Les Dames d'Escoffier

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

History

Les Dames d'Escoffier was founded in New York City in 1976, by food writer Carol Brock,[1] in honor of Auguste Escoffier, whom Les Dames' mission statement credits with having "single-handedly brought the culinary art into the modern era". Escoffier "elevated the role of cooks from that of laborers to artists"; 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. 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.

Chapters

The organization traces its origins to Les Dames des Amis d'Escoffier, a women's dining and philanthropic society formed in Boston in 1959 as an adjunct to the all-male Les Amis d'Escoffier Society.[2] In the early 1970s Brock, then a food editor at the New York Daily News, received a charter from the New York Les Amis d'Escoffier Society to form an autonomous chapter for professional women, and Les Dames d'Escoffier New York was established in 1976. Chapters followed in Washington, D.C. (1981), Chicago (1982), Dallas and Philadelphia (both 1984); in 1985 the presidents of the five chapters met in New York to form Les Dames d'Escoffier International.[3] As of 2026, LDEI states that it comprises 40 chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Italy, with more than 2,800 members.[4]

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". Chapter dinners are frequently fundraisers, such as a 2026 New York chapter dinner with Lidia Bastianich benefiting its scholarship fund.[5] 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.[6][7]

Notable members, awardees and scholarship recipients

References

  1. ↑ Leland, John (2020-08-12). "Carol Brock, Who Pushed at a 'Pyrex Ceiling,' Dies at 96". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  2. ↑ Wood, Virginia B. "A Brief History of Les Dames d'Escoffier International". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "About". Les Dames d'Escoffier International. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Home". Les Dames d'Escoffier International. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Inside the Les Dames d'Escoffier NYC Dinner with Lidia Bastianich". Appetito. May 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "NYU's Fales Library Guide to the Les Dames d'Escoffier New York Archive". Archived from the original on 2009-11-30. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
  7. ↑ "Austin Les Dames d'Escoffier awards women $52K in scholarships to chase culinary dreams". CBS Austin. February 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "The Drinking Coach Tiffanie Barriere Spills on Crafting Cocktails and Her Career - Cuisine Noir Magazine". 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  9. 1 2 "Les Dames d'Escoffier 2017 Gala Honouree". Les Dames d'Escoffier. 2017.
  10. ↑ Brack, Andy (13 January 2025). "Nathalie Dupree, the South's cooking queen, passes away at 85". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Jeanne Voltz, 81; Past Editor of Times' Food Section". Los Angeles Times. 2002-01-16. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  12. ↑ "Jeanne Appleton Voltz 1920-2002". University of Alabama. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  13. ↑ Voss, Kimberly Wilmot (April 2013). "Food Journalism or Culinary Anthropology? Re-evaluating Soft News and the Influence of Jeanne Voltz's Food Section in the Los Angeles Times". American Journalism. 29 (2): 66–91. doi:10.1080/08821127.2012.10677826. ISSN 0882-1127.
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