About Les Dames d'Escoffier International

Our Mission

Our Mission is to inspire, advance and support women in food, beverage and hospitality to 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.

Guiding Principles

LDEI Guiding Principles are intended to uphold the integrity, professionalism and outstanding leadership upon which LDEI was founded. LDEI is guided in its decisions and actions by: 

Philanthropy

We are committed to creating lasting change in our communities through focused philanthropy.

Diversity

We celebrate the value of differences among people and cultures throughout the world, in our communities and in our chapters.

 Leadership and Professional Development

We are committed to life-long learning, mentoring, career advancement and professional development for our members.

Professional Excellence

We subscribe to the highest standards of professional conduct, ethics and integrity.

Innovation

We are committed to assuring continuing relevance and influence in an ever-changing environment through adaptation, innovation and openness and responsiveness to change.

Code of Ethics

To uphold the integrity of the organization, our members adhere to the following: 

  • Support the Mission/Vision/Guiding Principles of LDEI and abide by the bylaws of both the organization and local chapter.
  • Will not use membership or the name of the organization for personal monetary advantage.
  • Never allow the membership list of the international organization or local chapters to be sold or used for merchandising, promotional purposes or commercial endorsement outside of the organization and its partners.
  • Recommend for membership individuals known to have high ethical standards and professional stature in the areas of food, beverage and hospitality.
  • Maintain the dignity and integrity of the organization and respective local chapter by maintaining the highest professional standards.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), one of our guiding principles is valuing the differences among people and cultures in our chapters, communities, and in the world at large. We believe that LDEI’s openness and diversity is a fundamental strength of our organization and that our mission is best fulfilled when we embrace diversity as a key value and practice.

It’s important to note that we were founded on the very principles of gender equity. LDEI founder Carol Brock saw the inequities that women faced in the food and hospitality industries and made it her goal to make a difference by forming an organization of women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality. By forming a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, we are honoring Carol’s legacy and moving forward with her vision. And by opening up our membership to all qualified women, we are leading by example, building a professional organization in which women of all races, languages, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, physical disabilities, sexual orientations, and religions are welcome.

Les Dames d’Escoffier International believes that there is a place for everyone at our table. Through our programs, awards, initiatives, and Partnerships, we strive to recognize, listen to, and learn from women across all cultures and communities because we know that we are better together.

Our History

Our organization is named after Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935), known as “The Chef of Kings” and “The King of Chefs.” He was the most innovative chef in history, one whose philosophy, accomplishments and philanthropic deeds serve as inspiration to culinary professionals today.

In 1936, a group of epicures, many of them former pupils of Auguste Escoffier, gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City to form a men-only organization of dedicated gastronomes called Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York, Inc.

In the early 1970s, Carol Brock, the then Sunday food editor at the New York Daily News, set about to create the first organization for professional culinary women. She was inspired by the Boston group Les Dames des Amis d’Escoffier, a dining and philanthropic society formed in 1959 in response to the all-male Les Amis d’Escoffier.

Carol received a charter from the New York Les Amis d’Escoffier Society to form a women’s chapter. Her goal was to raise the image and presence of women in food, wine, and hospitality industries still largely dominated by men.  In 1976, 50 prominent women formed Les Dames d’Escoffier New York. In 1985, after five chapters were formed (New York 1976, Washington, D.C. 1981, Chicago 1982, Dallas and Philadelphia 1984), their presidents met in New York to form LDEI. Boston’s Les Dames des Amis d’Escoffier joined LDEI in 1991 and became its Boston chapter.