A Room Full of Dames
Certain invitations carry a quiet weight, signaling that something meaningful is about to unfold. When I was invited to present as a fellow Dame at the Les Dames d’Escoffier International Legacy Awards Boston Experience, I recognized the significance right away.
At Verrill Farm in Concord, we gathered to celebrate Melinda Carbajal. From the moment we stepped inside, the energy was unmistakable—a room alive with women who lead with both heart and skill, each there to lift another.
What the Legacy Awards Mean
Since 2009, with support from The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Les Dames d’Escoffier International has presented the Legacy Awards. The vision is generous and straightforward: to offer women in food, beverage, and hospitality mentorship that can truly change the course of a career.
Awardees spend five days immersed alongside Dames in a host city. They step into kitchens, dining rooms, and businesses that might otherwise remain out of reach, and leave with a circle of women cheering them on.
I love that this program is tied to Julia Child’s name. She was an honorary Dame, and she never stopped learning or teaching. The Legacy Awards carry that spirit forward, one woman at a time.
Celebrating Melinda
Melinda pours her energy into restaurant ownership and hospitality—two worlds that ask for everything you have to give. [Add a sentence or two about Melinda: where she works, what she’s building, and what she hopes to take from her Legacy experience.]
To celebrate her among so many Dames who have built restaurants, wine programs, and businesses of their own felt exactly right. Every woman in the room understood what it takes to keep a dining room full and a team inspired, and every one was cheering her on.
Two Stories of Craftsmanship
The bites, prepared by fellow Dames, carried the kind of care you can taste. The glasses we raised told their own stories of craftsmanship.
Stölzle Lausitz (USA) generously donated their feather-light Fino Champagne glasses and Starlight white wine glasses, and Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard shared three expressive Finger Lakes wines. Great stemware almost disappears in your hand. It lets the wine speak, and as I poured, I watched each wine find its voice in the right glass.
The 2019 Cuvée Brut in the Fino Champagne Glass
I began with the elegant 2019 Cuvée Brut, poured into the Fino Champagne glass. It was the perfect way to open a celebration.
The Fino’s bowl tapers gently toward a sheer rim. The bubbles rose in a fine, steady stream, and that tapered shape gathered the aromas right where you breathe them in. The toasty, brioche notes of a traditional-method sparkling and the wine’s bright citrus arrived together, before the first sip.
Then came the rim. It is so thin that the mousse felt creamy rather than sharp, and the wine’s crisp Finger Lakes acidity glided across the palate. The glass weighs almost nothing in your hand, so all your attention stays on the wine.
The Dry Riesling and Dry Rosé in the Starlight White Wine Glass
For the precise 2024 Dry Riesling and the vibrant 2024 Dry Rosé, I reached for the Starlight white wine glass. Its walls are remarkably thin, and its slender stem keeps warm hands away from the bowl, so both wines stayed cool and lively from the first pour to the last sip.
The Riesling came alive here. A gentle swirl lifted its citrus, stone fruit, and stony minerality, and the narrowing rim kept those aromas focused instead of letting them drift away. On the palate, the thin rim delivered the wine cleanly, and its bright acidity felt precise rather than sharp.
The rosé loved the same glass for different reasons. Its delicate red berry and floral aromas can get lost in a wide bowl, but the Starlight held them close. The clear, thin glass showed off its soft pink color beautifully, and every sip felt fresh, juicy, and bright.
With each sip, I reflected on how these three wines echoed the work Melinda has chosen. The sparkling welcomes you at the door. The Riesling brings the quiet precision behind the scenes, all the details guests never see but always feel. The rosé is the warmth that draws people back. True hospitality needs all three.
Here’s to Legacy
I am grateful to my fellow Dames for creating a space that feels both supportive and inspiring, and to Melinda for the work she brings to our table. It was a privilege to be part of this celebration.
Leaving Verrill Farm, I found myself thinking about what legacy truly looks like. It is a woman who has already made the climb, reaching back for the next. It is a table set by friends, a glass poured with care, and a room that believes in you before you have finished proving yourself.
Here’s to legacy, to women lifting women, and to always pouring with intention.Here’s to legacy, to women lifting women, and to always pouring with intention.
