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The Guild's History |
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Now a vital culinary organization for men and women, our Guild was founded in 1979 by a group of female culinary professionals who yearned to connect with other women like them. They felt inspired by Bostonians past and present, who had accomplished great things in the food world – women like Fannie Farmer, Madeline Kamman, and Julia Child, whose “Julia Child & Co.” was then airing on WGBH. They had been contentedly filling their days with cooking in restaurant kitchens, catering parties, or penning cookbooks -- but still, something was missing. They felt increasingly isolated, and realized that by reaching out to others like them, they could expand their knowledge, learn new skills, and support one another. Friendship wasn’t necessarily a priority for what they named “The Women’s Culinary Guild,” but, indeed, strong bonds were forged. “We don’t think of it as a social group,” they wrote in their introductory letter to prospective new members, “but rather as an association of professionals who would meet to discuss problems and learn together and help each other in an area to which we are all strongly tied.” Those early pioneers include such well-known culinary figures as Lora Brody (chef/cookbook author), Sheryl Julian (food writer/editor), Marian Morash (chef), Sara Moulton (chef), and Ann Robert (owner of Maison Robert, Boston), Dorothy Crandall (food editor), and Ruth Lockwood (Julia Child & Co.). Julia Child advised the group as their “special consultant.” Several of these women attended the Guild’s 25th anniversary celebration (or submitted comments if they simply had to miss it), a grand event held at Upstairs on the Square in Cambridge, and shared what for them was so special about the Guild. “Without the friendship, encouragement, and support of many of the Guild members,” said Lora Brody, ”teaching cooking classes in France would have been as likely for me as a spacewalk.” The first gathering of prospective Guild members was a “big party” about which Sheryl Julian recalled: “It was quite exciting to see a roomful of women – all somehow connected to the food business – who practically fell on one another. The women called and wrote for weeks afterwards to say how much they liked meeting other people who understood what it was like to be in the kitchen, or to write alone all day, and so forth.” Sara Moulton, now executive editor of Gourmet Magazine and a fixture on cable TV’s Food Network, said that her experience as one of the incorporators for the Women’s Culinary Guild helped her later found the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance. One major difference between the two, however, is that the Boston group went co-ed, whereas New York’s Guild remains exclusive to women. Maybe this is because Boston is, in Moulton’s words, “so much friendlier for female chefs than New York.” Whether kitchens run hot or cold to women might not be as much of an issue in Boston, but regardless, there’s still a need connect with kindred spirits, and we like to think that today, the Culinary Guild of New England is expanding that original vision by including not only professionals -- chefs, cookbook authors, food writers, caterers, and restaurant publicists – but also those who are simply passionate about cooking with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients and sharing a beautifully presented, lovingly cooked meal. As we mark our 30th year, we feel reinvigorated to make the Guild even better than ever with an irresistible array of upcoming monthly events, including cooking demonstrations and fireside chats; visits to local farms, wineries, and culinary destinations such as Portland, Me.; a new “Supper Club,” a monthly book group, and so much more. It’s time to truly fulfill our mission -- “to connect, to educate, to inspire” -- which still echoes the original intent of our wonderfully inspired founders and many talented, dedicated, and hard-working presidents and board members who have followed in the years since. ----written by Jennifer Wolcott, 9/2009
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