AWCB NEWS

On November 18 we held our monthly joint tasting with the ACB. Held at the private Prince Albert Club in Brussels, sommelier Rupert Wittebols guided us to try many wines from across the lesser-known wine regions in France (Loire, Gascogne, Lubéron and Madiron) and we made several very lovely new discoveries of wines we had not had before!  

After each wine we had a discussion around the aromas in the wines, good food pairing combinations and also a guess at the prices of the wines – we have some sharp buyers!  In addition to many interesting facts like how to tell if a wine has gone bad, Rupert also had a few surprises for us – tasting the same wine twice which tasted like different wines because one glass was decanted and the other not. 

JOIN THE NEXT TASTING

Our next wine tasting on December 15th is the "Battle of the Bubbles" which will be a fun and tasty evening. It is already sold out but you can request to be put on the waiting list by emailing the ACB at: info@americanclubbrussels.org

Laura Oppenheimer, of Eat Dessert First, is AWCB’s newest sponsor. AWCB Secretary Nicole Wilder had a chance to do a quick interview with Laura to see where she got her start.

How did you get started in the cake business?
I grew up near San Francisco and was surrounded by food from an early age. In our house, life centered around food-preparing it, talking about it, eating it, then analyzing what we had eaten. My parents were interested in fine foods and took us to some of the famous restaurants of the area. We were constantly cooking and baking in the kitchen. I wanted to share a piece of me and where I come from with my children and then it just turned into something that I was doing for my neighbors. I started a career in marketing and communications but sharing a piece of my California with my family and community in Belgium was something I had dreamed about. It became a passion project for me - I wanted to share special high quality American desserts here. 

What brought you to Belgium?
My husband is Belgian and we came here 17 years ago. About 6 years ago, I had a shift in work and my daughter was diagnosed with a pretty serious health problem. Once she got better, I decided to go ahead and start my business. 

How does your business work?
I have a workshop in my residential home and produce only to order. My initial idea was to be a supplier to local businesses. I work with Rob The Gourmet’s Market, Filigranes Bookstore, and the Royal Theatre of Brussels. During COVID, there wasn’t a big demand from the bigger businesses. I offered free delivery to individual customers, reconfigured my webshop and that sector of the business just took off. I now do a lot of big celebrations and birthday cakes as well as supplying businesses. This Thanksgiving, we made large numbers of pies for Rob in Woluwe. I also now have 2 part-time employees. On a slow day, I have 5-6 orders to get ready. 

What does the future look like for your business?
Now that COVID is pretty much past us, I am starting back up with supplying orders for bigger businesses. I continue to deliver my carrot cakes to Rob every Thursday, decorated gingerbread and sugar cookies for the holiday season, as well as pancakes on a regular basis. I am hopeful that I will be working with The Royal Theatre of Brussels and FIligranes again. I also just signed up to supply for a few branches of Carrefour. I will be at Woluwe-Saint-Lambert Commune’s Marché de Noel December 9-11 with cookies and slices of cake. 

Finally, I’m very pleased to be a part of the AWCB as a member and a sponsor. I look forward to baking for you all soon!

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Visit the Eat Dessert First website to discover more and order some amazing desserts!

AWCB President, Lorraine De Bock was invited to attend The Association of American Women in Europe 60th Anniversary celebration at the Cercle de L’Union Interalliée in Paris this afternoon by AAWE President Beth Austin. Guest speaker and author Janet Skeslien Charles gave a touching speech about the life and challenges of expat women that resonated amongst all. Lorraine and Beth will be collaborating on an event for both clubs in the near future and Lorraine has also invited Janet to be a guest speaker for AWCB.

Stay tuned for these wonderful events!

FAWCO News

Education Award and Development Grant Applications are live on The FAWCO Foundation website

As a member of the AWCB, you are eligible for The FAWCO Foundation Education Awards and Development Grants. Start your application today. Deadline is January 27, 2023. Learn more here.

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FAWCO Youth Cultural Volunteers Program 2023

The FAWCO Youth Cultural Volunteers Program is happy to announce that AWC Zürich will be hosting the program in 2023. Dates are during their Easter break April 8–15, 2023. Applications will be open from December 1 until January 31. Space is limited, so get your application in early!

The Cultural Volunteers module of FAWCO's Youth Program is designed to foster cultural awareness and volunteerism among FAWCO youths. FAWCO teens (in high school, aged 15 - 19) are hosted by FAWCO families for a week, and will experience a new culture while volunteering with local charities.

Upcoming FAWCO Events

November 4 to 6 – Region 4 Regional Meeting

Michelle, our FAWCO Representative, will be attending the Region 4 Regional meeting and therefore there will be no FAWCO First Friday in November but she looks forward to reporting back from the meeting in December.

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November 16, Wednesday at 19:00 – Global Issues Book Discussion Series

Meet the author as we discuss In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. An adventurer, social justice warrior and a survivor of sexual violence who works with young women and girls to help them overcome trauma, Vasquez-Lavado has been featured on Hillary and Chelsea Clinton's "Gutsy Women" TV series, and her memoir is being adapted into a feature film. It's sure to be a great talk, register on the FAWCO website!

November 25 to December 10

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, November 25, kicks off the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Wondering what you can do to recognize them? Here is an outstanding day-by-day guide to help us all Learn More, Speak Out More and Do More. Please join us!

Ballots on the way – overseas voting

The United States of America will hold federal, state and local elections on November 8, 2022. You still have time to vote. To register to vote, visit the US Vote Foundation.

October 7, 11:30 - Our FAWCO First Friday in October

Join us on Zoom to find out more about FAWCO and how you can get involved.

Register online

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October 27, 18:00 – FAWCO for Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

Join our expert panel to learn about the goals and progress of CEDAW, its offshoot "Cities for CEDAW," and how FAWCO members can use it to advance the cause of gender equality. This will be an empowering event during a time when the ERA is still stalled and there are renewed attacks on the rights of women.

Register on the FAWCO website

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November 4 to 6 – Region 4 Meeting 

AWC The Hague is delighted to host the FAWCO Region 4 Meeting from November 4–6, 2022. In alignment with the upcoming Target Project, the theme is “Make a YOU Turn.” What can we do as individuals, FAWCO Club members and communities to make the world a cleaner place? More information coming soon on www.fawco.org

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November 16, 19:00 – Global Issues Book Discussion Series (change of date)

Please join us as we welcome the Author Silvia Vasquez-Lavado to discuss her book In the Shadow of the Mountain. A unique opportunity to meet the author and hear more about her inspiring and amazing memoir. Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a Peruvian-American who conquered the Seven Summits that mountaineers strive to achieve. Truly remarkable about her achievement is how her courage took her from a sexually abused child in Lima, to the heights of a Silicon Valley career and finally to the top of the world with feats of physical and mental strength. Silvia's achievements are inspiring for all who fear they can not overcome. Her achievements are long, her courage is endless and her compassion is inspiring. 

Register on the FAWCO website

It was great to see so many members at the Annual General Assembly on September 27th at the beautiful Prince Albert Club which is located centrally in Brussels between the Royal Palace and the Petite Sablon. 

President Lorraine de Bock opened the event and reviewed the wide variety of virtual and in person social and philanthropical events we had over the last year, as well as a view of all the exciting things we have planned for the upcoming year.

Treasurer Kristen Crosson then reviewed the complex financials for 2021 due to the sale of the clubhouse and liquidation of The Gift Boutique.  Following on, the proposed changes and legal updates to the Statutes wer reviewed by VP1 Jan Allen.

There were a lot of good questions and discussion over the financials and proposed statute changes. We are happy to report that all of the items up for vote were passed with an overwhelming majority. The minutes with full details of the meeting and a list of follow up actions will be circulated to members later this week. 

After the AGA we had a cava and a lovely 3 course lunch in the private dining room of the Prince Albert club.

See more images on our AWCB Facebook Group

By Michelle Angelone

Below is the soup recipe I like the best. I top it with roasted pumpkin seeds with the shell off. You can use pine nuts but totally a different taste and texture.

I don’t use the can pumpkin, instead I boil a large cooking pumpkin (peel and cube the pumpkin… remove the seeds to dry for roasting later …)

View the recipe

We are excited to announce that we have just kicked off our annual Angel Tree program! We have reached out to the charities that we have supported last year: Nos Pilifs, Oasis, Alsemberg and La Cite Joyeuse, as well as a new one: Project Lina's.

In the coming weeks, we will be receiving back the list of children that we can help support, as well as kicking off our collaboration with donors and sister clubs. This year, we are adding the University of Notre Dame Alumni Club of Belgium to the list and are looking forward to collaborating with them on this amazing effort.

Please reach out to hope@awcb.org with any questions!

In recognition of the AWCB’s support of Breast International Group (BIG), club President Lorraine De Bock and member Jennifer Constantino were invited to attend a round table discussion in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Mathilde. Her Majesty is the Honorary President of BIG and spent her morning in small group discussions together with scientists, patients, and key fundraisers.

The AWCB delegation was further honored by the presence of the Chair of BIG, Professor David Cameron, Immediate Past Chair and Co-Founder of BIG, Professor Martine Piccart, and the CEO of BIG, Theodora Goulioti, each of whom spent the morning sharing their experience and expertise with us.  

AWCB member contributions from last year’s Breast Cancer Awareness luncheon, as well as our longstanding dedication to breast cancer patients through our Hearts for Hope pillow program were highlighted and celebrated by all.  

As we continue to support BIG and the Hearts for Hope program, please join us at the Breast Cancer Awareness luncheon on October 21st, and hear first-hand from Dr. Goulioti on all that our support of BIG has helped to fund!

Due to the club's focus on finding new sponsors and building a strong relationship with the US Embassy, on the 29th of September, AWCB President Lorraine de Bock and VP1 Jan Allen attended the AmCham Gala Dinner at the Africa Palace in Tervuren. It was a lovely event and location with several hundred attendees. Club member Rhonda Ocha also attended the event and assisted with the networking which was very fruitful! 

We met the Ambassador and his wife Judith, who was very friendly and interested to get involved with our club after learning about our historic background and the many years we had a close liaison with the US Embassy.  Jan was already working on building stronger ties with the US Embassy with one of the Ambassador's Attachés who attended the Whiskey Tasting event in May earlier this year. We hope to have an update to share in next month's newsletter about some future plans with the US Embassy and will keep members posted on how this develops. 

Lorraine, Jan and Rhonda also spoke to several companies who were interested to learn more about sponsorship of the club, as well as several women who were interested to join our club - and a few already did including (Duyen We )are looking forward to welcome more members and sponsors as a follow on from this event!

Through the event we made two new members that we met at AmCham and joined .