The Overlook Farms in Clarksville, Missouri, hosted a day-long event for Dames and their guests last June, with a tour and cooking demonstration. Dames learned about the organic practices employed by Overlook in both their produce fields and with their livestock.
 

Several Phoenix Dames – two chefs, a farmer and two marketing professionals – presented a marketing seminar to close to 200 Farmer-Chef attendees at the 2nd annual conference. Sponsored by Slow Food Phoenix, Edible Phoenix (owned by Dame Pamela Hamilton) and other local organizations, the purpose of the Farmer-Chef Connection is to bring together farmers/small producers and the chefs and restaurants who want to procure local products.

The marketing panel presented ideas and tools for the participants to incorporate into their daily businesses, including how to use menus, staff training, sampling, education and social media, and how to leverage each other for stronger businesses.
 

Kansas City Dames were one of many sponsors of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture’s self-guided tour of urban farms on Sunday, June 28 that included more than 30 farms and gardens from Shawnee, KS, to Independence, MO. The tour included a variety of for-profit, non-profit and a variety of urban agriculture sites. Sixteen pre-tour events took place the week before the finale tour, including gardening seminars, “eat local” restaurant dinners and a film viewing on how to raise chickens in an urban setting. The goal of the week-long series of events was to educate and inform the public about how to create “a home-grown” life. For more information, contact Dame Katherine Kelly at katherine@kccua.org.
 

Hawaii Dames hosted an educational program for 40 tenth-grade public school students on June 26th, sponsored by the Waikiki Outrigger Hotel. After a tour of the Outrigger, where students learned about careers in the foodservice and hospitality industry, they were treated to a lunch featuring a fish tasting, Kalua pig pot stickers, greens from Nalo Farms and fresh pasta with locally grown tomatoes and homemade bread. During the lunch Dames shared nutrition information and demonstrated table etiquette skills. The Dames also delivered a presentation about the sources of local foods and the challenges facing farmers in producing and marketing local foods
 

The Chicago Chapter has adopted a food literacy program that will include both cooking and gardening components to educate and inspire the large and diverse group of children who are members of the Robert R. McCormick Boys & Girls Club of Chicago.

Every other Wednesday, through November, Dames will hold simple demonstrations, tastings and occasionally incorporate field trips/tours to involve 8 to 12 year-olds in the food and cooking part of the program. And hopefully, with more funding, the program will expand into hands on-cooking classes and more field trips.

Alternating Wednesdays are reserved for gardening, and Dames will help at the gardening classes and assist with field trips to other gardens and farms. The Dames have also contracted with The Organic Gardener, who will come to the Club to provide expertise and guidance. Part of the program will be at least 5 trips to the Green City Market and the Edible Garden at Farm in the Zoo.

Dame Karen Levin is responsible for this Green Tables Initiative community service project and will coordinate member participation. Dame Mary Abbott Hess and Dame Sharon Olson are the project coordinators and will plan the curriculum. This Chicago Les Dames supported program will be a prominent feature of the McCormick Boys & Girls Club website. 

Dames Hess and Olson report, “It is our hope that every chapter member will participate in the Green Tables Initiative in some way: teach or help teach a food or cooking class, plan a lesson or tasting, host or help chaperone a tour or field trip, work with the kids in the garden, or donate funds to support the program. Community service is a vital part of Les Dames’ mission, and contributing to the Boys & Girls Club will be an excellent opportunity to do that with panache.”

 

Houston Dames are busy on weekends manning the Cook's Corner at the Bayou City Farmer's Market managed by Dame Jacquie Miller. Dames create recipes using local, seasonally available produce, meats, eggs and cheese and hand out samples and recipes to inspire shoppers. In addition to making and handing out delicious samples, Houston Dames sell the Mary Nell Reck cookbook Flavors of Life with the funds going to culinary scholarships.

The DC chapter held its third annual Green Kids at Market Day in July. Five FRESHFARM markets participated: H Street, Dupont Circle, Arlington, Silver Spring and Takoma Park. The weekend event was co-sponsored by the Washington chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier and FRESHFARM Markets. Coordinated by Dames Ann Yonkers and Liz Falk, activities included ice cream making, build-a-bug, chef’s toque decorating, a chef demo and a “passport” scavenger hunt. A record number of 1,100 shoppers (approximately 140 kids) participated. FRESHFARM Market manager Rachael Winch summed it up for her weekly report: “This may have been my favorite farmers market thus far!” Co-founded by Dames Ann Yonkers and Bernadine Price in 1997, FRESHFARM operates outlets throughout the Washington area; the original is Dupont Circle. Participating markets are producer-only; vendors may sell only what they grow, raise or make themselves. Farms are usually located within 150 miles of Washington.

Dame Alice Waters’s edible school gardens are widely recognized for their contribution to sustainable agriculture and food quality awareness, as are the gardens of Dame Delores Cakebread at Cakebread Cellars. San Francisco Dames held their spring meeting at Cakebread Cellars, and toured the gorgeous organic edible landscape. Dame Delores created a series of garden workshops to educate the press and the public.

The San Diego chapter has initiated chapter involvement with school gardens. One elementary school has received state funds and LDEI members will assist with cooking demonstrations. School field trips to a local farm are being planned. Partnering with local organizations that support school gardens is being initiated. LDEI has offered to assist with curriculum, nutrition and cooking classes.

Dame Jenny Mattingsly continues to work with students at the Alamo Achievement Center, a group of high school students at this alternative school. Their spring organic garden is producing prolifically with the bounty being shared by students and their families.

The chapter is exploring expansion of its scholarship program to include women who are interested in furthering their education in agriculture and sustainable growing practices. A chapter meeting was held at a kitchen design center where Dames learned about going green in the kitchen.

The chapter sponsored and participated in a field trip with kids from the Eastside Children's Garden to Cedar Summit Farm, an organic dairy farm, located in New Prague, about an hour south of St Paul. Dames also participated in spring planting at the gardens. Fennel, cabbage, kale, green onions, carrots, potatoes, herbs and flowers were planted. Dames also taught summer classes offered at the garden.

The Los Angeles chapter joined forces with Nancy Silverton and Emily Green at the 24th Street School Garden project that Nancy and Emily are spearheading. The chapter hosted a dine-around fundraiser, with the money earmarked for the garden. The chapter is working on an education project at the Veterans Hospital in West Los Angeles.

The chapter hosted a Brunch with Dallas Dames at the Milestone Culinary Arts Center. Topics included cooking and green energy demonstrations in the demo theater.

The Colorado chapter featured Mayan tamales, hibiscus tea, and chocolate on the menu for the fourth-grade class at Fairview Elementary in Denver. Twenty fourth-graders learned how to make Mayan pinwheel tamales from cookbook author and indigenous food expert, Beverly Cox and food journalist, Kimberly Lord Stewart. The students are also preparing to plant a summer fruit, vegetable and flower garden and sell their wares at the Sunnyvale neighborhood farmers market. The Denver Urban Gardens group handles the garden aspect. During the winter, the students make compost and plant seedling in the classroom. By July, the students have enough bounty to sell their wares to the community. As continuation in the classroom, the chapter offers cooking demonstrations for students and parents at the farmers market. Through a DUG grant, each student who participates in the garden project gets a $5 coupon each week for fresh produce. The culinary nutrition segment of the program has been so successful that the Directors of Headstart have approached Colorado LDEI about expanding the program to low-income preschools.

The chapter also contributes to the Countryside Conservancy Farmers' Market Junior Chef Program. The focus is on forging connections between kids, farmers and food producers; teaching nutritional fundamentals; and simple hands-on food preparation. Some of our members participate in the educational component.

The Charleston chapter and the Charleston Children's Garden Project continue their partnership that began in 2007. The project involves a dedicated group of volunteers who inspire, plant and maintain community gardens throughout the metro Charleston area each year. Dames help develop demonstration gardens and work together to keep the gardens growing while offering children opportunities to learn about nature, gardening, cooking and building community spirit. The Charleston chapter also offers a series of interactive workshops during upcoming planting seasons extending through spring, summer and fall. Focusing on nutrition and healthy eating, Dames share creative tips for preparing foods and plants grown in the community gardens, while introducing volunteers to other kid-friendly projects promoting the benefits of sustainable food.

The Boston chapter is working on several initiatives, with some Dames working individually on Green Tables projects, and the chapter working as a whole on projects that included an event at the Herb Lyceum, and a 2009 Feast in the Field. Feast in the Field was first held in 2007 and attracted 174 participants, who enjoyed learning about foods new to them.