Chef, TV host, and cookbook author Carla Hall and National Public Radio’s Allison Aubrey open an all-day culinary happening, Bringing It to the Table: Talk. Taste. Transform., on Saturday, September 30, at the National Union Building in Washington, DC.
The full-day event offers multiple breakout sessions where guests learn through tastings, demonstrations, and interactive discussions with the DMV’s leading women in food, beverage, and hospitality. Bestselling cookbook authors sell and sign their books, and local culinary school students host a bake sale.
Women area restaurateurs will engage in a lively give-and-take with attendees about hot-button issues including pricing, service, and the changing dynamic between restaurants and customers. In a session inspired by the hit TV series The Bear, chefs and restaurateurs Najmieh Batmanglij of Joon in Tysons and Amy Brandwein of DC’s Centrolina and Piccolina share their experiences in getting their businesses started. Bestselling cookbook authors including Joan Nathan offer insider views of culinary publishing.
Participants can sign up for tastings of olive oil, honey, coffee, wine, French food, and sake as well as enjoying a hands-on lacto-fermentation class. Other sessions cover the rise of small bakeries, farmers markets, generative AI, and food insecurity among children in DC.
The event is sponsored by Les Dames d’Escoffier, the DC Regional Chapter of an international philanthropic organization. Proceeds go toward supporting women and women-led, food-related organizations in the DC area through grants, mentoring, and scholarships.
Tickets are available on Eventbrite. Early bird ticket prices are $195 per person and increase to $225 on September 25. Tickets include access to events and tastings as well as morning refreshments and lunch from Ghostburger.
Feature image of Carla Hall by Marvin Joseph
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