Category: Chicago Chapter News

Dames Meme Hopmayer, Nancy Brussat and Barbara Glunz and Malika Ameen along with Convito Chef Noe Sanchez and Meme’s husband Gary Hopmayer not only put on a fantastic dinner for Swankalicious fundraising bid winner Dame Nancy Cassidy and her guests but also had a fantastic time doing it!

The food was delicious and the wines selected by Barbara Glunz to go with each course were perfectly matched. The setting, the flowers and the accompanying piano music created a glorious ambience.

The next day we all received an email from Nancy Cassidy. “You all went above and beyond to make last night so super-fantastic, delicious and gorgeous. Chris and I are celebrating our 28th anniversary (legal) or 33rd (including the 5 years we lived together before we got married) tomorrow. So this was just the loveliest way to celebrate with our dear friends.”

SEE THE MENU HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOUISVILLE, KY (February 24, 2015) – Imagine working side-by-side with a top organic restaurateur in Washington, D.C., helping with the grape harvest for the oldest continuously operating, family-owned winery in California, learning food photography and recipe development at a New York magazine, or experiencing the tropical harvest on a Hawaii farm. These opportunities and others are available to women working in the food, beverage and hospitality industries through the 2015 Les Dames d’Escoffier International Legacy Awards.

Established in 2009, each LDEI Legacy Award offers a one-week workplace experience to non-Dame women in the US, UK and Canada. Award recipients will work alongside some of the culinary and hospitality industry’s top women professionals, all members of Les Dames d’Escoffier (LDEI), an international organization of women leaders in food, beverage and hospitality whose mission is education and philanthropy.

Applications are available online at ldei.org. Deadline to apply is April 27, 2015.

Six awards will be offered in four categories: culinary; food/wine journalism; wine; and farm-to-table. The professional experience programs include:

• Restaurant/Organic- Restaurant Nora, Washington D.C., owner, Dame Nora Pouillon
• Food/Wine Journalism – “Good Housekeeping” magazine, New York City, Dames Susan Westmoreland and Sharon Franke
• Wine – Wente Family Estates in Livermore, CA., Dames Carolyn Wente and Amy Hoopes
• Wine – Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Woodinville, WA., Dame Kari Leitch
• Farm-to-Table – Melissa’s World Variety Produce Inc., Los Angeles, CA, Dame Nancy Eisman
• Farm-to-Table – Wailea Agricultural Group, Big Island of Hawaii, Dame Lesley Hill

Continue reading “Applications Available for Les Dames d’Escoffier International Legacy Awards” →

Submitted by Julie Chernoff

NOTE – CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 3-14-15 FEATURE IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

We had a great turnout for the winter edition of Dames Who Read, held on January 27 at Dame Amy Morton’s Found Kitchen and Social House in Evanston. The evening opened with a glass of wine and a game: Dame Patty Erd put together a “Sniff Test” based on elements of the evening’s discussion book, “Delicious!” by Ruth Reichl. Each Dame was given a note card to be filled in after smelling the 12 essential oil samples on offer. A few came with clever clues, while some we were left to puzzle out on our own. The winners, with seven out of twelve correct answers were Past President Jen Lamplough and me, which led to a “Smell-Off” and a plentiful box of baker’s spices and extracts from The Spice House. Who won? Let’s just say that my house smells like bergamot!

We sat down to a delightful family-style dinner, prepared by Found’s much-acclaimed chef, Nicole Pederson. We started with platters of beautiful Midwestern prosciutto and Parmesan, accompanied by grilled bread (from Hewn Bread in Evanston) and truffle honey, inspired by the protagonist’s work in a great NYC Italian deli. Next came delicate Squash Ravioli (pumpkin in the book, but Nicole wasn’t happy with the current pumpkin supply) with red quinoa, pea tendrils, goat cheese and buerre blanc. It was a great combination of flavors and textures—and a reminder of the sensual (literally) aspects of Reichl’s fiction. Dessert, of course, was Nicole’s rendition Billy’s famous Gingerbread Cake, and it was beautiful.

Continue reading “Dames Who Read: Delicious” →

by Julie Chernoff

Over 40 Dames made it to Dame Portia Belloc-Lowndes’ gorgeous apartment overlooking Michigan Avenue and a frosty Lake Michigan under a blanket of freshly fallen snow. Once inside, a plethora of delicious dishes culled from each member’s personal heritage was set out to share on the large dining room table, replete with built-in Lazy Susan. Our members proudly represented the recipes that mattered most to them — a remembrance of things past, and a toast to the future.

Dame Rebecca Wheeler made Malaysian meatballs, a dish that her grandma had learned in the Peace Corps and brought back to her family in the States. Dame Toria Emas brought a sweet little copper kettle of potent homemade Glögg, accompanied by spicy gingersnaps. Continue reading “Post Holiday Pot Luck Celebrates Family Tradition” →

Over two-dozen Dames and friends gathered for brunch at Summer House Santa Monica in Lincoln Park last month – the perfect end to a bustling 2014. Though the weather was chilly on the outside, the reception and ambiance inside was in full keeping with the California-themed restaurant. We literally took over five tables right in the middle of the packed restaurant.

Everyone was offered a bubbly glass of champagne to start the festivities. The ordering was the most challenging – with options that included everything from buttermilk pancakes to handcrafted sandwiches and beautifully tossed salads.

Once we received our orders, the wait staff kept bringing more – just because. The sampling included tastes of their most popular pancakes, muffins (think Blueberry Streusel), and other menu treats. No one was complaining!

To be honest, we were too busy enjoying the food, chatting, and mingling. It was a wonderful way to relax and just take a small time out from the craziness of the holiday season.

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading “Dames Who Brunch at Summer House” →