Calendar of Events
Note: Meetings are usually held on the second Sunday of each month, September through May, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Currently we are meeting via Zoom, but in-person meetings are held at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland, and occasionally at other venues. The meetings are open to anyone. However, certain meetings may require a fee.
Dining and Entertaining in the Gilded Age
December 8, 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
“Dining and Entertaining in the Gilded Age”
Speaker: Francine Segan, New York City
TALK DESCRIPTION
Spanning from the mid-1800s through World War I, the Gilded Age was a time of calling cards, horse drawn coaches, afternoon tea, cotillions, lawn parties, and formal dinners… a time when even picnics were served on fine china.
Francine Segan will give vivid descriptions of dinner parties, cotillions, and elegant picnics that will transport you back in time. Learn all the popular toasts of the era and when it’s proper to remove your gloves or tip your hat. Learn the 19th century meanings of giving a lady a tulip instead of a rose. Discover why ladies’ magazines of the 19th century advised bringing a bundle of sticks to a party. Learn the calling card equivalent of “unfriending” someone and why the nutmeg grater was the must-have accessory of the 1890s. CHoW members will receive handouts with recipes, further reading, and more.
BIO
Francine Segan is a noted food historian and James Beard-nominated author of six books including Dolci: Italy’s Sweets and Pasta Modern: New & Inspired Recipes from Italy.
An engaging public speaker, author, and TV personality, Francine has appeared on many TV programs, including The Today Show and Early Show and has been featured on numerous specials for PBS, the Food Network, History, Sundance, and Discovery channels. She lectures across the U.S. and is a guest speaker for AARP, attracting many thousands of viewers to her talks. She is a frequent speaker at New York City’s premiere cultural center (the 92NY), and for the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., Virginia Fine Arts Museum, and many others. She recently moderated a panel for the Tribeca Film Festival on food in film with Isabella Rossellini and Stanley Tucci.
Francine writes for several magazines including Epicurious, Saveur and Italy Magazine. Francine Segan is a frequently quoted expert in many newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Scientific American, USA Today, L.A. Times, and Chicago Tribune. For more information: www.FrancineSegan.com