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  • Tuesday, May 31, 2016 1:48 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    An enormous thank you to all the great Dames that attended the May 7, 2016 Garden Project picnic…and although the inclement weather dampened the soil in the fields around us, it didn’t affect anyone’s spirits as we met with The Garden Project team, kids from the program, Sheriff's staff and the wonderful San Francisco Sheriff, Vicki Hennessy (who oversees our city/county prisons). We tucked into the wonderful feast followed by a guided visit to the fields and greenhouse that are located at the San Francisco City/County jail just off Skyline Boulevard near Pacifica.

    Thank you to the Dames for an amazing array of dishes, thank you to Fran Gage, Mary Gassen, Suzette Gresham, Barbara Haimes, Leslie Jonath, Peggy Knickerbocker, Helen Roberts, Renee Shepherd, Eileen Spitalny and daughter Bebe, Margo True, Kathleen Weber who were at the picnic. Tina Salter and Jerry Di Vecchio coordinated the action. And thank you to those who contributed but couldn’t make it: Linda Anusasananan, Eleanor Bertino, Laura Branin-Rodriguez, Dolores Cakebread, Linda Carucci, Sue Conley, Elaine Corn, Ann Evans, Janet Griggs, Amina Harris, Sandy Hu, Roberta Klugman, Sue Yung Li, Emily Luchetti, Karen McKenzie, Hannah Rahill, Tannis Reinhertz, Carolyn Wente, Penni Wisner.

    With so many delicious dishes filling the table, we wanted to share with you the appreciation felt by everyone and to inform you as to where all of the leftovers went.

    Firstly the balance of the Swiss Chard/Kale with New Garlic and the Fresh Collard with Chives dishes (greens grown the Garden Project fields) and packable food were mostly donated to the after school program in the Mission. Cathrine Sneed, Dame and Garden Project Founder, says that she got feedback that the kids especially loved the pasta salad with the baby artichokes. Food that would keep went into the Garden Project kitchen for lunches that are provided to kids and others who work in the garden.

    The Garden Project kids at the event also packed up food for their families and for the residents of Valencia Gardens.

    We heard a lot of questions from Dames and other attendees at the picnic and wanted to share information about the Garden Project. The answers below are from Cathrine Sneed Founder, The Garden Project

    1.    Who is working in the gardens each season? We’ve met some of the young people who are  here in the summer that come to you from at-risk conditions, but garden is  year round.

    We work with three different groups.

    • Adult immigrants and ex-offenders who work year round
    • College students also work year round
    • High school students work during the summer and during the school    year on occasional projects. 

    All participants are paid for their work.

    2. How are those working in garden chosen.

    • Adult immigrants and ex-offenders either apply or are referred to us.
    • College students apply to work with us.
    • High school students apply to work with us through a process that involves their local schools and the SF Police Department

    3. Cathrine mentioned that she is now funded by the PUC (Public Utilities Commission). Are there other sources to help pay for running gardens, paying workers?

    • We are an employment and training program. We are funded through contracts to perform work. These projects are also educational opportunities for our participants and the core of our training program.

    The Garden Project Contracts with the:

    • SF Sheriff's Department
    • Special guests included Sheriff Vicki Hennessy, members of her staff, and other community activists
    • SF Police Department
    • SF Public Utilities Commission

    We are a non-profit, and we also receive small grants and donations.

    4. Originally Cathrine was working with the inmates. Are inmates still able to participate in anyway?

    • The program did originally include working with inmates. However, in 1992 when I began the Garden Project, I thought it was more important to impact recidivism and to prevent people from going to jail, and thus the program began to focus on ex-offenders. This commitment expanded to include low income college and high school age students because of their risk for criminal activity due to lack of employment and underemployment.

    5. Do you help newly released paroles find work related to gardening etc, and if so where do they work?

    • Just to clarify again, we do not work with inmates.  We don’t do job placement, but many have gone to work with such city departments as the Department of Public Works, the SFPUC, the SFPD and more.
    For more information contact:

    Jerry DiVecchio

    or

    Cathrine Sneed Founder, The Garden Project
    cathrinesneed@yahoo.com

    csneed@gardenproject.org

    www.gardenproject.org

    Follow us @SFGardenProject

     

     

     

     

  • Monday, May 23, 2016 3:58 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Since 2015 San Francisco Dames have participated in special career panels for students at City College San Francisco's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies. Thus far, each panel has consisted of three dames, each of whom shares her own career facts and answer questions from the students. The panels have been enthusiastically attended with much interaction from students who want to know how to achieve success in their field.

    The program is under the direction of Dame:

    Barbara Haimes, Instructor
    CCSF-Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies
    50 Phelan Ave. SW 156
    San Francisco, CA 94112
    p.415.239.3184

    Below are links to the first two panels and we hope to have links to the others forthcoming.

    http://ccsf.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=428

    First Panel with PATRICIA UNTERMAN, EMILY LUCHETTI & SUZETTE GRESHAM
    http://ccsf.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=507  

    Second panel w/ DANA WOLDOW, LAURA BRAININ-RODRIGUEZ & CATHRINE SNEED
    She is trying to set up a Youtube channel (has to figure it out).

    Following  is the list of completed seminars. This is an ongoing program. Dames who have participated have found it extremely rewarding and great way to help others move ahead.

    If interested, contact Jerry Di Vecchio at jerrydivecchio@gmail.com

    FEB 20 OR 27, 2015
    being a chef/ restaurateur

    • SUZETTE GRESHAM
    • EMILY LUCHETTI
    • PATTY UNTERMAN

    March 27, 2015
    running a business

    • MARSHA MCBRIDE
    • MARY GASSEN
    • AMARYL SCHWERTNER

    April 24, 2015
    doing public service

    • LAURA BRANIN RODRIGUEZ
    • DANA WOLDOW
    • CATHRINE SNEED

    November 6, 2015
    from a chef to running a business

    • HELEN ROBERTS
    • SUE CONLEY

    We were short one this meeting

    March 11, 2016
    where food prepping fits it

    • JANET GRIGGS
    • TINA SALTER
    • SANDY HU

    April 22, 2016
    on being a chef

    • GAYLE PIRIE
    • JESSE COOL
    • SHELLEY LINDGREN
  • Monday, May 02, 2016 3:39 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Dame Amina Harris of the San Francisco and Sacramento Chapters, featured in Sacramento Bee!

    http://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/food-science/article73157287.html

  • Wednesday, April 13, 2016 11:23 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Marie Simmons says Eugene OR is a great place to live, but she sure misses her Dames.

    We’ll have a chance to visit with Marie as she sweeps through the Bay Area with her new book “Whole World Vegetarian.” Everyone gets a hug!

    1. May 19 – 6:30 pm. Talk and Tastes & Book Signing. Omnivore Books (owned by SF Dame Celia Sack), 3885 Cesar Chavez Street, SF. For information: www.omnivorebooks.com

    2. May 20 – 12:00 noon “Cooks With Books” at Greens Restaurant, A, Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd, SF. For information: www.bookpassage.com

    3. May 20 – 5:00 pm. Open House/Bring a dish to share. Sue Ewing's Home, 5932 LaSalle, Montclair  CA

  • Friday, April 08, 2016 10:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Dame Linda Carucci be presenting for the San Francisco Professional Food Society (SFPFS) on Tuesday, May 3 at Ketchum Food Studio in San Francisco. It’s called Seasoning to Taste: An Interactive Guided Tasting Experience and it’s based on a fun program that she developed when she worked at COPIA. This is similar to the program she presented for Friends of the Rockridge Library a couple of years ago. However this May 3 program also includes a buffet dinner featuring her grandmother’s mouthwatering Baked Stuffed Manicotti which will be prepared by her friend Tamara Westerhold of Cherubina Catering in Marin. 

    Linda has been a member of the SFPFS for many years. This program is open to dames and their guests. The event hasn’t been announced to members (nor is it live on the SFPFS website) yet, so if you’d like to attend, click here to contact Linda via email so she can follow up with you.

  • Wednesday, April 06, 2016 9:06 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    SF/Sacramento Dame Amina Harris presents a Honey Sensory Experience at the Mondavi Institute at UC Davis May 20-21, 2016

    More information at:
    http://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/honey-sensory-experience

  • Wednesday, February 17, 2016 9:11 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Congratulations to these San Francisco Dames on being nominated for the 2016 James Beard Foundation Awards!

    Outstanding Chef,
    Dame Nancy Oakes

    Outstanding Restaurant, Acquerello, Dame Suzette Gresham

    Outstanding Restaurant, Foreign Cinema, Dame Gayle Pirie

    Television Program, in Studio or Fixed Location, Jacques Pépin Heart & Soul, Dame Tina Salter

    http://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/2016-jbf-restaurant-and-chef-award-semifinalists


  • Thursday, January 21, 2016 4:25 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    All welcome to Dame Jeannette Ferrary's opening for "Eating Alone" at the City Arts of San Mateo Gallery, an exhibition of what she calls her "food-obsessed street photography" which explores the phenomenon of solitary dining from San Francisco to Paris, New York to London.

    Thursday, Jan. 28, 6 - 8 pm

    City Arts of San Mateo Gallery
    Peninsula Ballet Theatre Building,
    1880 South Grant Street
    San Mateo

     

    Hors d'oeuvres and wine. More at: 

    http://www.cityartsofsanmateo.org/events.htmhttp://www.cityartsofsanmateo.org

  • Monday, December 21, 2015 10:55 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    http://www.mercurynews.com/eat-drink-play/ci_29264609/alameda-master-chef-weezie-mott-cooking-teaching-at?source=rss


Les Dames d' Escoffier Int'l-San Francisco
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Les Dames d’Escoffier International, San Francisco Chapter, is a 501 (c)(3) (EIN 20-5341764) Your contribution is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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