LES DAMES D’ESCOFFIER INTERNATIONAL OPENS NOMINATIONS FOR GRANDE DAME AWARD
Lifetime Achievement Award Recognizing an Exceptional Woman in Food, Beverage and Hospitality Opens Nominations September 11
New York, NY (September 10, 2026) – Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI), the global organization dedicated to advancing and supporting women leaders in food, beverage, and hospitality, announces nominations for the 2026 Grande Dame Award, the organization's highest honor for a woman whose career has left a lasting mark on the food, beverage, and hospitality industries, will open September 11, 2026. Presented once every two years, the Grande Dame title and lifetime achievement award recognizes extraordinary contribution to the field, a lineage that began in 1977 when Julia Child was named the first Grande Dame and has continued through icons including 2024 Grande Dame, Carla Hall.
Past honorees reflect the full range of the industries LDEI represents. Alice Waters was named Grande Dame in 2009 for pioneering the farm-to-table movement at Chez Panisse; Lidia Bastianich in 2017 for a career spanning restaurants, cookbooks and public television; and Marion Nestle, PhD, in 2018 for reshaping the national conversation on nutrition policy. The title has also gone to wine industry leader Carolyn Wente in 2020, Southern cooking authority Edna Lewis in 1999, and Marion Cunningham, who revised the classic Fannie Farmer Cookbook, in 1993, a nearly five-decade lineage of women who defined their fields and opened doors for the ones who followed. The complete list of Grande Dame recipients is available here.
The Grande Dame nominee must be an active LDEI member, or a nonmember with a long career in food, beverage, or hospitality who pairs outstanding professional achievement with a consistent record of giving back to her community and to LDEI. Chapters may submit a nominee beginning September 11 through October 12. LDEI will announce the 2026 Grande Dame on November 2, 2026.
“The Grande Dame Award celebrates a woman who has not only achieved extraordinary things in her career, but has also spent that career lifting others along the way,” says Marilyn Freundlich, LDEI President. “We hope each chapter will take a moment to consider the women in their community whose leadership, generosity and impact deserve to be recognized with this honor.”
Nomination packets will include the candidate's professional biography, headshot, and a chapter endorsement. Complete packets will be due to Liz Barrett of the awards committee at lizbchicago@gmail.com by October 12. Full nomination guidelines will be available through each nominee's local LDEI chapter starting September 11.
The 2026 Grande Dame will be honored at LDEI's Annual Conference next spring, with travel, lodging, and hospitality provided by LDEI.
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About Les Dames d’Escoffier International
Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) is a global organization of women leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries, advancing women through education, mentorship and philanthropy. Founded in 1985, LDEI includes more than 2,600 members across 40+ chapters in North America and Europe. Each year, LDEI chapters collectively invest more than 50,000 in scholarships, grants and community initiatives supporting women at all stages of their careers. To date, the organization has contributed more than 10 million to educational and philanthropic efforts. For more information, visit www.ldei.org and follow LDEI on Instagram (@lesdamesintl) and Facebook (@LDEIdamesdescoffier).
