Les Dames d'Escoffier is an American society of professional women involved in the food, fine beverage, and hospitality industries.

History

Les Dames d'Escoffier was founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1976, by food writer Carol Brock, in honor of

Auguste Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur, and culinary writer who popularised and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-A ...

, whom Les Dames'

mission statement A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation ...

credits with having "single-handedly brought the

culinary Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

art into the

modern era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

". Escoffier "elevated the role of cooks from that of

laborers A laborer ( or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor typed within the construction industry. There is a generic factory laborer which is defined separately as a factory worker. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in whic ...

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

"; when he died, he "left the world a new art, that of dining". With expansion to other cities, Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) was formed in 1985 to operate as an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...

. Membership is open to women who have distinguished themselves in the respective fields with which Les Dames is concerned. The female society is a response to the all-male Les Amis d'Escoffier society.

Events

Les Dames organizes various food-related activities throughout the year, the majority of which are dinners; new members are inducted during the "annual gala dinners". Les Dames' major philanthropic activity consists of promoting the education and advancement of women in careers related to food industries. The society provides scholarships for women desiring to become professionals or to advance their skills in the fields of food, wine, other beverages, nutrition, the arts of the table and related disciplines.

Notable members, awardees and scholarship recipients

Jean Anderson Mary Jean Heriot Powell (12 December 1907 – 1 April 2001), better known by her stage name Jean Anderson, was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as formidable matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama ''The Brothers (197 ...

Charleen Badman Charleen Badman is an American chef and co-owner of the FnB restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona, who won the 2019 Best Chef in the Southwest James Beard Award. It was the first time since 2007 that a chef from Arizona won the award. Badman is a pa ...

* Jean Banchet *

Tiffanie Barriere Tiffanie Barriere is a master mixologist and spirits educator, who is also known by her nickname - “The Drinking Coach.” She was the beverage director for seven years at One Flew South restaurant in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, whic ...

Lidia Bastianich Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich (; born February 21, 1947) is an Italian-American celebrity chef, television host, author, and restaurateur. Specializing in Italian and Italian-American cuisine, Bastianich has been a regular contributor to ...

Najmieh Batmanglij Najmieh Khalili Batmanglij (, ) is an Iranian-American chef and cookbook author. Born in Tehran, she fled the Iranian Revolution in 1979, moving first to France, then the United States, building a career as a cookbook author as she went. Her fi ...

* Carol Brock *

Irena Chalmers Irena Chalmers-Taylor (June 5, 1935 – April 4, 2020) was an author and food commentator/essayist, teacher and culinary mentor. Named "the culinary oracle of 100 cookbooks" by noted American restaurant critic and journalist, Gael Greene, Ch ...

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (Birth name#Maiden and married names, née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author, and television personality. She is recognized for having brought French cuisine to the American pu ...

* Grace Zia Chu * Lauren Braun Costello * Marion Cunningham *

Lynn Crawford Lynn Crawford (born July 18, 1964) is a Canadian chef and television personality. She is known for her appearances on the Food Network show '' Restaurant Makeover'', which is seen in over 16 countries worldwide. Biography Lynn Crawford was bor ...

* Carmen Ramírez Degollado * Jenny Dorsey * Rose Ann Finkel * Cheryl Forberg * Rozanne Gold *

Darra Goldstein Darra Goldstein (born April 28, 1951) is an American author and food scholar who is the Willcox B. and Harriet M. Adsit Professor of Russian, emerita at Williams College. She is the founding editor of ''Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Cultu ...

* Aliza Green * Zach Hanle * Ethel G. Hofman * Tanya Holland * Rochelle Huppin *

Pati Jinich Patricia Jinich ( born Patricia Drijanski, March 30, 1972) is a Mexican-American chef, TV personality, cookbook author, educator, and food writer. She is best known for her James Beard Award-winningJames Beard Foundation"The 2018 James Beard Medi ...

Alma Lach Alma Lach (née Satorius; June 8, 1914 – October 21, 2013) was an American chef, cookbook author, and food consultant. Biography Lach was born Alma Elizabeth Satorius on June 8, 1914, in Petersburg, Illinois. She began studying home economics ...

* Ris Lacoste * Paula Lambert * Denise Landis * Katie Lee *

Edna Lewis Edna Regina Lewis (April 13, 1916 – February 13, 2006) was a renowned American chef, teacher, and author who helped refine the American view of Southern cooking. She championed the use of fresh, in season ingredients and characterized South ...

Marie LeNôtre Marie Lenotre (born 1945) is a French-American higher education administrator and the co-founder and director of the Culinary Institute Lenotre. Lenotre is married to Alain Lenotre. The couple co-founded the Culinary Institute Lenotre in 1998. ...

* Rachel Levin *

Eileen Yin-Fei Lo Eileen Yin-Fei Lo (May 4, 1937 – November 13, 2022) was a chef. She authored eleven cookbooks on Chinese cuisine. Early life and education China Lo was born in Shun Tak, a district of Guangdong, China. At the age of five, she began to cook wh ...

Adena Williams Loston Adena Williams Loston (born 1952) is the 14th president of St. Philip’s College. She was installed as the new president in ceremonies on March 1, 2007. Education Loston earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Alcorn State University in 197 ...

* Angela Malik * Tanya Bastianich Manuali *

Sara Moulton Sara Moulton (born February 19, 1952) is an American cookbook author and television personality. In an article for ''The New York Times'', Kim Severson described Moulton as "one of the nation’s most enduring recipe writers and cooking teach ...

* Jonell Nash *

Joan Nathan Joan Nathan (born 1943) is an American cookbook author and newspaper journalist. She has produced TV documentaries on the subject of Jewish cuisine. She was a co-founder of New York's Ninth Avenue Food Festival under then-Mayor Abraham Beame. ''Th ...

Marion Nestle Marion Nestle (born 1936) is an American molecular biologist, nutritionist, and public health advocate. She is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health Emerita at New York University. Her research examines ...

Nora Pouillon Nora Pouillon (born October 26, 1943) is an Austrians, Austrian chef, restaurateur, and author. She was the owner of Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C., famous for its status as America's first certified organic restaurant. Biography Early li ...

Thelma Pressman Thelma Pressman (April 10, 1921 – August 10, 2010, Rancho Mirage, California) was a pioneering microwave cooking consultant, product development consultant, and cookbook author. In 1969 she opened the first microwave cooking school in the U ...

* Deborah VanTrece * Dominica Rice-Cisneros * Colleen Taylor Sen *

Jeanne Voltz Jeanne Voltz (November 20, 1920 – January 15, 2002) was an American food journalist, editor, and cookbook author. She was food editor for the ''Miami Herald'' and the ''Los Angeles Times'', two of the most influential food sections in the count ...

Anne Willan Anne Willan (born 26 January 1938 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England) is the founder of the École de Cuisine La Varenne, which operated in Paris and Burgundy France, from 1975 until 2007. La Varenne classes continued in Santa Monica, California, thr ...

References

External links

Official website - InternationalOfficial website - New York chapter
Culinary arts Organizations established in 1976 1976 establishments in New York City {{US-org-stub