Our Mission
Our Mission is to inspire, advance, and support women in food, beverage, and hospitality and achieve excellence in leadership and philanthropy.
Our Vision
Our Vision is to be the preeminent global professional association for women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries.
Les Dames d’Escoffier, NC Chapter is one of 44 Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) includes 2,400 members in 44 chapters in the US, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.
The North Carolina chapter of Les Dames D’Escoffier International is a non-profit organization of women leaders in NC’s hospitality, food and beverage industries committed to inspiring, advancing and supporting the women in our communities today and the next generation of female leaders. We are a vibrant and growing chapter and our members are recognized as influential leaders with extensive experience, exceptional talents and a genuine commitment for supporting our fellow women. We reside throughout all regions of NC, find ourselves at various points of our careers and work within a variety of fields. We are chefs, sommeliers, bakers, restaurant owners, farmers, teachers, dieticians, food producers, marketers, publicists, and food writers.
The organization is named after Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) from France who is known as “The Chef of Kings” and the “The King of Chefs”. He is recognized as the most innovative chef in history, one whose philosophy, accomplishment and philanthropic deeds serve as inspiration to culinary professionals today.
Les Dames d’Escoffier, the first organization for professional culinary women, was created in 1976 by Carol Brock, a Sunday food editor at the New York Daily News. Inspired by the Boston group Les Dames des Amis d’Escoffier, a dining and philanthropic society formed in 1959, her goal was to raise the image and presence of women in food, wine, and hospitality industries.