LET’S TALK IS A COLLABORATION OF WOMEN RESTAURATEURS TO BUILD COMBINED ECONOMIC POWER. IT IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION, IT IS NOT AN ENTITY, IT IS AN ACTION-LED MOVEMENT BY WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS AS PEERS.
City Cohosts
Anne Quatrano
Deborah Van Trece
Rosa Thurnher
Jen Ziskin
Nancy Cushman
Nancy Matheson-Burns
Jodi Fyfe
Julia Shell
Korina Sanchez
Mary Aregoni
Rohini Dey
Sarah Stegner
Carla Chalkley
Joby Bowman
Terri Graber
Anne Boninsegna
Royce Carpenter
Paula Haines
Wendy Miller Pugh
Alli Jarrett
Sharon Haynes
Tracy Vaught
Anne Shadle
Brie Golliher
Ouita Michel
Anomalous Campbell
Dana Spandet
Marilupe Moreno
Desta Maree Klein
Barbara Sibley
Maricel Presilla
May Fridel
Naama Tamir
Charleen Badman
Lori Hassler
Tracy Dempsey
Brooke Maynard-Perez
Kat Cirar
MacKenzie DeVito
National Collaborations
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. March 1st-8th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. March 1st-8th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Look out for details by city.
Come drenched in gold and glamour.
To our gourmet parties with a national footprint.
Tasting stations & cocktails by 10-30+ restaurants in each city.
Hosted by women owned businesses.
For the entire city, all men and women are welcome.
Revel in your city’s gourmet power.
Feast, Drink, DJ, Dancing, Meet YOUR Restaurateurs, & More.
See 2022 national video 2022 WHM/IWD Let’s Talk & Celebrate.
National celebrations to kick off Women’s History Month.
By 700+ leading women restaurateurs & entrepreneurs.
Backed by: National Champion Sysco
Let’s Talk Change Women’s Summit 2022.
Let’s Talk Change Women’s Summit 2022.
Kicked off Women’s History Month with an unconventional, virtual, power packed two hours for women entrepreneurs and executives. A deliberate antithesis to the many vanilla forums that abound. To revolutionize change within ourselves and around us. To amplify our ability to ask, be seen, and be heard. The four components are:
- Transformational Women Speakers. Stay tuned…
- McKinsey & Co. Remarkable Women Change Module. Presented by TED speakers, author, founders & leaders of this program Joanna Barsh and Natacha Catalino.
- Men on Change. Jose Andres (Founder/CEO ThinkFoodGroup, Humanitarian World Central Kitchen), Danny Meyer (Founder/CEO Union Square Hospitality Group, Founder Shake Shack), Andrew Zimmern (Host Bizarre Foods, What’s Eating America, Founder Passport Hospitality & Intuitive Content)
- Meet the Change Makers. Sarah Alter (President NextUp, formerly Network of Executive Women), Therese Gearhart (President, Women’s Foodservice Forum), Deborah Mintcheff (President, Les Dames d’Escoffier International), Joanna James (Founder, MAPP), and Rohini Dey, Ph.D. (Founder, Let’s Talk Womxn).
City Collaborations
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Chicago. March 2nd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Chicago. March 2nd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Come drenched or accented in gold and glamour.
Chicago gourmet bash with a national LTW footprint.
30+ tasting stations & cocktails all evening.
Feast, Drink, Gold Drag Show, DJ, Dancing, Meet YOUR Restaurateurs.
All men and women are welcome.
Revel in your city’s gourmet power.
National celebrations to kick off Women’s History Month.
By 700+ leading women restaurateurs & entrepreneurs.
Backed by: National Champion Sysco
Buy Your Chicago Tickets now!
$125 VIP tickets 5-9pm, $95 tickets 6-9pm, afterparty 9pm on.
Chicago Participants: Vermilion. Eden. Prairie Grass Cafe. Dandy Crown. Saigon Sisters. Frontera Grill. Nobody’s Darling. Soul Veg City. Bistronomic. Pretty Cool Ice Cream. Floriole. Moe’s Cantina. Antique Taco. NaKorn. Taste of the Philippines. Egg Rolls Etc. Exquisite Catering. Victus Foods. Verzenay. Birch Road Clubhouse. Imee’s Kitchen. Lexington Betty. Moonwalker Cafe. Sole Ingredients. 1308 Chicago. Casati’s. Banato. Volition Tea. Fat Miilk. Inspiro Tequila. Spice Note Tequila. Bittersweet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Boston. March 1st. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Boston. March 1st. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Join Let’s Talk Womxn Boston on March 1st for a night of Gold, Glamour & Gourmet to celebrate the women in food & beverage of Boston. This LTW Gala is a collaboration of over 15 Women-Owned Boston Restaurants + Distilleries + Bakeries + Breweries and promises to be a night filled with delicious food and drink.
With Heritage of Sherborn, Turner’s Seafood, Brine, Thistle & Leek, Dole & Bailey, Jinny’s Pizza, Boston Harbor Distillery, Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen, Remnant Brewing, Urban Grape, and much more! This gala will be held at an exclusive location in the Back Bay to be released one week prior to the event.
Gold. Glamour. Gourmet. Celebrate Women’s History Month with AZ Women in Food
Gold. Glamour. Gourmet. Celebrate Women’s History Month with AZ Women in Food
Tasting stations, wine, cocktails, DJ, Burlesque entertainment, and an all around good time with our family of women entrepreneurs in Food and Drink.
March 2nd
5-9pm
The Farish House
816 N 3rd St
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Cincinnati. March 5th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Cincinnati. March 5th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Join us for a foodie celebration by 16 members of Let’s Talk Womxn of Cincinnati. The event will be held at 21C Museum Hotel in Downtown Cincinnati from 5-8 pm and will include 16 food and beverage tasting stations (vegetarian options available at all stations), alcoholic tastings, henna tattoos, DJ Monet and an in person panel with all the women business owners participating that evening. We invite all of Cincinnati, its men and women, their friends and companies to join us in this ultimate gourmet celebratory party of the year. (Carryout options also available for pick up or Door Dash delivery. ) Must be 21+ for in-person event.
Enjoy fare and drinks by: Aladdin’s Eatery, BrewRiver Creole Kitchen, Supremo Oils, Laura’s Healthy Delights, Eden’s Creations, Sweets & Meats BBQ, The Symphony Hotel & Restaurant, TAG’s Cafe, Sugar Baby Bakehouse, Birch & Bloom Charcuterie, Mi Cozumel, Rollin’ Bowls, The Kentucky Millstone, The Arepa Place, A Toast to the Good Life Mobile Bartending Services, & Unataza Coffee.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Houston. March 5th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Houston. March 5th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Kentucky. March 2nd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Kentucky. March 2nd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Milwaukee. March 8th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Milwaukee. March 8th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Columbus. March 6th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Columbus. March 6th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Seattle. March 2nd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Seattle. March 2nd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Atlanta. March 3rd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Atlanta. March 3rd. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Minneapolis-St Paul. March 8th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Minneapolis-St Paul. March 8th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Greater NY. March 6th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate. Greater NY. March 6th. Gold. Glamour. Gourmet.
Recent Collaborations
Making Our Industry Better
A no holds barred candid lens into our industry with panelists Andrew Zimmern, Kimberly Brock Brown, Rohini Dey, moderated by Adrienne Trimble. Gourmet Dinner by Let’s Talk Womxn Chicago Diana Davila, Julia Shell, Maya-Camille Broussard, Sarah Stegner and Rohini Dey. Hosted by Let’s Talk Womxn. With American Culinary Foundation. Presented by Sysco. Tickets
Let’s Talk & Celebrate Soirée – Miami
The MIAMI chapter of Let’s Talk Womxn is coming together to host the Let’s Talk & Celebrate Soirée at the new 545 Wyn Rooftop on Wednesday, March 30. Over 25 women participants will collaborate on unique menu items for one special evening. Guests will sample it all while enjoying live music by Yoli Mayor and…
AZ Women in Food Celebration of Women’s History Month
AZ Women in Food is Celebrating Women’s History Month at “The Market by Jennifer’s” with a meet & greet featuring charcuterie and wine starting at 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Visit with the AZ Women in Food team before picking up your lovingly curated bag of homemade sweet and savory items and heading home to…
A Collaborative Tastemaker’s Feast
Let’s Talk Womxn Greater NY is holding a Let’s Talk & Celebrate feasts for Women’s History Month on March 28th 6:30-9pm at La Palapa. This in person celebratory collaborative evening includes tastings and cocktails by eleven women restaurateurs and entrepreneurs for guests with a panel of our Let’s Talk Womxn. Meet Barbara Sibley (cohost), Naama…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Philadelphia
A celebration of female entrepreneurship, featuring a mix of panels and demos, at the intersection of food, business, and lifestyle – plus a can’t-miss cocktail reception in the Fitler Club Ballroom. 12:30pm Registration Opens 1-2:30pm “Being on Camera, Public Speaking, Public Relations” with Jennifer Carroll, Alicia Vitarelli, Kae Lani Palmisano. 3-4pm “Preserving Local Abundance: Food…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Kentucky
A Celebration of International Women’s Day Tuesday, March 8, 2022 5:00pm- 9:00pm Honeywood Restaurant, Lexington KY Reservations can be made on line at www.honeywoodrestaurant.com Or by calling 859-469-824 Eighteen Kentucky Women Owned Food Businesses Coming together under one roof for a wonderful evening of delicious small plates, cocktails and live music Participants: Renee Saunier Brewer-…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Boston
Let’s Talk & Celebrate! Let’s Talk Womxn of of Boston invite you to a surprise takeout multi-restaurant tasting dinner for pick-up and delivery from four zones across Massachusetts on March 8th. Each menu includes surprise courses by 16 of the best local women chefs & restaurateurs. This unparalleled dining experience is paired with a zoom…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Houston
Come celebrate International Women’s Day! Gourmet tasting stations, power women cocktails and DJ make this the ultimate Houston gourmet celebratory bash! Tickets $100 per guest (includes complimentary valet) Participants: Sharon Haynes – Tacos A Go Go Tracy Vaught – Backstreet Cafe, Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi & URBE Alli Jarrett – Harold’s Claire Smith – Alice Blue…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – MSP
What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than to dine together and celebrate women? Join us March 8th to celebrate Minneapolis-St Paul restaurants and its women, dine together, and meet all our local Let’s Talk Womxn restaurateurs and entrepreneurs.
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Atlanta
Join us on Monday March 7 at Epicurean Atlanta for Let’s Talk & Celebrate! Our annual celebration of International Womxn’s Day. Enjoy food, beverage & music from some of Atlanta’s Female Tastemakers, including a panel with Let’s Talk Womxn, and live performances from the Ruby Velle Acoustic Soul Duo. Tuesday March 8 order a Takeout…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate for International Women’s Day
Join us for a celebration on International Women’s Day by 16 members of Let’s Talk Womxn of Cincinnati in Food and Beverage. This annual event will be held at 21C Museum Hotel in Downtown Cincinnati from 6-9 pm and will include 13 food tasting stations (vegetarian options available at all stations based on chosen package),…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Milwaukee
20 women chefs and restauranteurs coming together to celebrate each other and the community. A large grazing table, with an array of cuisine, will be the centerpiece of the event, signifying coming together while celebrating Milwaukee’s beauty and diversity. Music by Roxie Beane & DJ LoLo, and more special guests. Ambiance & plants by Maranta…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate 12 March Collaborative Feasts for IWD & WHM
Let’s Talk Womxn is holding Let’s Talk & Celebrate feasts for International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month across 12 cities: Chicago (3/8), Boston (3/8), Cincinnati (3/8), Kentucky/Lexington (3/8), Minneapolis (3/8), Houston (3/8), Milwaukee (3/8), Atlanta (3/7), Philadelphia (3/28), Greater NY (3/28), Miami (3/30), Phoenix (3/29). These are in person collaborative feasts (dinners, cocktails, tasting…
Let’s Talk & Celebrate – Chicago
Dual festivities of IWD and Chicago Restaurant Week. 25 gourmet tasting stations, power women cocktails, panel, acclaimed DJ Megan Taylor, and dancing make this the ultimate gourmet celebratory bash! Tickets $150 per guest.
Arizona Women in Food – Valentine’s Weekend Package
Order your Valentine’s Weekend Package from AZ Women in Food! Twelve of our women led businesses are building a pack of tasty bites and desserts for you and your Valentine. There are 5 pick up points: 3 on Saturday, 2 on Sunday- So choose the most convenient for you!
Five Restaurant Feast – Dinner & Conversation
Join us Friday, December 3rd at Vermilion. $100 per person for Dine-In & Conversation, 6-9pm $100 for Takeout for 2, 5-6pm
Arizona Women in Food Chef Collab Dinner Series
November’s Collaborative dinner will be hosted at The Farish House at 816 N 3rd St. in downtown Phoenix on Tuesday, November 9th at 6:30pm. Enjoy a six course dinner with optional wine and sake pairings, two small plate dishes from three AZ Women in Food members: Nonna, The Cellar and The Farish House.
Five Restaurant Feast – Dinner & Conversation
Join us Friday, November 5th at Vermilion. $100 per person for Dine-In & Conversation, 6-9pm $100 for Takeout for 2, 5-6pm
Some News
Our Credo
- The goal of Let's Talk Womxn is to build the camaraderie, counsel, visibility, bargaining and economic power of its women entrepreneurs. Together.
- Let’s Talk Womxn launched in the thick of the pandemic in 2020 for women restaurateurs to learn from & support each other. It has explosively evolved to much more. It is a magical innovative B-cube model of “competitors as collaborators.” Started for women restaurateurs, it has grown to include all women entrepreneurs and makers of food and drink.
- Started with 15 restaurateurs in Chicago in 2020, it has grown to 700+ women entrepreneurs in 13 cities across food and drink in just over two years. Three additional cities launched have morphed. Many more US and international cities are in the LTW waitlist and pipeline. Growth is limited only by the bandwidth of its women entrepreneurs and founder.
- This action movement is entirely voluntary. And kept lean deliberately with no dues, overheads, bureaucracy, fancy office, CEO. The frills and financial drain of many conventional entities in our industry. All LTW support and revenue flows to its women entrepreneurs to boost their core businesses.
- The crux is monthly sessions by city with "Deep Dives" into business issues to learn from each other, share counsel and referrals. "Pulse" is to know and help each other. Complete candor & confidentiality underlie these business sessions.
- Each Let's Talk city is Co-Hosted, nourished and led by 2-5 leading women restaurateurs. Cohosts cross-pollinate learnings and successes across cities, including nationally.
- Additional LTW collaborative initiatives have focused on amplifying our visibility, cross-promoting each other, and boosting revenue. These include keynoting summits, cohosting conferences, women’s restaurant weeks, corporate and nonprofit forums, multi-restaurant tasting menus & galas, gift baskets, food fairs, happy hours, joint events with Cities, and supper clubs. LTW have also applied for grants collectively, met with a governor, met city councils for regulation, written OpEds, negotiate with and refer vendors. National events have been held for IWD, WHM and the Women's Right Convention. Much more is always afoot.
- Let’s Talk Womxn participate on forums to share their collaborative uplifting B-cube model for parity. Extends across sectors, within corporations for "intrepreneurs," and across countries.
- For entities, corporations and cities who champion women entrepreneurs, backing Let's Talk Womxn is a natural choice. All LTW members are owners, employers and tastemakers with a mass following at the intersection of dining, consumer and retail. We are sponsored directly or via our 501c3 fiscal sponsor. LTW works actively with its city CVBs, SRAs, COCs, corporations and other partners.
- LTW launched 3 additional cities in 2020 who morphed: Let's Talk Womxn Philadelphia, Let's Talk Womxn DC and Let's Talk Womxn LA. These morphed into Philly Sisterly Love, DC Women in Food & LA RE:Her (see inception GMA, NewsNation, LA Times).
- The X factor in Womxn is an algebraic expression of explicit openness to women owners of all sizes, stripes, color, creed, format, scale, race, orientation, identities, startups or celebrities. All are peers.
- Within six months of inception, LTW was included in NRN Power List Top 50 for inclusive impactful leadership alongside industry giants. A multitude of awards, accolades and media has followed organically along the way.
- Women entrepreneurs in culinary are tired of the deluge of manuals, guidelines, conferences & webinars. Positive intentions that cause glacial change.
- Women owners are tired of being on the fringe of involvement, whether on boards, policy, the media spotlight, or financing. This is dictated by economic power, PR heft, the fawning-over-the-beloved-few "TV celebrity" herd mentality. Let's Talk aims to redress this.
- Let’s Talk Womxn deliberately has no mission statement, no statement of values and no five-year plan. The universe abounds with these well-meaning, murky, unaccountable, lofty articulations.
- Let’s Talk Womxn is founded and led by Rohini Dey, Ph.D. Vermilion restaurateur in Chicago. Formerly McKinsey & Co., former World Bank, and former trustee/founder/chair of the James Beard Foundation Women's Leadership Program for a decade (2011-2021).
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Reach out to Let's Talk Womxn. If you are a woman business owner in food and drink in a city we're in and would like to join us. Our forum is open to all and we'd love to have you.
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- share our collaborative Let's Talk Womxn model, a force beyond DE&I initiatives
- leverage our expertise on all things restaurants, food, drink and entrepreneurship as 550+ frontline owner operators
- tap our pulse as consumers and women with a combined vast following
- partner with us to unconventionally and directly foster change and help women scale