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Les Amis d'Escoffier Society of Los Angeles
L'Homme n'est juge digne de porter la toque
blanche que par son travil parfait.
-Auguste Escoffier
For
On-line Tickets to the 2007 Escoffier Dinner December 3rd at the
California Club click here now - we have limited seating
Please purchase your
tickets by Nov. 29th at 6pm.
The
California Club is noted as one of the finest clubs in the world.
Photos
from the 2005 Escoffier Dinner at the Beach Club in Santa Monica
Scroll down for highlights from the
2004 Escoffier Dinner
at the California Club and information about the Escoffier Society.
Hello Friends,
Pictured left to right is myself, Chef Whitney
Werner CEC, Escoffier Society President, Nino Osti of the renown
Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills and Joel Fisher PH.D, Sommielier,
taken during our 2004 Les Amis d'Escoffier Society dinner at the
California Club in Los Angeles in December.
Scroll down and I will show you some pictures of the entrees
prepared in the manor of Escoffier by Chef Jean Marc Weber, and
friends of Escoffier who joined us, but first here’s some
background on how the Escoffier Society came about and it's relation
to the American Culinary Federation.
At the American Culinary Federation's 1972 National Convention,
President Jack Sullivan, asked if there was any connection between
Les Amis d'Escoffier and the American Culinary Federation.
Although begun 35 years earlier, the details of Les Amis
d'Escoffier's origins were obscure by the time President Sullivan
questioned the delegates.
In 1936, approximately a year after the death of Georges Auguste
Escoffier, members of the American Culinary Federation in New York
City invited hoteliers and leading citizens to join with the chefs
to preserve the culinary traditions of the master.
Then-ACF President Charles Scotto, well-known as Escoffier's
"most beloved apprentice," and General Secretary Joseph
Donon hosted the premier meeting of their new society for gourmets
in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on March 30, 1936.
Rules were established that forbade drunkenness. Only wine or
aperitifs were served. Les Amis prohibited smoking at table,
claiming that anyone who smoked between courses did not deserve the
title of gourmet. Speech-making was not allowed either. Ultimately,
dining rules required silence during dinner so guests could focus on
the dish at hand without distraction.
Because members of Les Amis d'Escoffier met as equals who were
joined together by the call of gastronomy, there was no dais or
guest of honor at the meals. During its first 15 years, the New York
City chapter arranged its tables in the shape of an "E."
To further enhance their sense of equality, all diners tucked their
napkins into their collars. This obscured the differences in dress
between diners of different income levels.
The bib also functioned like a uniform, signaling to diners that
they were members of an exclusive organization. This custom so
powerfully reflected the ideals of Les Amis d'Escoffier that it
became a copyrighted motto: "La Serviette au cou."
There was a single restriction on the menu - one dish had to come
directly from Escoffier's repertoire, and one had to come from the
chef's own.
Interestingly, ladies were not invited to Les Amis diners until
the 1950s, though Scotto had proposed that at least one such dinner
per year be opened to them because, as he rightly observed, women
were as interested in fine cookery as men.
Fifty members attended the first dinner in the Waldorf. ACF
chefs, upper management of the Waldorf-Astoria, Inc., local
hoteliers, and high-profile journalists attended. Within a year,
there was a waiting list for membership.
Donon was the power behind Les Amis. When Scotto died suddenly in
October 1937, Donon held a powerful sway over the ACF itself.
Les Amis continued its traditional dinners until 1943 then, in
the face of wartime food rationing, suspended its activities
"for the duration." Revived in 1946, the society continued
growing at a steady pace.
After the war, the two organizations operated independently,
though held together in a personal union through Donon. The ACF
struggled to become a true nationwide organization and focused on
its chapters and the new Academy of Chefs.
Donon remained as ACF General Secretary but chose to concentrate
on Les Amis. In 1958, he broke Les Amis d'Escoffier away from the
ACF and converted it into the Friends of Escoffier Foundation. Donon
left to pursue his dual dreams of promoting culinary education in
America and erecting a museum to Escoffier in France.
Thus, the 22-year bond between the ACF and Les Amis d'Escoffier
was broken. During the 1960s the two groups grew further apart,
though many ACF members were also active in Les Amis.
Consequently, Jack Sullivan's question to the delegates at the
1972 ACF National Convention was not ill-informed. Time had created
a void where the memory of the relationship between the ACF and Les
Amis was lost.
Les Amis d'Escoffier was born from the fruitful mind of Joseph
Donon in 1936, and the organization symbolizes the integrity of the
professional chef and the true gourmet to this day. As the parent of
Les Amis d'Escoffier, the ACF can be proud of its offspring.
If you are interested in starting your own chapter you may contact Dr. Stanly Nicus
at the Castle Restaurant.
About the author: Martin T. Oliff is an assistant university
archivist and doctoral candidate in U. S. History at Auburn
University, Alabama. Reprinted by permission from the author. May be
reprinted by active ACF chapters for use within normal chapter
operations.
Note: We will be posting the pictures, and more,
until then here is the 2004 menu.
Les Amis d'Escoffier
The California Club, Los Angeles
6 Decembre 2004
Jean-Marc Weber, Executive Chef,
The California Club
(Picture coming soon)
La Reception
Hor d'Oeuvre Varies
Nocolas Feullatte Brut
Reserve Particuliere
Le Diner
Terrine de Homard en Gelee
d'Estragon et Creme de Caviar
Duval-Leroy Bmt Rose Champagne
Mousseline de Saint-Jacaues au
Moules et Safran
Chablis "Tete d'Or" 2000
Domaine Billaud-Simon
Pigeon Roti au Vin de Banyuls
Galette de Celeri Rave
Vougeot ler Cm 1999
"Clos de al Perriere"
Domaine Bertagna
Filet Mignon de Veau
"Rossini" Duxelles de Champignons Sauvages
Chateau La Lagune 1986
3eme Cm Haut-Medoc
Le Reblochon Tiede avec Tuiles au
Cumin
Gewurztraminer "Harth" 2001
"Cuvee Caroline", Domaine Schoffit
(Picture Coming)
La Palette de Chocolat Avec Son
Nougat aux Amandes
Blandy's 5 Year Old Madeira
Cognacs & Cigars
Event Photos
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