New York Dames Celebrate Their 30th Anniversary & The ... - LDNY

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the Journal
New York Dames Celebrate Their 30th Anniversary
& The Investiture of 15 Outstanding New Members
by Deborah Mintcheff
On September 25th, the New York chapter had reason to celebrate: the investiture
of fifteen new Dames, the New York chapter’s 30th anniversary and Auguste
Escoffier’s 160th anniversary. The celebration evening, hosted in grand style
at the Union League Club on Park Avenue South began with champagne and
hors d’oeuvres in the wood-paneled library. Guests were then ushered into the grand dining
room where one hundred fifteen members and guests welcomed the fifteen fabulous women
into the chapter. A classic four-course Escoffier dinner was served, topped off by a Dame
Sylvia Weinstock three-tiered cake bedecked with the flowers of Provence. Dame Alexan-
induCtees of 2006
■ Christine AnsbACher
is known as “The Wine
Diva” for injecting theatrics
and humor into her
wine tastings. She speaks
at wine and corporate
hospitality events, conferences,
and not-for-profit
fund-raisers.
■ Jennifer bAum is
owner/president of Bullfrog
& Baum, which specializes
in public relations,
marketing, and consulting
for the hospitality industry,
with offices in New York
and Los Angeles.
■ susAn borwiCk
recently joined Hudson
Yards, the latest project
for Dan Meyers’ Union
Square Hospitality
Group, as a consultant.
Previously she was at
• L E S D A M E S d ’ E S C O F F I E R , N E W Y O R K • W W W . L D N Y . O R G •
Eleanor Sigona and
Deborah Mintcheff
Great Performances and
Glorious Food.
■ mAry CleAver founded
The Cleaver Company,
a catering and event-planning
business, in 1986.
In 2003, she opened The
Green Table, a sustainable
eatery and wine bar, in
Chelsea Market.
■ kAtie lee-Joel is the
cofounder of the Web
site Olive and Peach,
which focuses on the
origin of foods and the
importance of conscious
consumption. She is a
culinary and lifestyle
columnist and was host
of Bravo’s Top Chef.
■ Anne mCbride is
working towards a Ph.D.
in Food Studies at NYU,
where she also teaches.
dra Leaf offered remembrances of Escoffier,
and keynote speaker Dame Abigail Kirsch
reflected on the New York chapter’s history
and importance. Dame Carol Brock was presented
with a bouquet of roses in honor of
her having founded the chapter. An original
watercolor of the evening’s menu, painted by
Jacques Pepin, was auctioned off by President
Emily Snyder which raised $1600 for scholarship.
And to top the evening off, four authentically
costumed can-can dancers had the entire
room clapping in time to their dramatic
steps. The event’s cochairs Dames Deborah
Mintcheff and Eleanor Sigona agreed that a
grand time was had by all.
She was the communications/publicationsmanager
at The Institute of
Culinary Education, where
she currently freelances as
a writer and editor.
■ lindA PelACCio is a
media coach specializing
in culinary media training
for TV, radio, print, and
live presentations. She
was a producer for the
TV Food Network and
past executive producer
of the radio talk show
Everyday Kitchen.
■ CArol PrAger is the
food editor of Weight
Watchers magazine. She
is also a freelance food
editor for Weight Watchers
Publishing Group, as
well as a recipe developer
for magazines including
Everyday Food and Good
Housekeeping.
■ susAn Purdy is
the author of over
thirty books. She is an
IACP/Julia Child Award
winner and James
Beard Awards nominee.
She is a noted instructor
in pastry arts, recipe
writing, and culinary
journalism and is a
culinary consultant.
■ shAron telesCA
feurer was recently
named General Manager
of aka: Central
Park a luxury furnished
apartment with hotelstyle
services. She spent
much of her hotel career
in marketing at The St.
Regis, Four Seasons and
the Hotel Plaza Athenee.
A Stellar Year For
Scholarship Winners
by Alison Awerbuch
The scholarship committee is thrilled
to have awarded $34,500 this year to
12 deserving and impressive students in
culinary and wine programs. Our committee,
co-chaired by Sue Huffman and
myself, included Dames Marsha Palanci,
Judith Weber, Susan Westmoreland,
Margaret Happel, Kelly Corcoran, Jonell
Nash and Cathy Kaufman.
A bit of background as to how we received
the funds for scholarship this year.
In addition to the amount raised at various
Les Dames programs and events, Dame
Lila Gault formed a special scholarship
task force that brought in over $55,000
in cash and in-kind contributions. This
includes cash donations by members who
have naming scholarships; a big thank
you goes to Abigail Kirsch, Saralie Slonsky,
Gloria Kempner and an anonymous
Dames donor. In addition, we have received
a 3 year $10,000 annual scholarship
from French Culinary Institute, a 2
year $10,000 annual scholarship from the
Culinary Institute of American, a $2500
scholarship from Institute for Culinary
Education and a $2000 Bon Appetit
Scholarship in memory of Zack Hanle.
We had approximate 30 scholarship
applicants and awarded 12 scholarships,
ranging from
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Dear Fellow Dames:
What a thrill to be your President during the 30th year celebration!!
It was a year full of fantastic projects, great press,
festive celebrations and a jump start to positioning the chapter
into the next 30 years with our Task Force.
It was truly a momentous occasion to offer our membership
a chance to answer a private survey regarding the purpose
and focus of the chapter. The good news is that LDENY
is overwhelmingly in support of the organization and the
focus moving forward will be one looking at more networking
opportunities, creating more educational seminars, truly
ramping up our Public Relations efforts and continuing our
great start with Green Tables.
This chapter is now at 143 members—our largest ever—
and we brought in fifteen dynamic new Dames whose backgrounds range from Public
Relations to marketing to catering to cookbook authors to wine divas to television hosts to
food stylists…the list goes on and on. What a remarkable feat and certainly they are poised
to jump in and continue the dynamic projects this chapter has on its plate for 2007.
My thanks go out to the Board and each and everyone of you who I called on or simply
volunteered to work with us throughout the year. What a honor to donate $35,000 worth of
scholarship money and end the year in the black with roughly $4000 ahead of budget.
Although at times it seemed like it wouldn’t get done—the year truly took on a life
of its own and my hats go off to all of you. Let us remember the superb induction as we
reach for the stars next year with The Big Event Oct 15 and support our Chefs Press Panel
as we continue our focus of superb PR for LDENY.
We truly are a dynamic group of professionals reaching out to touch and effect the
lives of not only our scholarship students but also children with our PS 41 Project. There
is something in LDENY for every member so join and reap the benefits of such an outstanding
organization
Very best wishes,
2006 Editor’s Note
Emily Snyder, President
June 2006 marked my first anniversary as a transferred member to the New York Chapter.
Although it was rumored that the chapter was one of the most dynamic, nothing
prepared me for the line up of fantastic events this year. Encouraged by our president
Emily Snyder, I agreed to take on the role of Journal editor. Her assurance and continual
support made it enjoyable. I benefited by getting to know many of you a bit better.
Thank you for your assistance in putting this journal together and for welcoming me to
your chapter. —jackie ehlert-mercer
“Although it was rumored that the chapter was
one of the most dynamic, nothing prepared me
for the line up of fantastic events this year.”
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2006-2007
ELECTED OFFICERS
Co-Presidents
Shelley Clark and Mary Ellen Griffin
viCe President
Lee Wooding
seCretAry
Beth Allen
direCtors-At-lArge
Melanie Dubberley, Nancy Jessup,
Linda Lawry, Michele Scicolone,
Corinne Trang
ldei delegAtes for 2007-2008
Abigail Kirsch
Deborah Mintcheff
nominAting Committee
Emily Snyder
Gale Steves
MASTHEAD
editor
Jackie Ehlert-Mercer
Contributors
Penelope Pate Greene,
Janeen A. Sarlin, Lila Gault,
Alison Awerbuch, Emily Snyder,
Shelley Clark, Ella Elvin,
Alexandra Leaf
PhotogrAPhy
Jackie Ehlert-Mercer, Emily Snyder
Printing
Alison Awerbuch
2006 MENTORING
PROGRAM
by Penelope Pate Greene
In addition to scholarship funds, Les
Dames d’Escoffier New York provides
mentoring services to women who are
seeking to create or build upon a career
in the food or wine industry. For the past
three years, our scholarship winners have
been invited to participate in the mentoring
program, and to benefit from the expertise
of our distinguished members.
At this time last year, we began with 16
mentoring pairs, and we will end the year
with 11 successful mentoring relationships.
There is a lot of relationship alchemy involved
here, and we would like to thank
the members of the committee: Lynne
Granat Stark and Penelope Pate Greene
(Co-Chairs), Lauren Groveman, Daphne
Derven and Melanie Young, for their work
on this growing Chapter initiative.
We would especially like to thank the
many New York Dames who gave generously
of their time and expertise and volunteered
to be a mentor. For those of you
who have not volunteered to be a mentor
yet, what better way can you think of to
help another woman to accomplish her
career goals and to fulfill your Chapter
participation requirements at the same
time? Please speak to Dames Janeen Sarlin
or Hanna Lee for more information
on how you can become a mentor.
2006 Annual Meeting
A Stellar Year For Scholarship Winners (continued from page 1)
$1000–$5000. The schools participating
included: FCI, CIA, ICE, Arts Institute
of NYC, NY City College of Tech, NYU,
Johnson and Wales, The International
Wine Center and Cornell.
The scholarship winners and their
school representatives were invited to our
Scholarship reception, which was once
again hosted by Dame Lou Hammond
and Shelley Clark in July. It was a won-
It was a lovely energetic evening as we hosted the 30th Annual Meeting on Monday
Oct 16, 2006 at Mandarin Oriental, New York. With over 60 dames in attendance
we started on the dot at 5:45.
Over 11 committee reports where shared with highlights on the member survey.
Four key points were taken from this but the overall consensus was LDENY is thriving
and members are very happy with the organization as a whole. A continued focus in
2007 will be networking opportunities so members get to know each other better. We are
such a big organization now that we need to reach out to get to know each other! There
will be a PR Task Force headed by Melanie Deussen so the LDENY really captures key
press opportunities moving forward throughout the organization. Green Tables has been
embraced as a new project and an untapped opportunity which we will support but not
in lieu of our scholarship efforts. Finally our programs will focus more on educational
content with perhaps four per year that really will enlighten and educate our members.
With this in mind we will focus on producing an annual calendar for the membership.
Other announcements included THE BIG EVENT on Oct 16, 2007 honoring Lidia
Bastianich as well as our success in raising over $35K in scholarship thanks to Lila Gault’s
task force. Over 15 dames announced they were going to LDEI Annual Conference in
Kansas City. Next year it will be held in Dallas.
Since this was sponsored by the hotel for the fourth and final year, all proceeds raised for the
lovely Italian buffet went straight to scholarships—over $2000! A big thank you to Mandarin
Oriental, New York and it sponsorship these past four years.
New Members Welcomed by Emily Snyder
The wonderful class of 2006 was welcomed at an informal cocktail reception held in their
honor at the lovely Mae Mae Café in Soho. We had 10 new dames attend out of a record
class of 15! Lovely food was served by Great Performances including Lump Crab Cakes,
Prosciutto Wrapped Figs, and wonderful local heirloom tomatoes. A special thanks to Liz
Neumark for her generosity and
to Dame Shelley Clark for making
the arrangements. Simi donated
the wines.
Chair Rita Jamet and Lee
Wooding did an outstanding
job recognizing and welcoming
the new members who signed
up for committee work during
the interview process. We look
forward to welcoming our new
class and working towards a successful
2007!
derful event, with over 75 attendees. All
12 scholarship winners attended the event,
which I think is a first. We also had one of
our past winners, who participated in the
mentoring program, speak about her experience
working with Les Dames…it was
most touching and impressive.
You should all feel proud of what our
chapter has accomplished over the years
in recognizing deserving women through
by Emily Snyder
our scholarship program. We look forward
to continued focus on this in the years to
come. If any of you are interested in participating
in a naming scholarship or gaining
other scholarship funds, please contact
myself or Sue Huffman.
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Les Dames d‘Escoffier International
(LDEI) celebrated its 20 th
anniversary at this year’s Annual
Conference, hosted by the Kansas
City Chapter from Oct. 19 to 22. One
hundred and thirty-five dames from 24 regional
chapters attended, including 15 NY
members, plus 12 national sponsors.
LDEI was created in 1986 by the first five
regional chapters.* Conceived as an umbrella
group to provide services that would address
the common needs of regional chapters,
LDEI defined its primary role as that
of promoter and facilitator of communication
between members. Given attendance
figures at this year’s conference, LDEI is
squarely meeting its first objective.
Early annual conferences were bareboned,
one and a half day business meetings,
attended only by regional chapter delegates
who comprised the LDEI Executive Committee.
But over the years, the event has
developed into a multi-faceted intellectual,
cultural and culinary program, with lots of
opportunities to meet sister-dames, absorb
the local color of the host chapter and of
course, address LDEI business matters.
The Kansas City program is a case in
point. The Kansas City Chapter, the LDEI
Executive Committee and AEC Management
Resources provided attendees with
an engaging and stimulating program.
Day One began with a welcome reception
sponsored by Mountain Valley Spring Water,
followed by a dine-around, spotlighting
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LDEI Celebrates
its 20th Anniversary
seven top Kansas City restaurants, many of
which are owned and operated by Kansas
City dames.
Day Two got off to a thought-provoking
start with a keynote address by celebrated
relationships expert Harriet Lerner, Attendees
were then asked to choose from a
variety of breakout sessions that focused on
the Art of the Kansas City-Style! BBQ, the
Art of the Cocktail, Missouri Wine Heritage,
the Art of the Great Steak and Insights
into the Real Escoffier, an interview with
Dario dell’Antonia, President of the Auguste
Escoffier Foundation and Culinary
ArtsMuseum, who flew in for the event.
Luncheon that afternoon paid tribute to the
2006 first-prize winner of the MFK Fisher
Award, Dame Kitty Crider, editor/writer of
the Austin-American Statesmen and member
of the LDE Austin Chapter. This prize is
granted by LDEI every two years in recognition
of excellence in culinary writing. The
day’s schedule concluded with a barbecue
dinner at Kansas City’s recently renovated
Union Station, an architectural wonder,
second only to New York’s Grand Central.
The agenda for Day Three was equally
tantalizing. A Green tables breakfast of
Missouri’s and Kansas’ summer bounty
was followed by presentations of the various
programs that chapters have developed
under the “Green Tables on the Ground”
initiative, chaired by New York’s own
Dame Lynn Fredericks. Regional chapters
shared their (Continued on PAge 5)
new york CelebrAtes
the 30 yeAr AnniversAry
of les dAmes d’esCoffier
by Janeen A. Sarlin
To mark the 30th Anniversary of Les
Dames d’Escoffier, the New York
Chapter presented a panel discussion
for the media entitled “Dames Who
Dared: Dames Who Did It.” The
discussion focused on the challenges
and achievements of the eight
participants, a representative cross
section of Les Dames d’Escoffier
membership, as they have pursued
their careers, as well as their thoughts
about what lies ahead fro the women
who will follow in their footsteps.
The panel was moderated by
Dame Rozanne Gold, chef/director of
The Joseph Baum & Michael White-
man Co. and award-winning cook-
book author, the panel consisted of:
Donatella Arpaia, owner, Dona and
david burke & donatella restaurants;
Dorothy Cann-Hamilton, CEO/found-
er, French Culinary Institute; Ariane
Daguin, owner, D’Artagnan; Florence
Fabricant, columnist, The New York
Times and Nation’s Restaurant News;
Alexandra Guarnaschelli, chef, Butter
restaurant; Louisa Hargrave, vintner,
oenologist and winemaker; Abigail
Kirsch, founder/owner, Abigail Kirsch
Culinary Productions.
As the founding chapter of Les
Dames d’Escoffier International, it
is particularly fitting LDE/NY spon-
sor the panel as a means of better
acquainting the media (over twenty-
five media persons attended) about
the organization and the role it has
played in expanding the horizons of
women in the food, beverage and
hospitality fields, which have been
historically dominated by men.
Some of the topics discussed by
the panel included; how they got
started with their careers; any tipping
point in their careers when they think
they achieved their personal best; the
future of their fields; and whether or
not there is still discrimination against
women today in their industries.
Dames Carol Brock, Shelly Clark,
Georgia
(Continued on PAge 5)
DAMES
WhO
LuNCh by
Naomi Duguid and
Mangoes & Curry Leaves
by Alexandra Leaf
New York Dames Alexandra Leaf hosted
the March 16th event featuring awardwinning
culinary anthropologist Naomi
Duguid. The Toronto based cookbook
author gave a fascinating slide talk based
on her new book–written with her husband
Jeffrey Alfort.
Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary
Travels Through the Great Subcontinent
has been listed in the NY Times, Time Out
New York and other publications. Fifty
guesst attended the lecture and book signing.
The three dishes featured from the
book were prepared by Jolly Hotel’s Restaurant
Chef–Pnina Peled and included;
Ski Lankan Village Salad, Cumin-Coriander
Beef Patties and a Sweet Yogurt
Sundae with Saffron and Pistachios. Dishes
were paired with Minetto Prosecco arranged
by Hanna Lee.
deliCious lunChing
At AnnisA by Gale Steves
It was a lovely day in May as Dames
gathered in Greenwich Village for
the perfect spring lunch provided by
Lila Gault
Dame Anita Lo.
Fourteen Dames gathered about a massive
table in a private dining room at Cafe
Opaline. It was a great opportunity to
catch up with old friends and make new
ones, while enjoying the view of the inner
courtyard hidden away at Madison
Avenue and 56th Street as well as the
delicious food prepared by Great Performances
and wine. Most of us had not
visited the Dahesh Museum, which is a
small treasure of 19th Century decorative
arts, and few escaped the intriguing gift
shop through which you enter to the restaurant
above.
Chef Lo has a lovely restauarant,
Annisa, done in soothing pastels
on the most lovely street in the Village—Barrow
Street. Her fresh food
is inspired by seasonal ingredients
with creative turns in her cuisine.
Lunch started with a refreshing
salad of feta and sauterne jelly with
pistachios. This was followed by a
delicious choice of lamb done with
stuffed squash blossoms with bulgar
wheat and sausage stuffing or
a marvelous skate dish served with
seasonal vegetables.
Chef Lo worked in the kitchens of
Bouley, Chanterelle as well as Mirezi.
She studied at Ritz Escoffier in Paris
and was nominated as one of the Top
10 New Chefs by Food and Wine Magazine
in 2001. She became a Dame in
2003. Don’t miss her other fabulous
spot—Rickshaw Dumpling on W 23
CELEbRATIONS!
Dame Roberta Morrell hosted
a fund raising event at her
restaurant where more than
50 dames and their guests
gathered to cheer the New Year!
Located in Rockefeller Plaza the restaurant
still buzzed with the excitement
of the season. A delicious sampling of
wines and appetizers were served. Adjacent
to the restaurant is Morell’s wine
store where dames and their guests enjoyed
a 15% discount.
Scholarship winner Bridget Yallery was
the winner of the draw for the Cuisinart
donated by Dame Lee Wooding.
rd
Street. Ladies who lunch was indeed
by Jackie Ehlert-Mercer
a delicious experience at Annisa!
LDEI Celebrates its 20 th Anniversary (continued from page 4)
success stories and encouraged attendees to adapt them to their own chapters’ needs.
The afternoon was devoted to LDEI business. The big news to emerge from that meeting
is the Winter 2007 publication of the first LDEI cookbook. This effort is being
spearheaded by Seattle Dame Marcella Rosene, who requests that dames email her by
early December at marcella@rosenehm.com with their recipes, anecdotes and personal
culinary observations.
The grande finale of the program was a gala champagne dinner, commemorating Escoffier’s
160 th birthday. Pat Mozersky, outgoing LDEI President introduced her successor,
2007 LDEI President, Toria Emas of the Chicago Chapter, who invited dames across
North America to mark their calendars for the 2007 Conference, scheduled on Oct. 19
to 21 in Dallas.
* New York (1976), Washington, DC (1981). Chicago (1982), Dallas (1984), Philadelphia (1984).
New York Celebrates the 30 year anniversary of Les Dames D’Escoffier
(continued from page 4)
Downard, Meryle Evans, Lynn Fredricks, Rozanne Gold, Saralie Slonsky, Jeanne
Wilensky, and Melanie Young and Janeen Sarlin worked together behind the scene
making the event a success.
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Marion Nestle–What To Eat
by Lila Gault
On May 1 Dame Suzi
O’Rourke hosted a celebration
of the publication
of Dame Marion Nestle’s
newest book, What To Eat, (North
Point Press, New York). Her aisle-byaisle
guide to savvy food choices and
good eating is a must-read for all of us
who want to eat–and feed our families–wisely
and well.
Marion’s brief remarks began with
a 10 word statement on basic principles
of good diets: eat less, move
more, eat lots of fruits and vegetables
and then moved on to read a short
excerpt from the book on fish descriptions
and dilemmas of both fish
sellers and fish eaters.
After a lively question & answer
time, she graciously signed copies of her
book for the 40 guests that attended.
A flavorful 98% organic hors
d’oeurves menu, designed and prepared
by Kim Pastone, a caterer and professional instructor at Cooking by the Book, reflected the
philosophy and advice of the book. Some of the foods served included; Edamame, Roasted
Grape Tomatoes and Parmesan, Marinated Feta with Garlic and Herbs, Radishes with Cucumber,
Yogurt, Ricotta & Herb Dip, Vidalia Onion & Mutsu Apple Confit, Green Olive &
Almond Tapenade, Roasted Cashew & Coconut Chutney, Fresh Mango, Coconut & Jumbo
Flame Raisin Chutney, Murray’s Chicken with Italian Oil-Cured Olives, Grape Tomato and
Homemade Preserved Meyer Lemon, Flax and Cumin Flatbread, Pappadums, Suzi’s Homemade
Sourdough Bread, and Honey-Kissed Yogurt Cups with Raspberry Coulis.
Two delicious wines were served; The Eyrie Vineyard, 2002 Estate Pinot Noir, Dundee
OR and Clos Roche Blanche 2004, Touraine FR. They were generously donated by Dame
Christine Duessen.
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LDEI Kansas City,
Here I Come. Dames Rita
Morrell, Past President LDEI
Dolores Snyder and
Mary Ellen Griffin, 2007
LDE New York, Co-President.
Cut the Cake! LDENYC 2006
President Emily Snyder
with Dame Sylvia Weinstock,
Founder of LDE
Delightful Wines
of Rias baixas &
Spanish Tapas at
butter by Alexandra
Guarnacheli by Jackie-Ehlert Mercer
Alexandra Guarnacheli’s exuberant enthusiasm
about seasonal food and freshness
was clearly demonstrated in the line
of dishes she delighted us with. Among
the stars that were paired with Spanish
wines were: Grilled Ramps and White
Mushrooms on Toast, White Beans and
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Risotto Balls
with Aged Balsamic and Parimigiano
Reggiano and Skewered Florida Shrimp
with garlic and Garam Masala.
The event was stimulating because the
food and the wine really “grooved” well
together and the dames were very animated!
(as usual...).
NEW YORK
KICKS OFF
GREEN TABLES
by Jackie Ehlert-Mercer
On April 29 New York Dames volun-
teered their time toward the great suc-
cess of Green Tables at Union Square.
This incredible day included food
demonstrations, an information booth
and a panel discussion. New York
Dames who were featured that day
included:
Alice Axendfield-Storm, Daphne
Derven, Lynn Fredericks, Dana Ja-
cobi, Anita Lo, Toni Robertson, Teri
Rutigliano, Paulette Satur, Michele
Scicolone, and Corinne Trang
Particularly warm thanks to Lynn
Fredericks who had the vision for the
event and to her two co chairs Dana
Jacobi and Barbara Seelig Brown
for working behind the scenes prior
to the event.
Dames d’Escoffier national presi-
dent Pat Mozersky was present for
the celebrations and congratulated
everyone for their fantastic work.
Mozersky added “I loved the event,
and watched as the public was so
fascinated and inspired by the great
demos and presentation”.
“Ramapo College of New Jersey Thanks Les
Dames d’Escoffier” For Another New York Green
Tables Initiative by Jackie Ehlert-Mercer
After moving to New Jersey in July 2005 with her husband, Jackie Ehlert-Mercer
set her sights on exploring ways to address the issue of childhood obesity
in New York and New Jersey.
She struck on the idea of establishing an Edible Garden at the Havemeyer
House, the official residence of the President of Ramapo College, as a teaching tool. Today,
six months later, in place of an empty lot there is a beautiful edible garden that served as an
integral education component to the kids and teacher nutrition camps held this summer.
Motivated by this initiative, Carol Brock agreed to be the co-chair for a fund-raising
event that was held on September 12th.
The event raised $15,000.00 with the assistance of 62 other women, among them
Dames Abigail Kirsch, Emily Snyder, Shelley Clark, Christine Deussen, Laura Maioglio,
Rosa Ross, Alice Axenfield-Storm, Louisa Hargrave and Paulette Satur.
Funds raised will fund the following to be held at the Edible Garden:
■ Nutrition education and programs for visible minority students
■ Nutrition education and programs for students at high risk such as those with eating
disorders, diabetes and obesity
■ Scholarships for children to attend summer camps to learn about food and nutrition
■ Teacher scholarships to attend summer camps to learn how to incorporate food and
nutrition knowledge into their science curriculum
The founders of the garden will be commemorated and their names inscribed on bricks
which will be installed in the Havemeyer Edible Garden modeled after Julia Child’s
Copia garden in Napa.
“Motivated by this initiative, Carol brock
agreed to be the co-chair for the fund-
raising event to support fresh eating and to
fight against childhood obesity”
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GREEN TABLES REPORT
by Lynn Fredricks
Nearly one year into our Green Tables
(GT) Initiative, the accomplishments of
our Chapters and fruits of our partnership
with NGA are blossoming across the US
and Canada. Here are some of our accom-
plishments:
■ National launch of NYC Green Tables
and NGA partnership in April with pre-
sentation at restaurant of a GT sponsor,
Chipotle, followed by cooking demo at
our first school garden partner: PS 41 in
Greenwich Village.
■ NYC Grows event with National Gardening
Association where nearly 2 dozen dames
Summer Sipping at
Tavern On The Green
On July 8, Shelley Clark hosted
a sort of Dames Who
Drink and attended the
Fancy Food Show at a gathering
at Tavern On the Green. About
20 women came together to enjoy each
other’s company, network and socialize
in the beautifully lush gardens surrounding
the restaurant. More than networking
was in store as they also enjoyed the
line-dancing and two-stepping going on!
It was country music night on Tavern’s
outdoor dance floor…Shelley Clark remarked
“we were all especially enchanted
by an earnest young man who came in
shorts and sneakers and then changed
into shorts and cowboy boots. It was “a
look” as they say”.
8 A P R I L 2 0 0 7
presented cooking demonstrations, a
panel on “Cooking from the Source” that
was part of the Green Tables announce-
ment in the New York Times!
■ National (18 US chapter cities out of
our total 26) Green Tables Educational
Sponsorship commitment from Chipo-
tle Mexican Grill
■ $50,000 donation to Seattle Central
Community College for a greenhouse
to be utilized by their Dame-led Seattle
Culinary Academy where students will
cook with the food they grow!
■ Hawaii Farmers’ Market Cookbook by
the Hawaii Chapter of Les Dames in part-
nership with the Hawaii Farm Bureau
■ Youth garden in Cleveland where paid
student interns grow food for Dame
Heather Haviland’s café.
■ Upcoming Green Tables video with foot-
age from over 8 chapters, plus additional
chapters submitting their Green Tables
successes—watch out for the video pre-
sentation at our KC conference.
■ One day of GT programming and men-
toring at KC conference (Saturday Oc-
tober 20) and a Farm Tour headed up by
GT Committee member Jane Zeiha-Bell
in KC on Sunday (October 21).
sAdly dAme PAt bArtholomew
died After A long struggle
Dr. Patricia (“Pat”) Bartholomew, a pio-
neering chef/educator who was chair of
the hospitality management program at
New York City College of Technology (City
Tech) for many years, died after a long
illness. She was 61 years old and lived in
Manhattan and White Lake, NY.
Dr. Bartholomew, an authority on the
role of women in the culinary arts and hos-
pitality industry, was a faculty member at
City Tech from 1986 through 2004.
Dr. Bartholomew was named “Paceset-
ter” for leadership and excellence in cu-
New York Secrets
For Success by Ella Elvin
Dame Abigail Kirsch shared the secrets to
her illustrious career at a members only reception
held at Dame Marsha Palanci’s home
in mid-town Manhattan. Former chapter
President Lila Gault was the interviewer.
The event co-chaired by Marsha and Mary
Ellen Griffin organized a delicious array of
tapas made by the members, and luscious
Riás Baixas wines from Spain. The evening’s
guest speaker, New York City chapter’s Past
President Abigail Kirsch—who has also
served as LDEI President in 2002—said it all
began when she found herself at home with
her first child. She developed a love of cooking.
This led to more cooking, recipe collecting,
recipe development, and soon word of
her skills spread. At one point she realized
that she needed to take courses, and she went
to the Culinary Institute of America. There
were long hours, missteps, and more courses
at the CIA, concentrating on basics—organization,
sanitation, costs. At the beginning
she said, she didn’t have a book-keeper or an
accountant. In 1989 she and her husband
took over Tappen Hill and gave it their all.
It was a big step, but good timing. Did she
advertise? Yes, but word of mouth seemed to
be the old reliable.
Her advice? “Set goals, have a vision,
be a leader”. “And also develop an ability
to listen, and to take criticism”.
linary education by the Roundtable for
Women in Foodservice at the 1994 Nation-
al Restaurant Show in Chicago. In 2001, she
was honored by the Caribbean American
Chamber of Commerce and Industry at its
annual salute to Women History Makers
and one year earlier received the City Tech
Student Government Association’s Educa-
tional Excellence Award.
A dynamic public speaker, Dr. Bar-
tholomew participated in scores of aca-
demic and professional association pre-
sentations over the years.