Events, September

Dames d’Escoffier Chicago offers a variety of events during the year, many of them open to the public. 

Current Events

How the Olive Estates of South Africa Connected two Dames Across the Globe.

Dame Karen Rose will share the story of City Olive, the art of olive oil tasting, and some intriguing insight on some extraordinary olive oils from unexpected regions of the world from her carefully curated selection.  The session will include an olive oil tasting to introduce our dames to a must-visit dame-owned business. There will be nibbles and wine as well.

Dame Sharon Olson will share her story of being marooned in South Africa during the Covid lockdown and her search for a sense of near-normal.  One of the only ways to get out after her many weeks of lockdown was to be an essential worker or traveling on business, so a story about The Olive Estates of South Africa for Cheese Connoisseur magazine was her ticket to freedom.  Karen became her expert source on the quest for world renowned olive oils and how to taste and understand what makes olives oils from different parts of the world unique and special.  Karen connected Sharon virtually with her contacts in the U.S. and London who were able to give her exclusive access to one finest estates in South Africa that began the journey.  Karen has been able to get shipments of at least one of the amazing oils Sharon tasted and she is part of a global network of women in the olive oil business.

Date: September 13, Monday
Time: 6:00 - 7:30
Where: 5644 N Clark Street, Chicago, Il 60660 Metered Parking Available.
Register Here.

Dames Who Read – Crying in H-Mart, by Michelle Zauner, New Hybrid Format

Michelle Zauner’s new book is a memoir about the mother-daughter bond and covers all of the emotions of love, friction, loyalty, tenderness and grief. It includes the issues of immigrant identity and assimilation no matter what country the roots are planted. Food memories, descriptions and hunger for the familiar and the strange will all present themselves – you’ll laugh and you will, well, cry- tho it may not be in H Mart but in your reading chair! And it will make you hungry and curious about Korean food.

This will be our first experiment with a new hybrid format for Dames Who Read. After months of all-online events, this meeting will have two We will gather on Zoom for an hour of book discussion as we have been doing during the pandemic. The following week we hope members will be ready – and anxious – to gather again, so we have arranged a guided tour of the H Mart in Niles (address below) with samples of some of the typical Korean dishes mentioned in the book. Bring your shopping list as we will be traveling the aisles of the store and learning about the myriad of offerings, familiar and not, before enjoying samplings of several dishes. And at the end we will leave time for you to shop on your own.

Date: September 14, Book Discussion, Zoom Meeting
September 21, in person at H-mart
Time: 6:00 both dates
Place: September 14, Zoom (Zoom link will be emailed to you when you register)
September 21, In Person Tour and Shopping at H-Mart, 801 Civic Center Drive, Niles, IL 60714,
near the intersection of Dempster and Waukegan. Meet at Food Court.

Register Here