cuisine, culture and community - Les Dames d'Escoffier International

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1 2 3 One to grow on: President Mary Moore holds first board meeting of the year in Austin Above: 1.(L-R:) Beth Allen, Sharon Van Meter, President Mary Moore and Cate Simpson 2. Crickett Karson 3. Mary Moore. 4.The board brainstorms during a planning session. 5. Austin Chapter President Gina Burchenal By Lori Willis (St. Louis) Having deplaned from flights originating from all points of the globe, the LDEI Board convened its first meeting of 2012 at the Westin on the Domain. The first order of business and one of President Mary Moore’s top priorities was the organizational strategic plan. The group brainstormed and flowcharted well into the evening and yet, it took only a glance at the charts hanging around the room to see that the central focus of the new plan was “growth.” “It’s important that we continue to grow our leadership, grow our chapters, our members, our finances and our brand,” Mary remarked. “The annual conference, for example, is a large percentage of our annual budget. We must look for new revenue sources and grow our partnerships in order to attract the types of speakers we want and deliver educational content that will have wide appeal to our members.” The board also revisited the LDEI vision and mission statement, hoping to make both more targeted and give more voice to who we are as an organization and what we hope to accomplish. Words like “support” and “premier organization” and “global” leapt off the flip chart and into discussions that will eventually include all members as the work continues. On the second day, the team worked through an aggressive agenda that included officer reports, a financial update, reviews of open contracts, a conference call with Lynn Frederickson & Linda Geren of Green Tables, and a review of the 2012 conference in St. Louis. That afternoon, Mary welcomed Gina Burchenal, president of the Austin Chapter and explained, “We want to start working with the Austin Chapter early so that you can get a feel for what is involved for the chapter in planning conference 2013.” She added, “That worked well for St. Louis, as that team is well along in the planning process. Based on their overview, we are looking forward to an engaging, informative and entertaining conference in 2012.” The board was able to interact more directly with the Austin Chapter at dinner at El Alma’s, an authentic Mexican restaurant built into the hillside at Barton Springs Road beneath the downtown skyline of South Austin. As the Austin Dames were making introductions, the group caught glimpses of Chef Alma Alcocer and her team pushing several different appetizers and housemade tortillas through a window to the queuing waitstaff. This exchange brought to mind a possible addition to one of Mary’s strategic planning charts – growing relationships. Les Dames d’Escoffier is about looking for and feeling the support of sister Dames, making new friends, sharing interests and bonding over issues central to our professions and families. At the end of the day, it’s about growing relationships and channeling our talents to support each other and championing issues that affect people and families across the globe. That’s really what our organization does better than any other. 10 Les Dames d’Escoffier International
4 5 Below: 6.The board gathers for dinner in Austin, Texas. 7.(L-R): Maria Gomez-Laurens and Cate Simpson 8.(L-R): LDEI Past President Sandy Hu and Austin Dame Maribel Rivero 9.Austin Dame Mary Margaret Pack. 10.LDEI board and Austin Dames 11.(L-R): Austin Dames Tracy Claros and Chef Alma Alcocer chat with Sharon Van Meter. 12.El Almas’s stuffed ancho relleno 7 6 8 9 12 11 10 SPRING Quarterly 2012 11
Page 1 and 2: SPRING 2012 CUISINE, CULTURE AND CO
Page 3 and 4: I love springtime! Spring has sprun
Page 5 and 6: Sharon van meter (Dallas) FIRST VIC
Page 7 and 8: Kathleen perry (Atlanta) TREASURER
Page 9: Sandy hu (San Francisco) IMMEDIATE
Page 13 and 14: Soy Sauce: The Natural Brewing Proc
Page 15 and 16: By Emily Teel If I had gone to Vanc
Page 17 and 18: Our Farmers Thank You ThE UlTimaTE
Page 19 and 20: CUISINE, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY Phil
Page 21 and 22: WE Meaningful Blogs from Dames Here
Page 23 and 24: premium wines sourced from californ
Page 25 and 26: Compiled by Chandra Ram (Chicago) A
Page 27 and 28: A welcome luncheon for the Big Isla
Page 29 and 30: individuals who have provided benef
Page 31 and 32: A Farmhouse Blue from Kerrygold Cas

cuisine, culture and community - Les Dames d'Escoffier International

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