Jennifer Bilbro,

founder of Pink Bike Solutions, off ered her

take on eff ective social media. “Th e key…is to show a genuine interest in what others are doing. as with any relationship, you get out of it what you put in.” She cautions, though, that you cannot be on all platforms all the time; so, determine where you need to be and dedicate yourself to it.For example, 72 percent of the 319 mil-

lion u.S. citizens use Facebook up to 30 minutes a day; 42 percent of all women use Pinterest. “If you sell to women,” says Jen-nifer, “Th at’s where you want to be.” Jennifer suggests driving traffi c to your site by creating brand awareness with interesting, fun content that refl ects your expertise. Become a resource in an area in which you are expert, and provide content for other blogs or articles.If Facebook advertising is an option, set a

budget and use its ads manager and power editor functions to guide you through the process. Strong photos are important with Facebook and Pinterest. Canva.com, graphic design software, is a good tool to help create and use photos to your advantage.Discussion of photography segued to Tim

McManus of Hed Hi Media, a video produc-tion company, who described the power of moving images. “If a picture is worth a thou-sand words, a one-minute video is worth 1.8 million words," he said.

He referred to Forrester Research’s fi ndings that a homepage video increases your chance of a front–page Google result 53 percent. Google’s algorithm automatically places it at the top of the search because videos make sites more active. Moreover, email click rates increase by 96 percent with embedded video. So, it is no surprise that a video promotion is six times more powerful than print or online marketing.Don’t be intimidated to create videos for your

websites. you can shoot respectable videos with your iPhone 6 if you follow these crucial production steps whether they are 15 seconds or 5 minutes:Pre-production: your story needs a beginning,

middle, and end with 20 percent selling, 60 percent educational/informational, and 20 percent inspiring/engaging. Storyboard your vision.Production: Create a shot list and stick to it. If

you hire a crew, review its work at every step so your vision prevails. NOTE: Take horizontal shots so images fi t naturally into the platform formats.Post-production: Trust your team/editor. Mi-

nor changes are never minor.Distribution: Hed Hi Media uses four free

platforms: Instagram, Facebook, youTube, and Vimeo, which is highly curated.

Foods of the South


Session 6

Session 7


Building a Business: Growing a BrandBy Kathy Gold (Philadelphia)In her own words, moderator Melany

Robinson of Polished Pig Media, is pleas-antly persistent. Her introduction of the panelists for the building-a-brand breakout left no doubt that we were in for an entertain-ing, highly informa-tive, and wonderfully inspiring session. With topics that ranged from the growth of their brands, the importance of a strong infrastructure, cus-tomer service, employee relations, and social media, these powerhouse women mapped a course for entrepreneurial success.Th e nuts and bolts of branding were

described in detail. Ann Daw, President of the Specialty Foods association, emphasized the need for a strong positioning state-ment (I’m reworking mine right now!). She explained the diff erence between a product and a brand, telling us that a brand is one’s view and personality, and unlike a product, it can’t be duplicated. Our brand is what will engender loyalty.

Common themes were expressed through-out the narratives. Belinda Smith-Sullivan of Chef Belinda Spices, and Carrie Morey of Callie’s Charleston Biscuits started their businesses as many do, online, and from home. Even so, core business structures and discipline are the ruling values. all four women agreed on the importance of hiring professionals, such as business advisors, a PR agent, or a graphic artist. Belinda encouraged us all to learn how to delegate. Her philosophy is to let employees rise up and inspire her. Carrie told us that when it comes to sales, remember that “no” might just mean, not right now. and although she does delegate many responsibilities, Carrie answers every email. and yes, the Golden Rule still exists in customer relations.

Melany off ered a fi nal piece of sage advice to the at-tendees, “Surround yourselves with the ‘non-yes’ people—those who will tell us what we don’t want to hear, but need to know.”

Shaking it up…Current Trends in the Beverage WorldBy Nichole Bendele (San antonio)Wine consultant and restaurateur Sarah

O’Kelley moderated this packed session. Th e panel discussion began with trends then refocused to dialog on what drives the passion of each panelist for their beverage interest and products they created. Mari Elena Raya, owner of Th e Gin Joint,

Bittermilk, and Tippleman’s said, “People want to see what's going into their drinks.” She tries to focus on natural products. She opened Th e Gin Joint in 2010 with the aim of making “high brow” drinks in a “low brow” set-ting. With this in mind, she began making products for consumers to easily create their own mixed drinks at home.Jaime Tenny of Coast Brewery, set out to

make quality beers, not something created for a particular trend or fad. “I stayed true to my roots, and I am not adding Oreos or gummy beers to my beer.” She’s noticed that people want to know more

about their food, but they aren’t as concerned with their beer. She wants people to be con-cerned with what they are drinking. She tries to use as many local ingredients as possible. “I would like to use local hops but hops aren’t

able to grow here,” says Jaime. along with

owning a brewery, she also is a member of the South Carolina Brewer’s association. She works to make better beers for the state as well as to improve its laws. Ann Marshall, owner of High Wire Distill-

ery, says she created a broad variety of alcohol products to cater to many people. In 2013 she and her husband started the fi rst distillery since Prohibition, making award-winning small batch spirits while using a culinary approach. On one innovative project they crafted exceptional watermelon brandy from local, heirloom watermelons.Diane Flynt, owner of Foggy Ridge Cider was

nominated for the 2015 James Beard award for Outstanding Beverage Profession. a purist in her approach, she spoke on farming and growing complex, heirloom cider apples. “I wanted to make real cider, not something with added, unnatural fl avors.” She mentioned that educating the public was important, as well

as the tradespeople involved in selling your product. “I want to remove as many layers be-tween us as I can and talk to my tradespeople to get my voice out, and give a deeper level of information without the fl uff .”Hallie arnold of Bombay Sapphire stressed

the importance of front line sales. “People like to hear about the passion and the quality of the product. It gives the sales people a story.”Dames arriving for the session received a

Raspberry-lemonade Cocktail with lychee soda, rosewater, and orgeat. additional prod-ucts were sampled after the presentation. Coast poured ale, a milk stout, and an IPa (India Pale Beer). Foggy Ridge had two diff erent ci-ders, one being made from the fi rst fruit of the season. High Wire Distillery brought an assort-ment of liquors. Bittermilk off ered samples of its handmade cocktail mixers in various fl avors. Th is was a wonderful presentation and tasting experience to shake up our taste buds!

L-R: Jaime Tenny, Mari-Elena Raya, Dame Ann Marshall, Diane Flynt, Hallie Arnold, and Dame Sarah O’Kelley (in back). R: Hallie, a mixologist, developed the cocktail served to participants. Photos by Susan Slack.

soured. Ferment comes with soaking; a deep Southern preparation for porridge…rice. “If you don’t soak rice, you aren’t Gechee…they are trying to get ferment.” He continues, “Nixtamal (lime-treated corn) is a native Pan american food from Chile to alaska,” use it for hominy, tamales, arepas, and tortillas. Nixtamalization releases niacin and enhances fl avor. Glenn notes, “In the South, we make journey cakes—they are our tortillas.” Chestnuts, once the dominant nut of the

Southeast, are high on the revivalist’s wish list. Th e american chestnut tree was nearly wiped out by chestnut blight fungus in the early 1900s. When the chestnut comes back, they plan to revive the old chestnut cookery including slow-cooked, chestnut-fed hog. Restored food staples include Sea Island red

peas, benne seed oil with fragrant “benne cream” fl oating on top, and White lammas and Purple Straw wheat varieties, which were milled for exquisite cake fl ours and whiskey. In rescuing these forgotten treasures, David

and Glenn are on a quest for authenticity. Glenn remarked, “We stand on the shoulders of the dawn of time from africa, with our fl avors and the techniques for these market crops.” as an afterthought he added, “liquor, cake, and biscuits…I could make a 20-course meal on that.”David S. Shields is the author of Southern Pro-

visions, Th e Creation and Revival of a Cuisine.Belinda Smith-Sullivan

Session 8

20 L e s D a m e s d ’ E s c o f f i e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l20 L e s D a m e s d ’ E s c o f f i e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Media and Covering Southern Food through Multiple lensesBy CiCi Williamson (Washington, D.C.)“abundantly local, micro-

regional, accompanied by storytell-ing, food from the soul, and family perpetu-ated.” Th ese are some of the descriptors panelists gave for the globally hot cuisine of the South.Angel Postell (Charleston) of

Home Team Public Relations, who was for eight years execu-tive director of the Charles-ton Wine + Food Festival, moderated the panel of four knowledgeable women. Th ey discussed Southern foodways and how its face is shifting due to modern media and infl u-ence from other cultures and regions.What is Southern cuisine?

Jennifer Cole, former Deputy Editor of Southern Living Mag-azine, said, “Southern is a true regional cuisine, but it’s not conventional. Th ere are micro-regions. Food comes from the soul, not restaurants.” “a tasting menu is not a Southern thing,” added Hanna Raskin (Charleston), food writer and restaurant critic for Th e Post and Courier, Charleston’s daily newspaper.Jessica Mischner (Charles-

ton), senior editor, Garden and Gun—a magazine about the contemporary South’s sporting culture, related that “Southerners are more brave to talk about their cuisine. It’s a story-telling culture.” Jennifer added, “It’s so much rooted in the family. Recipes are closely guarded; passed down via one person per generation.”“It’s a myth that Southern

food isn’t healthy. People don’t eat lard every day. We eat

lots of vegetables,” explained Brooke Bell (Birmingham), editor, Taste of the South maga-zine, and editorial director, Louisiana Cookin' magazine.storytellingHanna says she’s so lucky to

live here. “you can write about anything including how blacks and white interact.” Brooke said, “We all have a respon-sibility to tell the stories ac-curately.” “Each magazine has to develop its own fl avor, and each recipe has to be rooted in a story,” opined Jessica.Where do you get story

ideas? “Social media, lDEI directory, Quarterly magazine” (Jessica). “looking as you walk down the street.” (Hanna). “People telling you.” (Brooke). “attending conferences such as Terra Vita in Chapel Hill” (Jennifer).Who is doing it well? Edible

publications.Multiple Lenses“accents across the South

vary greatly. Good to have au-dio, multi-media. It connects you to the story.”—Jennifer. “Try to think of the best way to portray your voice in media. Twitter is a huge communica-tions method.”—Jessica. “So-cial media allows contact daily from readers to get feedback on stories.”—Brooke. Where is food in the south going?• Continued integration

of global fl avors.• Exports, e.g. fried

chicken in France.• Korean, Pakistani,

Vietnamese infl uence in communities with high population of these ethnicities.

• american Northeastern and Northwestern chefs bringing their twists to the South.

• Our interest in local cuisine is inspiring regionalism in foreign countries.

ask Th e Expert– Jacqueline A. Henson, Esq. Marie Kelley (San Diego)Th e room was packed for a very

spirited session: “ask the Expert: laws and Regulations Impacting Chapters.” attendees were on a mis-sion to better understand the legal issues aff ecting their chapters. lDEI’s esteemed attorney Jacqueline (Jackie) Henson of the law fi rm Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver aptly addressed the "Nonprofi ts can't do that!" statement that sur-faces in most chapters from time to time, then answered a multitude of questions. Here are some highlights & Section 501(c)(3) requirements that Jackie reviewed.Operational Test: Th e primary

activity must be charitable, edu-cational, literary and /or scientifi c and conducted in the public inter-est. Th e focus should be to provide a benefi t to the public. Documentation: a document

retention policy should include Board of Directors’ (BOD) and meeting minutes, budgets and treasurer reports, newsletters, fl iers, web site, brochures, press releases, and expense reimbursement forms. BOD minutes should be kept forever; all other documents a minimum of four years. Operating as a business, administrative and business costs are to be expensed with documentation.Inurement: assets are dedicated

to a charitable purpose; they do not belong to any single individual or entity, or to be controlled by an individual or entity. Th e organiza-tion may not be used for individual benefi t. It's important to keep expense reimbursement forms. lobbying: attempting to infl u-

ence legislation. "Some lobbying, not a lot, is allowed. It is OK to support bills, but not the person/legislator."Political activity: NONE! No

candidate may be endorsed. Th e slightest bit of political activity jeopardizes the Chapter's 501(c)(3) status.

Contributions: Chapter must acknowledge in writing contribu-tions of $250 or more; and quid pro quo contributions greater than $75. Th ese documents should be retained with other chapter docs. Scholarships and Grants: “Giving

a scholarship/grant is a charitable activity.” Who can get it? anyone if they fulfi ll the requirements. Cre-ate a set of rules and an application based on fi nancial need, talent, and benefi t to the chapter/com-munity etc. a Dame may receive a scholarship/grant, as long as she is not on the committee that makes the decision. Sending delegates to conference qualifi es and benefi ts the chapter. Establish a chapter value proposition for President/delegate attendance.Reporting: all chapters must fi le

Form 990 annually. It's a pub-lic record. Schedule a is public. Schedule B lists donors and it's not public. “Th ere is NO IRS rule on what percentage must be used for charity.” Confl ict of Interest: is present

when director or offi cer has a mate-rial personal interest. Th e Board should address possible confl ict of interest at each meeting. Fundraising: Review State Chari-

table Solicitation Requirements (consumer protection statute). Must comply with state law for auctions. all fundraising materials shall state use of funds and 501(c)(3) information. use unlimited wording such as: “proceeds,” or “a portion of the proceeds”... will be used for....Th is assumes that funds will also be used for expenses and administrative costs. “all pro-ceeds”...assumes limited use. Endowments, Donor lists and

Social Networking were very briefl y covered due to lack of time. Social Networking comments stressed the use of a photo disclaimer/permission to use photo from new member applications to all events. Much more to cover in a future session! Jackie recommends that every chapter should have an at-torney and professional accountant or CPa. lDEI recommends that every

BOD should hear this conference podcast!

Session 9


A Taste of Charleston By Janet Burgess (la/OC)On a balmy Friday evening, Dames and their

guests took a short stroll from the hotel to Brittlebank Park, located along the ashley River. a huge tent was set up with picnic tables and a bountiful spread of quintessential low-country dishes. liquid refreshments included a full bar, delicious lemonade, and a wassail station with spiced cider. local culinary students and their chef-

instructor from Wando High School manned a biscuit bar that included platters of country ham and biscuit spreads. Slightly North of Broad, a lowcountry bistro, provided shrimp several diff erent ways. Walking around, we sampled even more—Gulf shrimp, Creole Shrimp, and shrimp with corn, okra, and red peppers. limehouse Produce provided a popular Grilled Vegetable Station, prepped by Charleston Dames. Th at evening, many of the food stations showcased local products including grapes, squash, mushrooms, and baby heirloom tomatoes.Th e Charleston Dames went “whole hog”

and served up award-winning, pulled pork barbecue from lowcountry Eats. Chef Mi-chelle Weaver served Mac and Cheese, and

chicken from Springer Mountain Farms. Th ere were mounds of oysters from Mike lata of Th e Ordinary—and they were anything but ordinary! andrea upchurch from Magnolia, Cypress, and Blossom contributed to our sweet tooth with Sweet Potato Pecan Pies, Spiced apple Cake, and Smokey S'mores. a fi ve-piece band played country songs dur-

ing the evening; mood lighting and a grass fl oor added a rustic feel. you could identify the local Dames as they all had their boots on, but a lack of boots certainly didn't stop any attendees from the dancing fun. In fact, several Dames were overheard praising their former schoolteachers for teaching them how to country dance. Th ree Dames grabbed the microphone and

stunned us with their incredible singing. Nash-ville Dame Sylvia Ganier’s voice is reminiscent of the voice of the late, great contralto, Patsy Cline. Th e Dames’ singing debut ended far too soon, and left everyone calling for more.

Clockwise, top left, L-R: Hayley Matson-Mathes (Hawaii); Valentina Harris and Jacqui Pickles (Lon-don); and Abigail Langlas (Hawaii). Photo: Mike Mathes. Guests line up for Mike Lata’s extraordinary oysters. Country Ham and Biscuits. Photos: Susan Slack. LDEI President Maria Gomez-Laurens and her husband, Dean Laurens. Photo: Lori Willis. San Antonio Dames Di-Anna Arias and Lucille Hooker enjoy boot scootin’ boogie with Carol Brock. Photo: Susan Slack. Lowcountry pig pickin’—everything but the squeal! Photo: Mike Mathes.

L o w c o u n t r y L i v e

LDEI’s country divas added sizzle to the evening: Julie Chernoff (Chicago), Debbie Loftis (Atlanta), and Sylvia Garnier (Nashville). Photos by Susan Slack.


By Teresa Farney (Colorado) as I traveled to Charleston to attend the lDEI annual

Conference I couldn’t help thinking about one of my most eagerly anticipated events at the meet-ing: Th e Partners’ luncheon. and, why not? It’s one of the best meals during the weekend. and a wonder-ful way to personally say, “Th ank you to each partner for supporting our organization throughout the year, but especially at the conference.”Without their contributions the

conference would not be the outstanding event it is each year fi lled with amazing speakers and thought provoking seminars. Besides, we get to sample their food products paired with award-wining wines. Th is year we even got a lesson on making trendy kombucha smoothies in the pow-erful Vitamix blender. and, for the second year, we were able to get a little shopping therapy with special pricing on Wüsthof-Trident cutlery only at the special lunch. Here’s a quick recap of the delicious menu we grazed dur-

ing the two-hour lunch. By the way, have a look at the web sites listed with each partner to fi nd some of these recipes or others for an opportunity to use the products all year. It’s another way to express your appreciation for our spon-sor’s support. Be sure to friend them on Facebook, follow them on Tweeter, and other social media outlets.

Charleston Dames L-R: Belinda Smith-Sullivan, Carrie Morey (behind), Susan Wigley, Beth Price, Paige Crone, Nathalie Dupree (seated), Jennifer Goldman, Libba Osborne, Deidre Schipani, Devany Vickery-Davidson. Photo: Devany Vickery Davidson.

Linda Young and Kristina Hoffman from American Roland Food Group dished up Five-Grain Kale Salad along with Caprese Skewers.

www.rolandfood.com

Karl Uri and Claudia Hogue from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute fed us Alaska Surimi Stuffed Mushrooms and Alaska Snow Crab Claws with Rouille Dipping Sauce.

www.alaskaseafood.org

Breville USA. Shaari Ward, and Amy Billetz delighted our taste buds with Caramelized Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Bourbon Whipped Cream.

www.brevilleusa.com

Cakebread Cellars paired dishes with 2013 Chardonnay Napa Valley and 2013 Pinot Noir Two Creeks Vineyards, Anderson Valley wines. In the photo: Grande Dame Dolores Cakebread.

www.cakebread.com

Shining a Spotlight on our Partners

Photos by Susan Slack

P a r t n e r s ' S h o w c a s e L u n c h e o n

AMERICAN ROLANDALASKA SEAFOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE

BREVILLE USA CAKEBREAD CELLARS


Kikkoman Sales USA and Dame Helen Roberts treated us with Crispy Stuffed French Toast.

www.kikkomanusa.com

Colleen Jezersek and Le Creuset showcased a colorful display of their beautiful cooking vessels. They supplied the handsome stoneware pitchers on the tables during the Green Tables Breakfast and the Legacy Luncheon.

www.lecreuset.com

Ferra Coffee/Pakal and Dame Susan Jaime inspired us with new fl avors of Hot Cocoa and Bee Sweet Lemonade.

ferracoffeeroaster.com

Riviana Foods/Mahatma Rice and Dame Debbie Wheeler introduced us to Basmati with Curried Chickpeas and Bombay Dream Rice Pudding.

www.rivianafoods.com.au

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates poured Chateau Ste. Michelle 2014 Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and Chateau Ste. Michelle 2012 Indian Wells Red Blend.

www.ste-michelle.com

Missie and Steve Sabo from Vitamix whirred up Sweet & Spicy Beet Spread to enjoy with chips and Honey Kombucha Smoothie.

www.vitamix.com

Lisa Kalfus and LeeAnn Kaufman poured fi ve Wente Family Estates wines: 2014 Wente Vineyards Single Vineyard Riva Ranch Chardon-nay; 2013 Wente Vineyards Single Vineyard Riva Ranch Pinot Noir; 2013 Wente Vineyards Southern Hills Cabernet Sauvignon; 2013 Murrieta’s Well The Whip; and 2012 Murrieta’s Well The Spur.

wentevineyards.com

Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. used super sharp knives to carve cranberry- and nut-stuffed pork loins. Sysco Corporation provided the delicious pork. Dame Beth Allen and Julia Stambules.

www.wusthof.com

KIKKOMAN SALES USA LE CREUSET FERRA COFFEE/PAKALRIVIANA FOODS/MAHATMA RICE

VITAMIXSTE. MICHELLE WINE ESTATES WENTE FAMILY ESTATES

WÜSTHOF-TRIDENT OF AMERICA, INC.

Les Dames d’Escoffier, welcome to our home in the culinary capital of the South.

lecreuset.com

Crafted in France,at home inthe South.

By Margaret Happel Perry (New york)Th e truth of the asian saying that women

hold up half the sky and represent much of the world’s unrealized potential was never more evident than when New yorker Lynn Fred-ericks, lDEI’s Green Tables Chair, introduced her program’s four panel-ists. Th e original content of the presentations had evolved to show how three very diff erent chapters in lDEI responded to recent catastrophes. Th e healing power of food became evident in these crises. add the power of food to educate, given that children are at the heart of Green Tables pri-mary mission, is still an lDEI membership-skills driven initiative.Susan Wigley of lDEI Charleston described

how the atrocity at Mother Emmanuel Church in June had prompted an immediate and whole-hearted response from her chapter. Caterers provided food from cancelled public events to feed overfl ow crowds of mourners at the nine funerals. and chapter eff orts were harnessed to be part of the team supplying food for the many people gathered outside the church, as well as for the police on crowd control. In the summer heat, Dame-owned businesses provided cases of water for the crowds. and all Charleston’s food community and industries participated in a fund-raiser, which realized over $600,000.Mary Sutkus and Cecily Hoffi us spoke

passionately about the extensive Green Tables programs in the St. louis Chapter. using the richness of their agricultural resources as a springboard, food education began in 2008. Recipes from Home, is a child-tested and child-approved recipe program featuring local produce. Recipes voted the best are used in one school district’s cafeteria—with input from St. louis university. a fi ve-year success story has expanded the program to two more school districts. a second young student–fo-cused program is Children at the Farmers’ Market, where students visit and explore the market and talk with farmers about the origin of the produce. Th ey are encouraged to go

to the market’s kitchen and prepare, cook, and eat the produce they have selected. last year’s tragic events at Ferguson gave lDEI’s St. louis Chapter the same need and opportunity as in Charleston—for community outreach to promote healing. In helping re-open the sole remaining burger diner in Ferguson, the chap-ter showed the key power of food in providing respite. Ferguson-based organic Earth Dance Farms—re-established in 2008—provided more opportunities. Th e owners have done much to stabilize and educate through school activities and scholarships. a six-year-old boy said the farm made him feel he was “doing something for the world.”Susan Jaime, from lDEI’s San antonio

Chapter, reminded us that Green Tables has both local and international dimensions. Th e chapter’s many initiatives embrace both the needs of the majority latino community and their children, and include a latino commu-nity center where the seasonality and health benefi ts of fresh produce are taught. A Junior Master Gardener Program at Wilson Elemen-tary School—in conjunction with resources from Texas a&M—is an empowering initia-tive that encourages children to plant, grow, and eat the results of their work at the school salad bar. Similarly, Rescue Children From Abuse is another multi-disciplinary program that uses the same food education resources reinforced with reading and writing skills. Success is evidenced by a waiting list to join the twelve original program sites.

Th e San antonio Chapter’s impressive overseas reach extends to Guatemala, where four Green Tables committees have organized 80 families with 180 children. Th e goal is to teach the economic value of community-grown crops. Knowing that the national labor pool contributes $18 billion to national agriculture production, the families are able to negotiate their future from a position of strength. Th e power of Green Tables in action!

Susan Wigley (Charleston) .Mary Sutkus (St. Louis). Susan Jaime (San Antonio). Cecily Hoffi us (St. Louis) Green Tables Chair Lynn Fredericks (New York).

Green Tables Breakfast


Sharon Van Meter, Mary Chamberlin, and Suzanna Foo.

2016 BoarD oF Directors L-R Front: Deborah Mintcheff, Maria Gomez-Laurens, Bev Shaffer. Second row: Judith Bellos, Kathy Gold, Hayley Matson-Mathes, Ann Stratte. Back row: Lori Willis, Deborah Orrill, Stacy Zeigler. 2015 BoarD oF Directors L-R Front: Deborah Mintcheff, Lori Willis, Bev Shaffer, Beth Allen. Back row: Maria Gomez-Laurens, Deborah Orrill, Sharon Olson, Hayley Matson-Mathes, Stacy Zeigler, Ann Stratte.

LonDon L-R: Jane Tran, Valentina Harris, and Jacqui Pickles. Houston L-R Front: Suzanne Fain, Julie Hettiger Nelson, Deborah L. Woehler. Back row: Yvonne Sterns, Sandra Alonso Shafer. PHiLaDeLPHia L-R Front: Linda Forristal, Barbara Samson, Lynn Buono, Judy Rusignuolo. Back row: Susanna Foo, Kathy Gold. san antonio L-R Front: Di-Anna Arias, Pat Mozersky, Susan Jaime, Blanca Aldaco, Linda Triesch. Back row: Mary Dunford, Lucille Hooker, Nichole Bendele, Kathy Gottsacker, Naylene Dillingham, Kathy Shearer. nortHeast L-R: Claire Tomlin, Barbara Spencer, Nancy Matheson-Burns, Christine Burns-Rudalevige. san DieGo L-R: Maria Laurens, Karen Contreras, Mary Platis, Marie Kelley, Marion "Mimi" Holtz. Monterey Bay L-R: Mary Chamberlin, Arlene Mead, Sharon Van Meter. cLeVeLanD L-R: Carol Hacker, Cynthia Eakin, Bev Shaffer, Terry Fricke. sacraMento L-R: Kathi Riley Smith, Ann M. Evans, Shannin Stein, Sue Huffman-Robison.


C h a p t e r P h o t o s

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neW yorK L-R Front: Linda Lawry, Joan Bloom, Joan Brower, Carol Brock (LDEI Founder), Beth Allen, Melanie Young, Rita Jammet. Second row L-R: Abigail Kirsch, Suzen O’Rourke, Alison Awerbuch, Jeanne Voltz, Mary Ellen Griffi n, Nancy Knoepfel, Vanessa Trost. Third row L-R: Meryl Evans, Margaret Perry, Karen Goodlad, Renée Marton, Janeen Sarlin, Roberta Morrell, Ronnie Campbell. Fourth row L-R: Carla Hall, Rachel Litner, Nancy Jessup, Deborah Mintcheff, Jane Kettlewell. DaLLas L-R FRONT: Lynn Mattie, Sally Bollick, Tina Wasserman, Sharon Van Meter. Back row: Deborah Orrill, Karel Anne Tieszen, Mary Kimbrough. HaWaii L-R Front: Kathi Saks, Abigail Langlas, Hayley Matson-Mathes. Back row: Kirsten Robinett, Laurie Carlson, Nancy Edney, Jocelynn McCann. nasH-ViLLe L-R Front: Sylvia Ganier, Erin Byers Murray. Back row: Lee Towery (red scarf), Melissa Corbin (white boa), Carla Hall, Nancy Knoepfel. Not pictured: Cara Graham. Minnesota L-R Front: Merrilyn Tauscher, Carrie Summer, Cindy Jurgensen. Back row: Lisa Carlson, Ingrid Gangestad, Barb Strand. seattLe L-R Front: Claudia Hogue, Beverly Gruber. Middle row: Jamie Peha, Kathy Casey, Cynthia Nims. Back row: Patricia Gelles, Anne Nisbet. san Francisco L-R Front: Mary Gassen, Grande Dame Dolores Cakebread (2015), Ann M. Evans, Sue Huffman Robison. Back row: Eileen Spitalny, Helen Roberts. Boston L-R: Toni Manning, Rose Ann Francis, Miriam Michalczyk, Guida Ponte. atLanta L-R Front: Julie Shaffer, Suzanne Brown, Lenada Merrick, Barbara Pires, Tammy Cook, Becky Minshew. Second row: Gloria Smiley, Angie Mosier, Holly Chute, Lynne Sawicky, Gayle Skelton. Third row: Robin Hamre, Carolyn O'Neil, Stacy Zeigler. Fourth row: Debbi Loftis, Cathy Conway, Ashley Mitchell, Mary Moore, Gaye Anderson. Second photo L-R: Kathleen Perry and Jennifer Booker.

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austin L-R: Beth Vlasich Pav, Carol Huntsberger, Carla Williams. ann arBor L-R: Antoinette Benjamin, Sandy Arlinghaus. nortH caroLina L-R Front: Stephanie L. Tyson, Sharon Van Vechten, Kelly Taylor, Sandra Gutierrez, Susi Gott Séguret. Back row: Vivián Joiner, Ellen Clevenger-Firley, Nancie McDermott, Colleen Minton. BritisH coLuMBia L-R Front: Becky Paris Turner. Second row: Lee Murphy, Stephanie Jaeger, Bonita Jo Magee, Kathy McAree, Cate Simpson (in back). Kansas city L-R: Mollie Fries, Jill Means. st. Louis L-R Front: Mary Sutkus, Judith Bellos, Roberta Duyff, Marilyn Freundlich. Back row: Lori Willis, Cecily Hoffi us. coLoraDo L-R: Sandra Dugan, Teresa Farney. KentucKy L-R Front: Judy Schad, Katie Payne, Michele Bowling. Back row: Elizabeth Weimer, Lisa Windhorst, Jamie Estes, Gina Brown. La/oc L-R Front: Maria Gomez-Laurens, Nancy Eisman, Janet Burgess. Back row: Ida Rodriguez, Alison Ashton. PaLM sPrinGs L-R: Francine Robertshaw, Nancy Cohee, Pamela Bieri. PHoeniX L-R: Candy Lesher, Charleen Badman. cHicaGo L-R Front: Brenda McDowell, Patricia Erd, Donna Pierce, Karen Levin, Julie Chernoff. Back row: Sofi a Solomon, Toria Emas, Sharon Olson, Sara Reddington, Mary McMahon. BirMinGHaM L-R Front: Pat Terry, Becky Satterfi eld. Back row: Angela Schmidt, Katherine Cobbs. MiaMi L-R Front: Margo Hofeldt , Jen Karetnick. Back row: Dorothee Rubin, Ana Plana. WasHinGton, D.c. L-R Front: Laurie Bell, Judy Rusignuolo, Janet Yu, Alison Ricketts.Middle row: Marie Ostrosky, Teresa Farney, Grande Dame Joan Nathan (2015-2016), Diane Neas, Drew Faulkner, Eileen Dykes, Linda Roth. Back row: Katherine Newell Smith, Edee Hogan, Susan Callahan, Nancy Hart, CiCi Williamson, Linda Joyce Forristal, Kari Barrett, Ann Stratte, Carla Hall. Not pictured: Nongkran Daks, Marsha Echols.

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By Beth Pav (austin)When an avid Diet Coke drinker says her

soda is fl at then tastes another and says it’s still fl at, there’s something not quite simpatico. Th is is what happened to Erin Byers Murray’s mother, Dottie, after major head trauma. It is a symptom of anosmia—the in-ability to smell; the topic of Erin’s grand-prize essay entry in lDEI’s prestigious M.F.K. Fisher awards titled, “Sense of Self.” During the M.F.K. Fisher awards Presenta-

tion at this year’s Charleston Conference, Erin’s parents proudly looked on as she described her mother’s condition, what it was like for her mother and as a teenager trying to help her mother and family traverse the sensory world of cooking. How do I motivate mom to cook again?

“Well, just jump in and help.” So she started with small cooking projects like making grocery lists and homemade pizzas—simple things that were gratifying. She even tested her mother’s sense of smell by smoking cigarettes.

Back in the kitchen the spark was ignited, and food became a passion.Erin is currently the managing editor at Nash-

ville Lifestyles magazine and writes a column, “at the Table.” She has worked for such publi-cations as Boston magazine, Food & Wine, AOL Travel, Huffi ngton Post and many more. She shared with the full-house crowd that her

essay was very personal and took a long time to get out into the world—ten years. She credits Ruth Reichl and amanda Hesser of Food52 as two of her distant mentors during that time. In fact, she applauds amanda for sending back her essay with notes. Erin says, “What matters is she encouraged me and wanted me to keep going!” after 10 years she had signifi cant time to tweak her essay and was published in 2015 on www.foodthinkers.com.

In the meantime, Dottie was exploring her own culinary chops. She enlisted her husband to help her with her sense memory and looked to recipes in magazines and Erin for inspira-tion. Today she is part of a dining club. Dottie is particularly honored to be the subject of her daughter’s essay and part of such a distin-guished award.On M.F.K. Fisher, Erin says that she is such

an inspiration. She noted that M.F.K. speaks to her through her writing. She shared that she is honored and humbled by receiving the M.F.K. Fisher award for 2015. In closing—and to thunderous clapping—

Erin gave her heartfelt thanks and shared her own brand of sage advice, “always reach out to your mentors and listen to them, especially if it’s your Mom!”

a Sense of Self

Erin Byers Murray with her mother, Dottie Byers, and father. R: Erin and CiCi Williamson, the M.F.K. Fisher Chair. Photos: Susan Slack.

By Mary Ellen Griffin (New york)Th ree Dames have stepped forward to join in ensuring the

fi nancial stability of les Dames d’Escoffi er International for the future.Julie Chernoff (Chicago), Teresa Farney

(Denver), and Dianne Hogerty (Kansas City) are the newest members to wear the Brock Circle pin. Th e insignia indi-cates an understanding of the strategic importance of supporting our organiza-tion and its goals, and the generosity to step up and make a serious commitment to it.While the majority of the funds collected to date

are in highly secure investments for the future, it was always en-visioned that a small portion of the annual installments ($1,000 per BC member per year over ten years) would be available for current strategic purposes. lDEI Past President Lori Willis (St. louis) commented, “We

want to spend the money on strategies that will support our mission and provide the most benefi t to the organization as a whole or the greatest number of members. Education and train-ing, and their digital deployment, are key.”To that end, the 2015 Conference benefi ted from recordings

and podcasts which preserve the valuable content as well as give access to the information to Dames beyond those who could attend in person. and a generous donation from Alice Gautsch Foreman (Seattle) was supplemented by BC funds and used for speaker enhancement and the leadership Forum.

Th e Brock Circle and its members are the only reasons all of these things could have happened. Th e Brock Circle was the creation of the 2012 Board, and

has grown to 32 individual, 1 corporate and 13 chapter memberships as of press time. among the benefi ts of membership are the honor of wearing the Brock Circle pin

(or receiving a beautiful plaque) and an invitation (one per $10,000 commitment) to a special reception at Conference. Most importantly, Brock Circle members know that they are

ensuring the fi nancial future of lDEI and what we stand for. additional details about Th e Brock Circle, and a list of mem-

bers, can be found at www.ldei.org, in the “about us” section.

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Breaking Brock Circle News from the Charleston Conference!


M . F . K . F i s h e r A w a r d s P r e s e n t a t i o n

L-R: Teresa Farney, Stacy Zeigler, Lori Willis, Julie Chernoff, and Carol Brock.

By Nancie McDermott (Charleston)Th e legacy awards luncheon gave Dames

a memorable presentation of how the awards’ mission, of “Investing in tomorrow’s food, beverage, and hospitality leaders” came to life for six outstanding women in the world of food. Established in 2009, the awards are hosted by Dames in the uSa, Canada, and the uK, and off er an intense, weeklong immersion in an area of special interest. Hosted by Kikkoman uSa and Wente Family

Estates, the event featured an elegant luncheon accompanied with fi ne Wente wines. Five of the six winners attended and shared the high points of their externships with the guests. Th e four award categories were Culinary; Food and Wine Journalism; Wine; and Farm-to-Table.Katie Groff man (San Francisco), who was

hosted by Carolyn Wente and Amy Hoopes, shared her experience at Wente Family Estates in livermore, Ca. She spoke of Wente’s com-mitment to sustainability and balance, across all aspects of the company. She saw their concern not just for making money, but how they do so. She noted the excitement and pride in every person she spoke to during her stay about being part of this renowned, family-

owned company. Christine Burns Rudalevige (Brunswick,

Maine) went to Good Housekeeping magazine in New york City and was hosted by Susan Westmoreland and Sharon Franke. Christine valued being part of the Good Housekeeping team and enjoyed recipe testing, taking part in story-development conferences and other opportunities, which helped her “…fi nd her inner geek”! Christine came away eager to surround herself with people like those she worked with at Good Housekeeping, who see other women the business as resources, and not as fearful competition. Kelly Marie Patkus (Charlotte, North

Carolina) traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii where her sponsor, Lesley Hill, owns Wailea agricultural Group. She learned the process of growing, harvesting, cutting, and packing heart of palm, and harvesting fresh nutmeg. Kelly appreciated Hawaii’s abundance, then came home eager to increase access to fresh food for everyone and to work with school children on growing and cooking food. Van Doren Chan (Vancouver) went to Res-

taurant Nora in Washington, D.C. to learn from Nora Pouillon about working with local, sustainable ingredients, to understand produce, and how to treat each and every ingredient with great respect and care. Th is experience enriches the knowledge she has already attained, growing up in a restaurant family since childhood, and working as a

maître-d and sommelier. Jennifer Moniz (atlanta) spent a week in

los angeles, learning about many aspects of the varied and complex work of Melissa’s World Variety Produce where Nancy Eisman hosted her. She went to the los angeles Wholesale Produce Market at 4:00 a.m., visited Harry’s Berry Farm for some organic strawberry cobbler, shadowed the Executive Chef at Dodger Stadium for a day, and did a demo for Melissa’s crew at their Friday Family Meal: fried green tomatoes with corn muffi ns, atlanta-style. Seattle Dame Kari Leitch of Chateau Ste.

Michelle Wine Estates in Woodinville, Wash-ington hosted ashley Hawkins (austin), who wasn’t able to attend the conference. you can read about ashley’s experience of learning to create beautiful wine from grape to glass in the spring Quarterly issue. (Th e six winners will be featured.) In a ballroom fi lled with energy, joy, and

generosity, we celebrated the winners’ successes and were reminded that the awards wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of Dames who welcome them to their places of work, year after year. Without the hosts who mentor each winner, there is no program! We gave a rousing round of applause for Sue Huff man-Robison (San Francisco) and Alison Awerbuch (New york) who headed the 2015 legacy awards committee with passionate dedication to mak-ing this a gold star experience.

a legacy of leadership

Legacy Winners: Jennifer Moniz (holding toy gun). L-R Back row: Katie Groffman, Christine Burns Rudalevige, Kelly Marie Patkus, Van Doren Chan. Table photo: Lori Willis. Grande Dame Dolores Cakebread (L) and Mary Ellen Gassen. Photo: Susan SlackL-R: Alison Awerbuch, Lori Willis, and Sue Huffman-Robison. Photo: Susan SlackFresh Berry Tart with Whipped Cream. Photo: Lori WillisMinnesota Dames: Merrilyn Tauscher, Ingrid Gangestad, Barb Strand, Cindy Jurgensen. Photo: Susan Slack.


L e g a c y A w a r d s L u n c h e o n

Th e Fabulous Finale

“It was a sea of colorful feather boas, furs, and fl apper-inspired clothing with long strands of pearls and sassy feather headbands. Enthusiastic Dames and guests mingled, enjoying the superb sparkling wine...”

Brenda McDowell

G r a n d e D a m e A w a r d B a n q u e t

By Brenda McDowell (Chicago)after enjoying three action-packed days of

Southern hospitality, Dames roared into the Crys-tal Ballroom at the Charleston Marriott to end the conference in style…the style of the Roaring 20s as was quickly evidenced by looking around the pre-dinner reception. It was a sea of colorful feather boas, furs, and fl apper-inspired clothing with long strands of pearls and sassy feather head-bands. Enthusiastic Dames and guests mingled, enjoying the superb sparkling wine from dinner sponsor Wente Family Estates.as time for dinner neared, the grand celebration

party continued as we moved into a magnifi cently decorated ballroom where beautiful bouquets of red and white roses graced the elegantly appointed tables, all fi tting for feting our Grande Dame—Joan Nathan, lDEI’s 13th Grande Dame. Charleston Dame Nathalie Dupree provided a fi tting tribute to the internationally known and revered award-winning cookbook author, charter member of the Washington, D.C. Chapter, and dedicated philanthropist. She praised Joan as be-ing generous, warm-hearted and giving, someone people can learn from. Joan says she is continu-ously studying and learning. In fact, she wrote the fi rst of her 11 cookbooks when she was working in Jerusalem in the early 70s. as we sipped more incredible wines, lisa Kalfus,

senior director of marketing for Wente, shared highlights about the fi ve special wines chosen to complement the evening’s menu, which in-cluded delicious alaskan king crab and black cod provided by dinner sponsor, the alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.Outgoing lDEI president Lori Willis spoke

about her amazing journey as president, saying that she hopes she has left the organization in a better place, poised for more growth in 2016. Incoming president Maria Gomez-Laurens ended with moving words about what one can accomplish as a Dame, and what a privilege it is to be a part of the organization. In fact, she said she “felt sprinkled with stardust” when she became a member of lDEI.Th en it was time for saying good night, y’all…

until we meet again next year in Washington, D.C.

1. L-R: Grande Dame Joan Nathan, 2016-2017; Outgoing President Lori Willis; and 2011 Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree. Photo: Mike Mathes. 2. Marie Gomez-Laurens and Dean Laurens. Photo: Susan Slack. 3. L-R Front: Carolyn O'Neil, Mollie Fries, Jill Means. Back: Hayley Matson-Mathes, Greg Jewell, Mary Ellen Griffi n, Beth Pav. Photo: Mike Mathes. 4. Red rose centerpiece with feathers and pearls. 5. Carol Brock. Photos: Susan Slack. 6. L-R: Becky Paris Turner, Cate Simpson, Julie Chernoff, Katherine Newell Smith, Hayley Matson-Mathes. Photo: Mike Mathes. 7. Flapper fabulous! 8. LDEI President Maria Gomez-Laurens. Photo: Susan Slack. 9. Sharon Olso, Brenda McDowell, Sara Reddington, Mary McMahon, Karen Levin, Sofi a Solomon. Photo: Mike Mathes. 10. Paige Crone and Jennifer Goldman. 11. Carla Hall. Photo: Julie Hettiger. 12. Lori and Mick Willis. Photo: CiCi Williamson.13. Marie Kelley. 14. Second Course: Alaskan King Crab with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Photo: CiCi Williamson. 15. L-R: Donna Gustafson and Cecila Cerasoli. Photo: Susan Slack. 16. L-R: Yvonne Sterns, Sandra Alonso Shafer. Photo: Julie Hettiger.

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In late October 2015, Past President Beth Vlasich Pav, Carol Huntsberger, board member Carla Williams, and Toni Tipton-Marin attended our annual conference in Charleston. It was a memorable conference meeting new and catching up with old friends, networking, and learning. We also enjoyed the city of Charleston and want to extend a special thank you to our Charleston Dame hosts. your hospitality was superb and we will always remember #damesdointhecharleston!

BIRMINGHAMMartha JohnstonWe Southerners know

cornmeal, but we are not so familiar with arepas. Th ey are eaten in Venezuela in place of bread and are perfect any time of the day ac-cording to Gia McCol-lister, who presented a how-to class for our group in august. She shared her secrets for success and presented endless authentic fi llings and traditional South american fruit bever-ages for sampling.In September, Pardis

Stitt hosted members in the courtyard at Bottega Restaurant. Not only did we share a wonder-ful meal and toast to the group, but also we had an in-depth tutorial on social media presented by new member Jan Walsh.Kay Bruno Reed entertained us at her home on a beauti-

ful Southern evening in October. She prepared supper in her outdoor kitchen and off ered a variety of wines. Conversation around the poolside table focused on the upcoming Charleston conference and fund raising projects for our group.We have welcomed Idie Hastings, Melany Robinson, and

Jan Walsh as new members of the Birmingham Chapter.

BOSTONLucille Giovinoanother Boston First: as many of you who attended the 2014

lDEI Conference in Boston experienced, this was the fi rst time the conference schedule was available on your smartphone with Guidebook. Dame Adrienne Giovino volunteered to imple-ment the Guidebook app after using it many years at other events. It included many features such as easy access to Facebook and Twitter, and the ability to push live updates to users if the schedule changed. It was so successful that Charleston used it for the 2015 Conference. Recently elected as communications director for lDEI Boston, adrienne is the granddaughter of Grande Dame Eda Saccone, who founded the Boston Chapter in 1959.

ATLANTAGayle SkeltonWe began the fall season with our 3rd annual Schol-

arship Dinner & Reception, graciously hosted by the gorgeous atlanta History Center. Th is is where it all comes together, as we celebrate our outstanding 2015 scholarships and grant recipients. It was truly an inspira-tional evening, and I loved having the opportunity to see fi rst-hand the diff erence we make in the lives of so many special women.In September, we welcomed our outstanding Dames

Class of 2015 with a lovely reception prepared by the Dames Class of 2014. Th is has become a new tradition for our chapter, and each year we look forward to seeing the “new” Dames pass the torch, so to speak.later in September, we paid tribute to the memory of

Lea Bruekner by bringing her idea to life with the fi rst ever “Dames Who Play in the Kitchen.” To be hosted each quarter, this is a social, interactive experience–cooking for fun, good causes, and fellowship.For our October meeting, Robert Schueller, of Melissa's

Produce, hosted us at the Produce Marketing associa-tion Expo for a special inside produce trends presentation followed by an experience at the Expo, the largest produce show in the u.S.Fall was highlighted by afternoon in the Country

(aITC), our signature event and largest fundraiser. Not even rain (or as Holly Chute called it, liquid sunshine) could put a damper on our celebrations in the 15th year of aITC at Serenbe Farms. Cheers to the next 15 years!

AUSTINBeth Vlasich PavOctober 4 marked

the day for the austin Dame's fall fundraiser titled, Food Fight! En Garde! Chaired by Carol Hunts-berger, owner of austin's renowned Quality Seafood, it was held in the beautiful Jardins de laV Restaurant. Delectable hors d'oeuvres were created by 2013 James Beard semi-fi nalist Chef Janina O'Leary with wines curated to pair. During our silent auction, guests had an opportunity to bid on over 50 items including culinary experiences, products from local food artisans, and much more. In less than two hours we reached just over $21,000—a substantial increase from last year.

ANN ARBOR | ATLANTA | AUSTIN | BIRMINGHAM | BOSTON | BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA | CHARLESTON | CHICAGOCLEVELAND/NORTHEAST OHIO | COLORADO | DALLAS | HAWAII | HOUSTON | KANSAS CITY/HEART OF AMERICA KENTUCKY | LONDON, ENGLAND | LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTY | NORTH CAROLINA | MEXICO | MIAMI | MINNESOTAMONTEREY BAY AREA | NASHVILLE | NEW YORK | NORTHEAST | PALM SPRINGS | PHILADELPHIA | PHOENIX | PORTLAND SACRAMENTO | SAN ANTONIO | SAN DIEGOSAN FRANCISCO | SEATTLE | ST. LOUIS | WASHINGTON, D.C.

CHAPTER NEWS Janet Burgess (LA/OC)

L-R: Nathalie Dupree, Beth Vlasich Pav, Carla Williams, and Carol Hunts-berger. LDEI Food Fight! L-R: Chair Carol Huntsberger and Beth Vlasich Pav.


L-R: Pardis Stitt, Jan Walsh, and Susan Swagler sample a variety of arepas fi llings.L-R: Jan Walsh, Becky Satterfi eld, and Susan Nash at the Bottega luncheon.

CHARLESTONSusan Slackat the Charleston Chapter’s annual

autumn affair fundraiser held at lowndes Grove Plantation during the Charleston Conference, one of the coveted silent auction items was a 2-hour cocktail party for 25 lucky guests. The auction winner—a local business—bid on the event as a fes-tive, yet memorable Christmas party, which made giving back to the com-munity part of their mission.The Dame donors who hosted the event were Ann Marshall (High Wire

Distilling Company), Marion Sullivan, (Culinary Institute of Charles-ton), Nicki Root (Grassroots Wine Wholesalers), Tayna Gurrieri (Salt-house Catering), and Hanna Raskin (Post and Courier). Marion reports that they fulfilled their auction obligation at High Wire Distilling, located in the heart of downtown Charleston. She and Hanna worked behind the bar: Marion poured Grassroot’s wine, and Hanna poured High Wires’ specialty cocktails, which were accompanied by an elegant display of ap-petizing, cocktail party fare supplied by Salthouse Catering. The evening was a success; everyone had a great time—and for a really great cause!

CLEVELANDShara BohachThe Cleveland Chapter, looking

to increase awareness and visibility, acquired royal blue aprons with the chapter logo for volunteers to wear at events.Cleveland Dames had a busy

month of volunteering and representing lDEI in august. Paula Hershman, Marla Monzo Holmes, Maggie Harrison, Shara Bohach, and Carol Hacker volunteered their time at the REaP (Refugee Empowerment agricultural Program) Benefit 2015, “Night on the Farm.” The event was attended by 350 guests and took place at the Ohio City Farm. It benefited The Refugee Response in Northeast Ohio. The Refugee Response empowers refugees to become self-sufficient and contributing members of their new community. Paula Hershman and Terry Frick volunteered their time at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm association benefit. Cynthia Schuster-Eakin, Gloria Kemer, Paula, and Shara repre-sented the chapter at local Foods Monday, a monthly event that seeks to improve the local food economy and showcases local food businesses.as you can see from our volun-

teer activities, the new aprons are being put to good use! In Sep-tember, we welcomed four new chapter members at the annual Meeting, which was held at Car-mella Gragassi's la Campagna.

COLORADOSandra DuganOver the past few months the

Colorado Chapter has been busy building relationships and work-ing to update the chapter bylaws and policies. The chapter recently had a wonderful opportunity to have one of their board meetings at Epic Brewing Company in Denver. Dames were treated to a wonder-

ful beer tasting and tour of the brewing facility. They learned about the brewing process, the different types of beer styles, and the history and background of Epic Brewing Company. Megan Stromberg set up the event and brought homemade pickles to pair with the beers. She did a beautiful job decorating for the fall holiday season. Proceeds raised from the event went to our 2016 scholarship fund. We look forward to having more educational and team-building events in the near future.

DALLASSuzanne FelberThe Dallas Chapter

was excited to welcome four new members at our annual Meeting and Induction Dinner. Leann Berry, Laurie Bostic, Micheline Hynes, and Wendy Moss bring diverse backgrounds with decades of experience to our group. We are excited about the energy and en-thusiasm they bring with them. Our new president, Chef Joanne Bondy, started off her year with lots of projects and ideas including planning our annual fundraiser—Raiser Grazer—that will be held on april 3 at the Dallas Farmers’ Market. Nikky Phinyawatana and Joanne Self worked tire-lessly to organize a screen-ing of the film “Burnt” at the Studio Movie Grill. They laid a red carpet that many of our Dallas members walked. The State Fair of Texas is a place where you can often see our members participating in creative arts competitions or judging various cooking and baking competitions, and this year was no exception. Many of our members could be seen tasting cakes, cookies, and of course, chili!

KENTUCKYJamie EstesThe newly minted

Kentucky Chapter of lDEI raised $2,300 on a cold Saturday in Decem-ber at its first fundrais-er—a Holiday Cookie Sale held at the Copper & Kings Distillery. The proceeds will go for scholarships and Green


Cleveland Dames at REAP Benefit 2015, “Night on the Farm” wear their new logo aprons. L-R: President Carol Hacker, Marla Monzo-Holmes, Maggie Harrison, Shara Bohach, and Paula Hershman. Photo by Eric Eakin

L-R: Ellen Daehnick, Megan Stromberg, Marlene Swanson, Sandra Dugan, Megan Bucholz, Kuvy Ax, and Carol Fenster.L-R: Megan Bucholz, Kuvy Ax, Carol Fen-ster, Michele Morris, Ellen Daehnick, Me-gan Stromberg, and Marlene Swanson.

Dallas Dames attend the screening of Burnt. Dames are judges at the Texas State Fair. The Dallas Dames Annual Dinner

Kentucky Holiday Cookie Fundraiser L-R: Board members Michele Bowling, Judy Schad, Jamie Estes, Katie Payne, and Program Chair Traci Badenhausen bundled up to work the cookie sale. Katie Payne (L) and members of the Sullivan faculty and students helped cookie sale Chair Kim Jones (second from right) to sort, bag, and deliver 160 dozen cookies.Kentucky Board members Lisa Windhorst and Judy Hollis.

Tables activities. Michele Bowling came up with the event idea, which was chaired by Kim Jones, the department chair at Sul-livan university’s National Center for Hospitality Studies. Th ey led a group of 20 volunteers and students to organize, solicit, and procure cookie donations from 40 Dames, local chefs, and cooks. Th e festive cookies sold out in 90 minutes!“Th is shows what can happen when you get a group of de-

termined women together,” said Michele. “We can’t thank the Kentucky Dames enough for their hard work in making our fi rst fundraiser a huge success. Kim and Katie Payne really stepped up in a big way. We also owe a huge thanks to Sullivan university for getting behind the project. Th e local chefs really supported our ef-forts and we look forward to 2016 being even bigger and better!”

LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTYPatti LondreJanet BurgessSaVE THE DaTE! On Saturday, april 2, 2016, the traditions of

les Dames d' Escoffi er continue! Th e la/OC Chapter will host a reception for Dames during the IaCP annual conference in los angeles this coming april. Don't miss the opportunity to experi-ence los angeles' hottest Westside community, Playa Vista. Patti Londre will open her Playa Vista home on Saturday, april 2, 6:30 p.m. for a fabulous lDEI reception graciously sponsored by Wente Vineyards, Melissa's Produce, and Cabot Creamery. Following, plan to walk the few blocks, jump on the PV Shuttle or just drive yourself to the “Runway,” Playa Vista's hub of restaurants and entertainment. Details will come to you closer to the date, but for now, plan to join us in los angeles on april 2.On November 22, the la/OC Chapter held their annual

Membership Meeting in Tustin at Zov Karamardian's, Zov's Bistro & Café. attended by 47 members, the meeting recognized new members and sponsors as well as honored Dame Cathy Th omas. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with fellow Dames over a great meal.

MIAMIEllen KannerIn October, the Miami

Chapter celebrated our 15-year anniversary with a tribute gala at the Man-darin Oriental. Th e event, co-chaired by Alejandra Bigai and Laura Mon-ges, honored Miami chef Cindy Hutson. Over 130 Dames and guests—includ-ing lDEI founder Carol Brock—feasted and danced the night away. Th e best part of the party was the proceeds we raised for our scholarship program.Th en it was on to Charleston for the lDEI Conference. Represent-

ing Miami were President Dorothee Rubin, delegates Vice President Ana Plana, and Jen Karetnick whose new book Mango received an M.F.K. Fisher award, Cindy Lasky, Claire Tomlin, Margot Hofelt, and Ann Chassen. all returned energized by a weekend of vibrant Damely exchanges and Charleston hospitality.In November, the Green Tables Committee, chaired by Ellen

Kanner, kicked off Miami's growing season by arranging a visit to Paradise—Paradise Farms. Two dozen Dames and their fami-lies followed Gabriele Marewski through a walking and tasting tour of her organic farm, followed by a fresh-from-the-fi eld, farm-to-table lunch.Th e following week, as part of Miami Book Fair International,

the Outreach Committee, chaired by Nancy Ancrum, hosted

a breakfast for visiting culinary Dames including Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Nora Pouillon, Madhur Jaff rey, and our own award-winning Jen Karetnick. We look forward to our annual fund-raising Giant Gourmet Garage Sale in 2016.

NASHVILLEMindy MerrellOn September 20, Maneet Chauhan graciously hosted

the fi rst ever les Dames Nashville benefi t dinner and silent auction—in support of the scholarship fund—at her lovely restaurant Chauhan ale and Masala House. Anne Byrn spear-headed the event that also included special guest and Nashville native Carla Hall. Th e dinner featured 15 signature creations by Chef Maneet.On October 9, Sylvia Ganier, owner of Green Door

Gourmet, an organic farm and event center, hosted and educational fi reside chat on Southern ingredients, old and new, with author David Shields and cookbook authors Cynthia Graubart and Grande Dame Nathalie Dupree. Th e three authors were in Nashville for the Southern Festival of Books. More than 50 were in attendance at the event, which was open to les Dames members and the public. Proceeds benefi t the Nashville Chapter scholarship program. Th e cocktail reception was a group eff ort thanks to Emily Frith, Nancy Knoepfel, Jessica Collins, Mary-lou Tate, anne Byrn, and Mindy Merrell.Nashville Dame Erin Byers Murray was awarded the

prestigious grand prize M.F.K. Fisher award for Excellence in Culinary Writing at the 2015 annual Conference in Charleston.On November 5, the Dirty Pages exhibit that celebrates

18 Nashville women from varied backgrounds and the well-used recipes that tell their stories moved to its per-manent new home in New Orleans at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Th e project was the brainchild of Jennifer Justus and Erin Byers Murray.

NEW YORKLinda LawryWe held our new member induction dinner at the

elegant lafayette restaurant on Monday, September 28. Over 80 lDNy members attended. Th e food was scrumptious and Kendall-Jackson kindly donated deli-cious wines. Sharon Franke and Joan Coukos were the genius organizers behind the event and Joan, our great chocolatier, gave everyone a gift bag of excellent choco-late. It was a wonderful evening.Th e Next Big Bite on October 26 was a huge success. a

panel of important food experts, Rozanne Gold, Mimi Sheraton, Amanda Hesser, Amanda Cohen, and Dr. Marion Nestle enlightened us with their predictions on what will happen in the food world in the coming year. Held in the spectacular new facility of Institute of Culinary Education in the World Trade Center district of Manhattan, we had wonderful food and drink donated by abigail Kirsch Caterers, Kobrand Corporation, and Elit Vodka by Stolichnayaelit. lovely gifts were given to the


LDEI founder Carol Brock and Miami Chapter President Dorothée Rubin (in black) dance the night away at the Miami Chapter's 15th anniversary tribute gala. Photo: Libby Volgyes.

L-R: Nathalie Dupree, Sylvia Garnier, Da-vid Shields, Cynthia Graubart, and Anne Byrn at The Green Door.

panel and to attendees from Wüsthof and Cuisinart. Marsha Palanci and Aileen Robbins were the guiding lights behind this event.a celebration of Jacques Pepin's 80th birthday took place on No-

vember 17 at the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchens. His new book is called Heart and Soul in the Kitchen, and that is precisely what Jacques off ers to readers and viewers—his heart and soul. Spending time with him was an experience to remember. We thank Sharon Franke for ar-ranging this special event.

SAN ANTONIOJulia C. RosenfeldTh e San antonio Chapter raised more than $60,000 in seed money

for the budding aspirations Grant Program during their inaugural Plate Changer luncheon on September 30. Keynote speaker Kristin Groos Richmond and featured speaker Dr. Julie la Barba encouraged 300 plus attendees to consider making healthy plate changes indi-vidually and institutionally. Co-Chairs Lauren Browning and Susan Johnson led a team of collaborators who served a deliciously healthy seasonal lunch. Th e details of the grant, which will off er assistance to innovative women in culinary fi elds focused on nutritional health, will be announced in the future.

SEATTLENicole Aloniaugust 29 was our 3rd annual Green Tables Summer Supper & Farm

Tour in the Skagit Valley. Th e wildly successful fundraiser included visits to Taylor Shellfi sh Farm Stand, farms, and Christianson’s Nursery. Th e day ended with an alfresco dinner at the home of Cathy Connor on Fir Island, which she prepared in coordination with chefs Monique Barbeau and Leslie Mackie.Our annual General Meeting, held at the elegant Cedarbrook lodge,

was a smashing evening. Out-going President Katherine Kehrli passed the gavel to new president Cynthia Nims. Seattle Food & Wine Experi-

ence producer Jamie Peha was approved as Vice-President along with many new board members. New mission and vision statements for the chapter were also approved. Th e evening fi nished with a rousing celebration in honor of Beverly Gruber, a found-ing Seattle Dame, who has retired from her job as executive director.Dame Kari Keitch host-

ed ashley Hawkins, win-ner of a 2015 les Dames d’Escoffi er legacy award, for a career-expanding, weeklong externship at Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates—the oldest winery in Washington State. Cynthia Nims and Nicole Aloni rounded out her stay with a day touring fi ve Dame-owned or supported businesses around the Seattle area. Each Dame extended Seattle’s delicious hospitality to ashley.Fran’s Chocolate’s new facility in Georgetown was the setting

for our October meeting. Th e place is spectacular—worthy of a visit even without the incentive of Fran Bigelow’s world-famous chocolates. Th e highlight of the evening was a heartfelt talk from Fran about how her unfl agging passion for her business has kept it fresh for her over 33 years.


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Alison Leber, Legacy Award recipient Ashley Hawkins, and Cynthia Nims at Beecher’s Cheese in Pike Place Market.Fran Bigelow at Fran’s Chocolates. L-R: Pam Montgomery, Karen Binder, and Cynthia Nims at the Seattle Chapter meeting at Fran’s Chocolates.

austin Beth Vlasich Pav, Founder/Chef of Beth Pav's Cook-ing by Design, was a contributor to a Reader’s Digest magazine (and on-line) article titled, "Quick Fixes for Th anksgiving Food Mistakes," in November 2015. http://www.rd.com/food/recipes-cooking/fi x-thanksgiving-food-mistakes/BirMinGHaM Angela Schmidt, Owner/Chef u, and Maureen Holt, Chef/Owner little Savannah, have launched Southern Graze, a pop-up series of food dinners that feature a new perspective on old traditions. Th ey will promote local foods/products and bring other women into the mix. www.facebook.com/southerngrazeIdie Hastings and her husband, Chris, have opened OvenBird at Bir-mingham’s Pepper Place. It is a casual, live-fi re restaurant where everything on the menu is either cooked in a wood–fi red oven or on an open fi replace. Before it was fi nished, Food & Wine proclaimed Ovenbird one of america’s “8 amazing New Grill Restaurants.” www.ovenbirdrestaurant.com Idie Hastings and Maureen Holt were featured as “Trailblazers in Bir-mingham’s Food and Beverage Scene” in the fall 2015 Journal from the College of arts and Sciences at the university of alabama at Birming-ham. www.hotandhotfi shclub.com, www.littlesavannah.com, www.uab.edu/cas Boston Guida Ponte is off ering culinary tours of her stunningly beautiful island of Sao Miguel in the azores. Guests on her “azores Food Tour” will enjoy su-per-fresh seafood, sample local wines, cook in a volcano, visit pineapple and banana farms, and tour Europe’s only

tea plantation. Jennifer Wolcott is assisting Guida with the tours. Visit azoresfoodtour.com or email [email protected] Fenster’s cook-book, 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes, won a silver medal in the “Favorite Cookbook” contest by Gluten-FreeRecipeBox.com. additionally, she was awarded the bronze medal for “Favorite author” in the same contest. Carol was the featured author at the 2015 Harvest Fest at Th e Winery at Holy Cross abbey in Cañon City, Colora-do in September. http://www.savorypalate.com/index.php/1000-gluten-free-recipes/

Los anGeLes/oranGe countyCarole Bloom, CCP, is a Craftsy.com instructor. Her class, Th e art of Caramel: Techniques and Treats, launched in Novem-ber. She teaches many caramel techniques and recipes. Craftsy.com is a new and exciting mobile learning website.neW yorK

Karen Benvin Ransom was named Volun-teer of the year at Th e Katonah Museum, which is located in Katonah, Ny. She recently guided fellow Dames during the museum’s Iceland exhibit. www.Karen-FromKatonah.com nortHeast

Ellen Ecker Ogden announces her new-est book, Th e Vermont Country Store Cookbook, featuring heirloom reci-pes that bring to life this legendary store and mail order catalog. (Sep-tember, 2015: Grand Central Publishing).Th e book is fi lled with original recipes, archival and color photos

with stories that refl ect Vermont tradi-tions. http://www.ellenogden.comTracey Medeiros has written a new book, Th e Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook (Th e Countryman Press).Th e book in-cludes 150 home-grown recipes from the Nutmeg State. Beautiful photographs and a bumper crop of recipes showcase the best of Connecticut’s farm-inspired fare. san antonio

Bunny Becker's winery—Becker Vineyards—was one of fi ve wineries in the united States nominated for "Best Winery of america" by Wine Enthusiast magazine.Tanji Patton has been tapped to do a television series for Goodtaste.tv. Th e program features wonderful stories from fabulous restaurants and wine fi nds in San antonio, Houston, austin, and the Hill Country. Th e series is titled “Good-taste with Tanji.” san Francisco

Antonia Allegra announces the NEW Symposium for Professional Food Writ-ers. Th is non-profi t conference with af-fi liated educational programs and online food-writing activities is scheduled for fall, 2016 at Th e Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio. Th is past Sep-tember, Toni presented a “Negotiation” IaCP webinar. www.spfw.orgseattLe

Nicole Aloni was awarded an advanced CPCC certifi cation as a professional coach, recognized by the International Coaching Federa-tion. Her coaching practice focuses on supporting clients, particularly chefs, entrepreneurs, and cookbook authors, when they fi nd it’s time for reinvention. www.nicolealoni.comKaren Binder served another year as chairperson of the food and beverage committee for the american Cancer Society Gala auc-tion that was held in September. She is proud that the 2015 fundraiser doubled the amount of money raised for cancer research.Rose Ann Finkel and her husband

MEMBER MILESTONES Dottie Koteski Philadelphia

Beth Vlasich Pav

Guida Ponte Photo by Susan Slack

Angela Schmidt

Idie Hastings

Carol Fenster

Carole Bloom

Ellen Ecker Ogden

Nicole Aloni

Karen Binder


Charles, owners of the Pike Brewing Co., were awarded the 2015 Pelligrini award this past October. The award is given annually to local culinary leaders who embody Pel-ligrini's values of supporting fresh local food and beverage and enjoying the good life at the table. www.pikebrewing.comBeverly Gruber, charter member of the Se-attle Chapter, has retired after six years as its executive director. Beverly is recognized by her chapter as a pivotal player in the chapter’s growth and solid expan-sion. She served twice as chapter president and remains an active Seattle Dame. Katherine Kehrli, out-going president of the Seattle Chapter, started her new position as associate Dean at the Seattle Culinary academy in October.Cynthia Nims announces that her newest book, Oyster Recipes that Bring Home a Taste of the Sea, will soon be available. Cynthia is well known for her expertise with Northwest seafood and shellfish. www.monappetit.comJamie Peha launched a new column in Oc-tober on all things relat-ing to wine. The column, called, Put a Cork In It, will run in The Stranger and, on occasion, in their specialty publica-tion The Sauce. www.pehapromo.comAngela Shen was a key-note speaker this past October at the Global Food Tourism Confer-ence in Chicago. www.savorseattletours.comDeba Wegner collabo-rated with Jamie Peha to contribute to NW Travel, a book-a-zine released in October. Seattle Dames, Thoa Nguyen (Chinoise Restau-rants); Fran Bigelow (Fran’s Chocolates); and Maria Coassin (Gelatiamo) are profiled as leading NW tastemakers. www.yourreci-peforsuccess.comWasHinGton, D.c.

Bonnie Benwick won the association of Food Journalists' first prize in the 2015 Food Journalism Competition, “Best Newspaper Food Feature, above 200,000 circulation,” for her article in The Washington Post's Food section, "Salt to Taste,' Taken With a Grain of Regret."Elena Clement was inducted into the honor society, the american academy of Chefs of the american Culinary Federation. The aaC

represents the highest standards of profession-alism with a mission to promote education, mentor culinarians, award scholarships to culinary students and grants to professional working chefs.Carla Hall of aBC-TV’s “The Chew” and Chef Jose andres hosted the DC Capi-tol Food Fight fundraiser for DC Central Kitchen on November 12. Amy Brandywein, owner/executive chef of Centrolina Restaurant, battled in an Iron Chef-competition before 1000 supporters who paid $250 per ticket—and won! DC Central Kitchen trains unemployed adults for culinary careers. Ris Lacoste and Nora Pouillon have been named by Washingtonian maga-zine as two of the most powerful women in Wash-ington, D.C. Ris, chef/owner, RIS restaurant, is a judge for Launch Pad, a competition to identify and launch promising new culinary concepts at DC’s union Market. Nora, chef/owner, Restaurant Nora, and author of the memoir My Organic Life, was named for being as a longtime driv-ing force behind the movement toward more organic, environmentally conscious cuisine. Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Executive Chef at Ripple and Roofers union restaurants, is a BRaVO-TV "Top Chef" contestant on the season that began on December 2, 2015. She was a James Beard semi-finalist nomination (as “Rising Star Chef of the year”). Marjorie’s experience includes Bouchon, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, DC’s Zaytinya, and Graffiato.Vickie Reh was named Chef/Wine Director of Via umbria and Jodi Steiner has taken a full time chef position. The Italian market in Georgetown features food, a large wine section, a café, and an exhibition kitchen. Via umbria also owns an agritourismo in umbria. Camilla Rothwell retired from Restaurant Nora in early august after working with pio-neering chef Nora Poullion as her director of special events for more than 18 years. CiCi Williamson, long-time syndicated newspaper columnist, presented, “ZaP! The History and Hows of the 20th Cen-tury’s Most Influential Cooking appliance” to the Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. in Bethesda, Maryland, on September 13. Included were the history of microwave ovens, how they cook, their pecu-liarities, and their effect on family meals.

Beverly Gruber

Jamie Peha

Deba Wegner

Ris Lacoste

Carla Hall

CiCi Williamson


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Barbara Jean Petit (atlanta) Dame Barbara Jean Petit, 62, died

October 23, 2015, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was the sun in a solar system that included hundreds of relatives and friends who spent many happy hours enjoying her skills as a chef, hostess, and entertainer. She was a longtime member of the atlanta Chapter of lDEI.Barbara was known for her love of the

holidays. Her Christmas dinner always included festive English poppers with

colored, paper crowns inside that 20 to 30 guests would wear for the duration of the afternoon and evening. under Barbara's direction, the night would end with everyone gathering in the living room to drink wine and sing Christmas carols. Barbara's love for her friends, her relatives, and her life was something miraculous. She always shared the things she loved,

whether a trip to Ireland or France, a wonderful champagne or wine that she and her husband, CJ Bolster, kept in their wine cellar, or a spectacular cheese that she had discovered. She, CJ and their adored daughter Caroline were the ultimate hosts, never caring if their guests were people they had known for years or people they had just met. Eventually her love of food and her

nurturing soul led to a desire to make sure all Georgians could get access to fresh, sustainable food. Her work

as president of the board of Georgia Organics was a natural blending of all her strengths: providing for others and surrounding all with beautiful, fresh food. Her commitment to that ideal never wavered and continues to live on in her name, with the Barbara Petit Pollinator award, given annually by Georgia Organics to the person who most embodies that commitment to sustainable farming and the availability of good, local food. Barbara was preceded in death by her

parents, Vincent and Dorothy Petit, and her brother, Mark Geoff rey Petit. Survivors include her husband, CJ Bolster; daughter Caroline Frances Petit Bolster; brothers Steve, David, and Marty Petit; sister, Virginia Petit; mother-in-law arlene Green; sister-in-law Charlene Bolster; and too many friends and fans to count. Submitted by the Atlanta Chapter.

IN MEMORIAM

Phila Rawings Hach (Nashville) By Merijoy Rucker (Nashville)long before there were food networks, food celebri-

ties, and cooking shows, there was a Southern lady named Phila Rawlings Hach. Phila pioneered a cooking show in Nashville, Tennessee, called “Kitchen Kollege,” which ran from 1950—1956. One of the Grande Dames of Southern cooking, she left us on December 2 at the age of 89. Phila was an amazing woman who began her career as a fl ight attendant for american airlines and created one of the fi rst cook-ing manuals for the aviation industry. She met her husband, adolf Hach Jr. in Paris. He had reached out to her via letter after seeing her on television. after a year of world travel, they returned to Clarksville, Tennessee, where Phila began her amazing career as a caterer and innkeeper. Not only did she promote the art of gracious Southern hospitality—she lived it! as late as 2009, Phila was catering more than 30,000 meals a year for the military planes that fl y from Fort Campbell. all were welcome at her table. She never tired of teaching and extending her Southern charm whether it was a Kurdish refugee who spoke no English or cooking for the united Nations. In 1976, then Gov-ernor Ray Blanton convinced 101 permanent members of the united Nations plus an additional 1600 others to visit Nashville. When deciding upon the perfect person to bring all of these people together and create a “homegrown” luncheon, Phila was the only choice. She welcomed numerous personalities to her celebrated Sunday Night Supper Table: Julia Child, Duncan Hines, Oprah Winfrey, and Henry Kissinger among others. She was always gracious and made you feel as if you were the most interesting person in the room. She truly believed diversity was one of the most power- ©2016 Roland Foods, LLC | www.rolandfoods.com

ful ways of understanding others. Phila devoted her entire career to promoting the simple country cooking that she learned from her mother. She never strayed from that philosophy.

DEADLINES 2016 SPRING ISSUE - JANUARY 10, 20162016 SUMMER ISSUE - APRIL 10, 2016 2016 FALL ISSUE – AUGUST 5, 2016

PHOTOGRAPHY/IMAGESElectronic 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 MILESTONESLIST 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 NEWSCHAPTER 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-NEWSThis 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 winter issue • Tasty Travels: Dames Who Lead Culinary Tours Abroad• Legacy Award Winners' Reports• Meet the 2016 LDEI Board

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES


BY TARA ANDERSON (DALLAS) AND BETH VLASICH PAV (AUSTIN)Howdy from Texas! tara anderson and

Beth Vlasich Pav will be working together to enhance our Social Media presence. This year we’ll be focusing on two social plat-forms; Facebook (FB) and Twitter along with introducing Instagram later in the year. We encourage you to post your Member Mile-stones, Chapter News, and personal work accomplishments. How? For FB always tag @LDEIdamesdescoffi er For Twitter @DamesdEscoffi er In this way, we’ll be able to see your infor-

mation and share it with our international membership and LDEI friends.Since fall of 2014, we have increased our

FB and Twitter presence exponentially by the 100s. Our intent is to increase this growth through strategic planning that focuses on promotion of our mission and brand. One way you can help us is by generating

LDEI-centric hashtags. What is a hashtag and why is it important? A hashtag is a type of label or metadata

tag used on social network and microblog-ging services, which makes it easier for users to fi nd messages with a specifi c theme or content. It’s a great way to track a subject or to connect a group. We ask that as you tweet, you create a few

hashtags to share with us to use throughout the year. Even if chapter specifi c, we would like for you to link to international to show our united mission. While using mission-focused and unique

hashtags, e.g., #LDEI2015, a less specifi c hashtag can be in the message to link to other potential searches. For example: @DamesdEscoffi er a group of #women

#leaders in the #hospitality industry. Social media is a huge endeavor. In order to

keep the content current and relevant to our followers, and represent our sponsors and members, we suggest having more than one social administrator in your chapter. In this way we can keep information and content fast fl owing. Together we can accomplish so much more

to empower, engage, and celebrate each other and the future women in our organiza-tion and industry.

STAYING CONNECTED THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

P.O. Box 4961louisville, Ky 40204

ANN ARBORATLANTA

AUSTINBIRMINGHAM

BOSTONBRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

CHARLESTONCHICAGO

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DALLASHAWAII

HOUSTONKANSAS CITY/HEART OF AMERICA

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MONTEREY BAY AREANASHVILLENEW YORK

NORTH CAROLINANORTHEAST

PALM SPRINGSPHILADELPHIA

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SAN DIEGOSAN FRANCISCO

SEATTLEST. LOUIS

WASHINGTON, D.C.

PRESORTEDFIRST CLASSU S POSTAGE

PAIDLOUISVILLE KYPERMIT #1051

By ann Stratte (Washington, D.C.)america’s capital, with its

majestic monuments and memorials, spectacular national museums and galleries, neoclas-sical government buildings, and Embassy Row, is host to the 2016 lDEI Conference—and at a perfect time of year. Warm au-tumn sunlight ricochets off the city’s brilliant white marble edi-fi ces framed by multicolored fall foliage in this spectacular sea-son. Th e Potomac River sparkles like pavé diamonds beneath the Francis Scott Key and Th eodore

Roosevelt bridges leading to the elegant Fairmount conference hotel, located in Washington, D.C’s fashionable West End ad-jacent to historic Georgetown.Once-in-a-lifetime opportuni-

ties await you as our local Dames show you an insider’s view of this city’s extraordinary blend of culinary cultures. Our theme, “Global appetite, local Impact,” highlights the multiculturalism of our city’s food scene. Washing-ton, D.C. has become a fabulous food and dining destination. With more than 2,000 places to eat and drink, you can fi nd a

worldwide variety of cuisines—from afghanistan to uzbekistan. locally, come with us to relive the area’s culinary food history on pre-conference forays into neigh-boring Virginia and Maryland.Washington, D.C. is one of the

world's few planned cities. Its design, created by Pierre l'Enfant in 1791, is a major work of art in itself. Th e monument-adorned squares and circles are titled for famous people, and you’ll fi nd a street named for your state here. among the buildings are 74 National Historic landmarks, and building heights are limited to 130 feet so the Capitol can be seen from as far away as possible. Fully 22 percent of the city is parkland. Washington, D.C. is

a great place to stroll, beginning with the National Mall—with the museums of the Smithson-ian lining both sides, stretching from the Capitol to the lincoln Memorial. Please join us and celebrate

three ways: lDEI’s 30th Birthday, the Washington, D.C. Chapter’s 35th Birthday, and august Escoffi er’s 170th Birthday! ¡Salud! Skaal! Vashi! A votre

santé! Okole maluna! L'chaim! Slainte! Chia!—Cheers!

GLOBAL APPETITE L O C A L I M P A C T

Phot

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Willi

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Conference Date: October 27-30, 2016

Documents

CONFERENCE COVERAGE ISSUEConference, Deidre Schipani read Marjory Wentworth’s soulful ode to the 10th Charleston Wine + Food Festival. Inspired by local James Beard chefs, Marjory