Additional Information

Les Dames d'Escoffier International

Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) is composed of 1,350 women of high achievement in the areas of food, beverage, and hospitality. Its missions are education, advocacy, and philanthropy. Having been granted a charter by Les Amis d’Escoffier, the initial Les Dames d’Escoffier chapter was founded in New York in 1976. In 1985, LDEI was formed as an umbrella organization to unite and support individual chapters. Through its 28 chapters in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, LDEI is dedicated to supporting and promoting the achievement of women in the culinary professions and to fostering excellence through education and mutual support, as well as philanthropic activities to benefit our communities. Chapters operate under their own individual structures, with member bases, events, and activities as diverse as the cities in which they reside.

 

 

About Les Dames d'Escoffier, Seattle 

Chartered in 1989 with 16 founding members, the Seattle Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, International currently comprises 66 members. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization.

Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter is an invitational organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality whose mission is education, advocacy, and philanthropy.

Les Dames, Seattle focuses on raising funds for scholarships for women in the culinary, beverage, and hospitality industries. We also support community-outreach programs and sustainable-agriculture
projects. All our efforts are based in Washington State.

Every other year, Les Dames, Seattle undertakes a major fundraising auction, with a smaller fundraising event in alternating years. The group’s existing endowments are open funds, and donations are always welcome.

To date, we have disbursed more than $477,000 through our programs and projects.

We’ve awarded individual scholarships to over fifty-five deserving women and established scholarship endowments at the following schools:

• Seattle Central Community College’s Culinary Academy
• Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology Program
• Washington State University’s Hospitality Program (honoring Dame Gretchen Mathers)
• Renton Technical College
• South Seattle Community College Culinary Program (honoring Dame Kathleen Stang)
• South Seattle Community College’s Wine Technology Program

We also gifted $50,000 to Seattle Central Community College’s Plant Science Lab and Greenhouse, a state-of-the-art classroom garden in which students learn garden-to-table practices.  

In 2010, the Seattle Chapter began offering Green Tables grants to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations in Washington State. The grants support teaching and training students and personnel in areas such as seasonal healthy cooking, innovative solutions to providing healthy meals, and garden-to-table concepts. A total of $21,000 in grants have been awarded since 2010.