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

individuals who have provided benefits and
improvements to the Hood Canal environment
and community. Honorees embody the spirit
of fostering cooperation, collaboration, and
build lasting relationships to achieve a healthy
Hood Canal. Cindy is a former oyster farmer
and a licensed captain.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Patti Jinich appeared on the Today Show
December 9. She prepared Mexican holiday
cookies with Al Roker, featuring Mexican spicy
piggy's, anise seed ropes and squiggle cookies.
You can watch the segment at http://on.today.
com/vR3fKE
Ruth Gresser celebrated Pizzeria Paradiso's 20th
anniversary November 8. Since opening the first
Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont Circle, Ruth has
By Dottie Koteski
(Philadelphia)
Julie Dannenbaum was well-recognized in the
Greater Philadelphia area and beyond for her
Creative Cooking School, which operated for 20
years, from 1964 to 1984. She offered classes for
novices and experienced cooks alike, and invited
many renowned chefs to give demonstrations,
including Jacques Pepin, George Perrier and Italian
Chef Luciano Parolari, the “King of Risotto.”
In addition, Julie operated a summer cooking
school at the Gritti Palace in Venice, Italy from
1974 to 1988, which was popular with American
and European tourists. She also directed a cooking
school at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia
from 1977 to 1990.
Her other accomplishments are just as impressive:
five cookbooks, eight years as contributing author
to the Philadelphia Magazine with a monthly
column titled, “Dining In”, and contributions to
other publications. In 1971, her good friend James
Beard reviewed her first book, Julie Dannenbaum’s
Complete Creative Cooking School Cookbook. He
wrote, ”Julie’s book is a reflection of Julie herself…
unending enthusiasm, great imagination, and
careful attention to detail.”
Julie was active in the food and wine societies,
including the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin,
the Commanderie du Bontemps du Medoc et des
Graves, the Commandrie de Tavel. She was not
only a philanthropist but an active and present
volunteer for many social causes in the Philadelphia
community. A 1993 Philadelphia Inquirer article
quoted her as saying “You can’t always just send
in your check and think that’s enough.”
added Georgetown and Old Town locations.
Ris Lacoste's two-year-old restaurant RIS was
named one of the Very Best Restaurants in
Washingtonian magazine's January 2012 issue.
Before opening her own eatery, Ris was the
longtime acclaimed chef at 1789 Restaurant.
Janis McLean is the new
executive chef/partner of
Le Zinc, a French bistro
in the heart of NW Washington.
At Le Zinc, Janis
adds new flair to French
classical cuisine through
rich spices and marketfresh
ingredients that
Janis McLean
change with the seasons.
www.lezincdc.com
In Memoriam
Julie McMurray Dannenbaum
(Philadelphia) 1922 – 2012
Photo by CiCi Williamson
In recognition of her contribution to the advancement
of women in the culinary disciplines, the
Philadelphia Chapter awarded her their Grande
Dame award. Much later, in 2002, the Greater
Philadelphia Culinary and Fine Dining/Restaurateur
Communities, the Philadelphia Chapter
and the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College
honored her for her lifetime achievements. Shortly
thereafter, the chapter created the Julie Dannenbaum
Endowment Fund for the perpetuation of
scholarships to female students pursuing a career
in the food, beverage, culinary and hospitality
fields. Her family specifically requested that any
donations in her memory be made to that fund
c/o, The Philadelphia Foundation, Suite 1800,
1234 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
19017. www.philafound.org
At a moment's notice
Capture Events for the Quarterly
Using Your Cell Phone
Cell phone cameras don’t have the speed or
functionality of dedicated digital cameras
but they are so handy for capturing events
at a moment’s notice. Co-Editor CiCi
Williamson and I have received wonderful
images from cell phone users but more
often, the quality is poor.
We turned to our graphic designer,
Bernie Mudd-White, for professional
advice on taking the best photos
possible for LDEI publications. She
says, “Most cell phones shoot images at
a size of about 1.0 MB or more (about
6 x 4-inches in actual size). That is a
nice size for images we use inside the
publication. What happens, however, is
that the photographer will oftentimes
email the image to herself or to our
editors. When doing that, be sure to
select ACTUAL SIZE. This option takes
a bit longer to send and download, but
provides more data for us to use when
printing the image. Using other settings
reduces the size and quality of the
wonderful moment you captured.”
Bernie also advises, “If you download
the image to your home computer and
then email it, be sure you are sending
the original image from your phone.
Don’t run it through your special photo
software. The less it is touched by
software, the better chance it remains an
image we can print.”
Thanks for sharing your images. We will
print all that we can, taking into account
available space and the quality of digital
photo output when selecting from those
you submit. Here are a few extra tips to
help improve your chance of producing
a great shot.
Adjust cell phone camera settings to
shoot at maximum resolution and
at the highest picture setting. Don’t
use the digital zoom since it degrades
photo quality.
To avoid blurry images, shoot stationary
subjects in a well-lit environment but
not direct sunlight. The best details are
often captured on overcast days.
Hold cell phone steady in both hands
or rest on a table or ledge when taking
photos. After pressing the shutter, hold
steady two to three seconds more if you
need to compensate for shutter lag. Some
shutters are tripped after you lift your
finger.
Hold cell phone horizontally to shoot in
landscape mode. Keep camera lens clean
by wiping with a soft cloth.
SPRING Quarterly 2012 29