Author: lesdameschicago

Books were on tap on a recent Thursday evening at Bookends and Beginnings, the independent bookstore in Evanston owned by Dame Nina Barrett.  Nina graciously opened her store after hours to Chicago Dames who enjoyed quite an evening.

A gorgeous and oh-so-delicious appetizer buffet was generously provided by Dame Julie Chernoff, alongside a top-notch selection of wines courtesy of Dame Veronica Hastings. Nina, in characteristic form, not only sells stories, she tells stories! One on one, she shared a plethora of interesting anecdotes and updates on her business. To the group, she provided a run-down of her favorite reads of the year including fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.  She even gave us a peak at Modernist Pizza, a 3-volume set of all-things-pizza, including over 1,000 recipes, stunning photography and even a red stainless steel case!

Delving deeper into our favorite things – cookbooks – Julie Chernoff gave us a sneak-peak of the soon-to-be-published list (on better.net) of her favorite cookbooks of 2021. Many of the appetizers on her amazing buffet are included in these books … Everything Bagel Rugelach from Jake Cohen’s jew-ish,  Smashed Peas with Tahini and Za’atar from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, and Cacio e Pepe Shortbread from Jesse Szewczyk’s Cookies to name a few.  Other faves include Grist by Abra Berens, Black Food by Bryant Terry, Korean Vegan by Joanne Lee Molinaro, Instantly Mediterranean by our own Emily Paster and, of course, the new Dorie Greenspan book, Baking with Dorie.

These two Dames can be quite convincing . . . we spent the remainder of our time shopping the store, filling our bags to the brim with gifts for family, friends, and of course, ourselves! Thank you, Dame Nina Barrett, for making such a wonderful evening at Bookends and Beginnings possible!

–  Polly Peters

Towards end of October, we were treated to a magical evening at the home of Jennifer Anderson of Jennifer Anderson Events. Her website reads “From planning to design to professional coordination and management, you are your guests will experience an impeccable and memorable event”. We did indeed have a memorable evening at her lovely Lake Shore Drive home. Jennifer has planned some very spectacular events over the years and she regaled us with stories of how challenging her work can become when trying to meet the highest standards of her clients’ expectations. She told us about the nightmare of having to move an entire wedding event out of a hotel that had lost electricity the day of the wedding along with many other entertaining anecdotes.

Jennifer served us some Covid sensitive individually packaged snacks along with a wonderful hot squash soup with ingenious individual packets of crème fraiche. After her insightful presentation we sat down to a beautifully decorated table with our plates all artfully and individually arranged like a lovely bouquet in cellophane wrap. We had a bounty of items, including beautiful salads layered in individual Mason jars, assorted cheeses from Sophia Solomon’s of TEKLA, quiche, charcuterie, crackers, olives, nuts and fruits, all artfully arranged like a lovely bouquet in cell wrap.

Dame Veronica Hastings supplied some delicious wines to accompany our meal. We enjoyed several desserts; the highlight was her home-made chocolate mousse. Jennifer deflected all questions about where the individual ingredients had been purchased, except for Sophia’s amazing cheeses, of course, until we had completed our meals. She then surprised us with what you could find at places like Aldi and Trader Joes. The conversation turned to some of our favorite culinary ingredients that you could find at these places! We finished with an individual spray tube that delivered a coffee aroma! Beautiful hand made cards served as a parting gift. It was truly a perfect evening. Thank you Dame Jennifer Anderson.

– Patty Erd

Ambrosia, the food of the gods…

We were welcomed with Ambrosia’s signature blend of coffee accompanied by their indulgent sweet cream, or your choice of an espresso or cappuccino drink, custom made from the Italian rancilio espresso machine. If coffee is not your drink of choice, a variety of tea or an assortment of sparkling and still water are also available.

While sharing the Ambrosia story, Deborah graciously served buttery handcrafted savory croissants, a variety of sweet rolls, mini pastries and delectable confections.

Each bite showcased the quality and simplicity of the ingredients, which are the standards set by Deborah and her late husband Richard.

Richard Rivera grew up with a baker as a Father, and did his apprenticeship working under various chefs in high end hotels. Their passion for accepting nothing less than excellence is evident.

What better to do after lively conversation and complete indulgence? Shop!

We left with Ambrosia’s signature orchid topped boxes filled with a variety of sweets to share.

Thank you Deborah for sharing your slice of heaven with us. You are truly the creme de la creme.