{"id":125975,"date":"2025-05-05T16:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T20:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/?p=125975"},"modified":"2025-05-06T19:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T23:20:57","slug":"les-dames-descoffier-internationals-san-francisco-chapter-celebrates-2024-award-winners-at-annual-awards-reception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/les-dames-descoffier-internationals-san-francisco-chapter-celebrates-2024-award-winners-at-annual-awards-reception\/","title":{"rendered":"Les Dames d&#8217;Escoffier International&#8217;s San Francisco Chapter Celebrates 2024 Award Winners at Annual Awards Reception"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 5, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) &#8212; The <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/\">San Francisco Chapter of Les Dames d\u2019Escoffier International<\/a>\u00a0(LDEI-SF) hosted its Annual Awards Celebration on Monday, April 28, 2025, at The Civic Kitchen Cooking School. Guests gathered to honor five exceptional women in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, each recognized for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the culinary world.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/25-0505-s2p-LDEI-SF-awards-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Three of five 2024 Award Recipients L to R - Natasha House, Ruby Pokras, Eleana Hsu, Dame Chantal Martin\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-125973\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/25-0505-s2p-LDEI-SF-awards-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/25-0505-s2p-LDEI-SF-awards-800x600-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/images\/25-0505-s2p-LDEI-SF-awards-800x600-200x150.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><br \/><em>Photo caption: Three of five 2024 Award Recipients: L to R &#8211; Natasha House, Ruby Pokras, Eleana Hsu, Dame Chantal Martin.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The evening was filled with lively conversation and a vibrant, market-fresh menu generously provided by Market Hall Caterers. The event included a raffle benefiting the Chapter\u2019s philanthropic programs, with prizes including SFMOMA tickets, specialty spice sets, Fairytale Brownies, and cookbooks authored by Dames Andrea Nguyen and Tanya Holland.<\/p>\n<p>Les Dames d\u2019Escoffier International&#8217;s core mission is to inspire, advance, and support women in these industries to achieve leadership and excellence. The San Francisco Chapter furthers this mission through three signature programs: the <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/Scholarship\">L\u2019Etoile d\u2019Escoffier Culinary Scholarship<\/a> (now accepting applications for the 2025 awards through May 9, 2025), the <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/Fellowship\">Karola Saekel Excellence in Food Journalism Fellowship<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/FemaleEntrepreneurGrantandMentorship\">Female Entrepreneur Grant &amp; Mentorship<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE 2024 AWARD RECIPIENTS INCLUDED:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Natasha House, <em>L\u2019Etoile d\u2019Escoffier Culinary Scholarship<\/em><\/strong>\u2014A student at City College of San Francisco and entrepreneur behind her own thriving personal-chef business, Natasha was honored for her passion for culinary arts and commitment to pursuing professional excellence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ruby Pokras, <em>L\u2019Etoile d\u2019Escoffier Culinary Scholarship<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Having completed the two-year program at Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Ruby now resides in Berkeley and is pursuing her four-year degree at Arizona State University.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Briana James, <em>Karola Saekel Craib Excellence in Food Journalism Fellowship<\/em><\/strong>\u2014A talented writer and illustrator, Briana serves as Assistant Editor at Clarkson Potter. Her insightful food writing, often featured in Edible East Bay and Eater, showcases her vibrant voice and creative vision.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eleana Hsu, <em>Female Entrepreneur Grant &amp; Mentorship<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Founder of Shared Cultures, Eleana was recognized for her innovative work producing modern fermented foods using koji and for fostering sustainable food practices in the San Francisco Bay Area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wafa Bahloul, <em>Female Entrepreneur Grant &amp; Mentorship<\/em><\/strong>\u2014Chef-owner of Kayma Algerian Eatery, Wafa was honored for her culinary excellence and her celebrated Algerian sweets, bringing a unique and authentic taste of Algeria to the local dining scene.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe caliber of this year\u2019s winners is truly inspiring,\u201d said Mary Gassen, chair of the Female Entrepreneur Grant &amp; Mentorship Committee for LDEI-SF. \u201cEach of these women embodies the spirit of innovation, leadership, and excellence that we seek to champion\u2014here in the Bay Area, and as part of a broader movement to support and advance women across the food, beverage, and hospitality industries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LDEI-SF thanks its sponsors, members, and attendees for their continued support of the Chapter\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n<p>Donations are welcome to help fund the 2025 awards and support the next generation of women leaders. For more information, visit our website: <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/donate\">https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/donate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Applications are open to become a member of LDEI-SF through May 31, 2025. For more information and to apply, visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/Become-a-Dame\">https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/Become-a-Dame<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Les Dames d\u2019Escoffier International<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LDEI is an international organization of women leaders who create a supportive culture in their communities to achieve excellence in the food, beverage, and hospitality fields. To do this, 2,500 members in 43 chapters worldwide provide leadership, educational opportunities, and philanthropy within their communities. For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/ldei.org\/\">LDEI.org<\/a> and follow us on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LDEIdamesdescoffier\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lesdamesintl\/\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/lesdamesintl\">Twitter<\/a> @lesdamesintl, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/les-dames-d-escoffier-international\/\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Les Dames d\u2019Escoffier International \u2013 San Francisco Chapter<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 1989, nineteen powerhouse women in the culinary world founded the San Francisco Chapter of Les Dames d\u2019Escoffier International to bring the mission of LDEI to Northern California. The membership includes restaurateurs, professional chefs, bakers, caterers, cookbook authors, food journalists, farmers, food retailers, event planners, winemakers, wine industry professionals, food publicists, culinary educators, and hospitality executives. More information on the San Francisco chapter of LDEI can be accessed at <a href=\"https:\/\/lesdamessf.org\/\">lesdamessf.org<\/a>. Follow our chapter activities on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lesdamessf\/\">Instagram<\/a> @lesdamessf and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/39543289394\/\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Media Contact: <\/strong><br \/>\nKatie Canfield, DipWSET<br \/>\nCommunications Committee, Les Dames d&#8217;Escoffier San Francisco Chapter<br \/>\nkatie@odonnell-lane.com<br \/>\n530-720-1138<\/p>\n<p>###<br \/>\nUPDATED 5.6.25 4:15 p.m. PDT to correct two inadvertent typos in the text.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 5, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) &#8212; The San Francisco Chapter of Les Dames d&#8217;Escoffier International (LDEI-SF) hosted its Annual Awards Celebration on Monday, April 28, 2025, at The Civic Kitchen Cooking School. Guests gathered to honor five exceptional women in the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, each recognized for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the culinary world. [UPDATED]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9459,"featured_media":125973,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[402,12804,67,1,10,45,56,103],"tags":[9806],"class_list":["post-125975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-beverage-news","category-ap","category-awards-and-honors-news","category-business-news","category-california-news","category-education-news","category-non-profit-news","category-san-francisco-news","tag-women-leaders","has-post-title","has-post-date","no-post-category","no-post-tag","no-post-comment","has-post-author"],"acf":[],"views":3314,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125975"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126043,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125975\/revisions\/126043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}