Seven years ago, Tales of the Cocktail® partnered with Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) to start The Dame Hall of Fame®, a celebration of women who have made unique and lasting contributions to the global hospitality industry. Dame Hall of Fame® serves to acknowledge female leaders and encourage mentorship throughout the beverage and hospitality industries. Continuing this practice under new leadership and the newly formed Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and LUPEC will recognize the work of five outstanding women in the industry by inducting them as the newest members of the Dame Hall of Fame®.
These Dames helm award-winning cocktail programs, run worldwide non-profit organizations, create hundreds of jobs through business ownership, own and represent category-defining spirits brands, mentor and educate, and lead the vanguard of beverage and social innovation in the global beverage community. To Tales, a Dame is an inspiring, accomplished woman whose story deserves to be told and toasted, someone others aspire to be.
“The Dame Hall of Fame is one of the most wonderful parts of Tales,” said Caroline Rosen, Executive Director of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. “We’re so excited to honor these five incredible women, and to build the Dame Hall of Fame into a continuous mentorship program for women in the industry.”
The exemplary individuals below are this year’s inductees and will be honored at a celebratory ceremony held at Brennan’s on Friday, July 20 as part of the 16th annual Tales of the Cocktail®.
The Dame Hall of Fame induction will begin with a cocktail reception at 11:30 a.m. A champagne toast and fabulous New Orleans style lunch with paired cocktails will follow from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Lunch will be prepared by acclaimed female chefs Kristen Essig of Coquette, Haley Bitterman of Brennan’s, and Kelly Fields of Willa Jean with cocktail pairings from talented female bar talent, Lu Brow of Brennan’s, Gina Chersevani of Buffalo Bergen DC, and Lynette Marrero of Speed Rack.
Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased here: https://tickets.tocstaging.wpengine.com/p/session/30680772461463210.
This event is close to selling out, so reservations are encouraged to be made sooner rather than later.
2018 Dame Hall of Fame Inductees:
Brooke Arthur
Partner & Vice President, Global Education and Advocacy
House Spirits Distillery
Los Angeles, CA
Abigail Gullo
Head Bartender
Compere Lapin
New Orleans, LA
Paige Aubort
Group Operations Manager
Mary’s Group
Sydney, Australia
Monica Berg
Founder
P(our) Foundation
London, UK
PIONEER AWARD RECIPIENT
Señora Carmen Alicia Villarreal Trevino
Head of Pueblo Viejo Tequila
Los Altos de Jalisco
Señora Carmen Alicia Villarreal Treviño: As the head of Pueblo Viejo Tequila Señora Carmen has broken through the glass (and machismo) ceiling of the Tequila industry while creating an ecologically and socially responsible company. From implementing in house child care for the women who work in the bottling facility to opening a shelter for homeless teenage girls and single mothers in Guadalajara, Señora Carmen lives her life actively supporting the women in the many communities of which she is a part.
The Dame Hall of Fame® induction ceremony is a featured event out of more than 200 events scheduled for this summer’s annual Tales of the rnCocktail®, held from July 17-22 in the heart of the French Quarter. rn During the event, Señora Carmen Alicia Villarreal Trevino, head of Pueblo Viejo Tequila, will be honored with the 2018 Pioneer Award, annually awarded to one woman who has blazed the trail for other women to follow.
To view the past Dame Hall of Fame inductees, please click here.
