SCHAUMBURG ILL. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The seven-course menu included lobster wrapped in prosciutto, fillet of black bass and loin of veal, all capped off with a traditional chocolate soufflé with hazelnut sabayon. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Despite the presence of local politicians, including the secretary of state of Illinois, and top chefs and food and beverage executives, attendees were not supposed to talk about business, politics, religion or “personal affairs.” Cell phones were not allowed, and neither was smoking. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The focus was strictly on the excellence of the food, drink and service, and that was just the point. It was the annual dinner of the Chicago chapter of Les Amis D’Escoffier. In an era when casual dining has long eclipsed formal, this soiree, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, showed that all the pomp of yesteryear has not been forgotten. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The dinner, created by Jack Delby, the hotel’s executive chef, was one of several such elaborate, rule-bound affairs that are staged across the United States every year and draw devoted fans. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The events, replete with specially chosen wines, honor the pioneering French chef Auguste Escoffier, who presided over some of the top hotel kitchens in Europe, including at the Ritz in Paris, and is credited with elevating the status of chefs and the culinary arts profession. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Escoffier, who died in 1936, also is revered among culinary professionals for taking the fuss out of haute cuisine, which in his day featured elaborate recipes that disguised main ingredients beyond recognition. His 1902 cookbook, “Guide Culinaire,” inspired countless chefs, and his attention to sanitation and organization in the kitchen set new standards. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
“His importance today is the level of craftsmanship he brought to the profession,” said John Kinsella, president of the American Culinary Federation. Kinsella, who is also senior chef-instructor at Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati, trained in London with one of Escoffier’s last apprentices. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
“We don’t see fine dining much anymore because of casual dining,” Kinsella said. “It is a tradition that needs to be kept.” —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
He added that preparing a Les Amis d’Escoffier dinner allows the chef “to do a really classic meal and to do it properly with all the skills and crafts he needs.” —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Kinsella, who has been a member of the London chapter of Les Amis for close to half a century, said the society remains vibrant today. In fact, he is looking to establish a chapter in Cincinnati. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Les Amis got its start in New York in 1936 and has spawned numerous chapters in the United States and as far away as Beijing. It was established by a group of epicures—many former pupils of Escoffier—after the master’s death in an effort to preserve his culinary traditions. Their first meeting was hosted at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Today, the society’s chapters, including those in New York, Boston and Chicago, have different rules and activities for their affairs, but they also share much in common. They all have dinners at least once a year designed to showcase the presiding chef’s culinary prowess and the excellence of the particular venue’s service staff. They have limited membership—Chicago’s chapter is limited to 99 but includes room at the table for honorees at its dinners. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Some chapters, including New York’s, have created foundations to raise funds for scholarships and educational activities for aspiring culinary professionals. The NewYork chapter held its 71st annual spring dinner in Manhattan on June 1 at the event venue Cipriani 23rd Street. Guests included the 2007 recipient of a $12,000 culinary scholarship. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Most chapters began as men-only organizations, but have long accepted women in their membership. As Les Amis gained interest over the decades, women stepped in with their own organization, Les Dames D’Escoffier, which got its start in Boston and is still going strong there. It has evolved into an international organization to promote women’s culinary and hospitality careers. Boston’s Les Amis chapter continues to have a men-only policy. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
In Chicago, John Kaufmann, a retired chef and former country club owner, presides over the Les Amis chapter and is devoted to preserving its traditions. He says he is guided by the stated aim of the organization “to bring together members of the culinary profession and loyal friends who appreciate good food and good wine; men and women who believe in the adage, ‘live and let live,’ men and women who place friendship above all else.” —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The Chicago chapter’s dinners began in 1959. About half of the members are chefs, with some members from across the United States and abroad, and 14 are women. As in other chapters, members include gourmets, accountants, attorneys and political types. There is currently a waiting list of 15 people. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The Chicago group has honorary members and this spring inducted two, Kinsella and James C. Doherty, executive vice president of Lebhar-Friedman Inc., the publisher of Nation’s Restaurant News. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
Kaufmann, whose father was a longtime chef at Chicago’s famed Drake Hotel, and who himself was a hotel chef, said he has been encouraging more women and minorities to become members. The chapter sticks to its rule of not allowing significant others to attend dinners, but exceptions are made for culinary couples where each is a member in his or her own right. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
The attention to detail and formality was clear at the Chicago event. As at every such dinner, each guest was presented with a hardbound menu—they cost $40 each—and a commemorative plate. According to tradition, diners tucked napkins into their collars. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
According to a history of Les Amis D’Escoffier from the American Culinary Federation, which had early ties to Les Amis when it was formed in New York, the napkin was used to enhance a sense of equality among diners as it obscured the differences in dress between those of different income levels. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.
“The whole thing is about the food and wine and enjoying it and the company,” Kaufmann said. —At a recent formal dinner in this Chicago suburb, 99 men and women sat at a huge u-shaped table to enjoy an evening of fine food and wine and each other’s company.