Just a bit of background – The founding of Les Marmitons of Keowee
In 2005 Bruce Johnson moved to Salem, SC from Woodstock, GA. He was a member of Les Marmitons of Atlanta and continued his membership, driving to Atlanta to attend events there. While attending social gatherings in the Upstate several acquaintances expressed interest in joining Les Marmitons. By 2008 there were four additional members of the Atlanta chapter who had joined from the Upstate. During the monthly trips to Atlanta the possibility of starting a local chapter began to take shape. The group met to formally petition the board of Les Marmitons International (LMI) and contacted Larry Lodisio, the LMI liaison for new chapter development. After a few months plans were made to hold an organizational meeting and each of the group invited five friends as potential members of the new chapter. The following is taken from the Application for Charter submitted to Les Marmitons International on May 17, 2009.
“The Atlanta Chapter of LMI has been the home of five members who live in the Upstate area of South Carolina and have been regularly attending events in Atlanta. Since the driving distance requires an overnight stay in Atlanta, we sought to begin a chapter closer to home. The five Atlanta members are:
Bruce Johnson
Bill Wayco
Bob Akroyd
Glenn Gilbert
Chuck Schroder
After receiving permission to initiate new chapter activities, we met to form an executive board on 26 January 2009. At this meeting we elected officers, selected a prospective chapter name (Les Marmitons of Keowee), developed a prospective member list, and began planning our first event. Much of this was carried out in conversation with Larry Lodisio, LMI VP for New Chapter Development. We contacted our prospective members and sent them an invitation to join us along with a copy of LMI brochure GBE 1008. Our first event was held 07 February 2009 at the home of Bill Wayco. Larry Lodisio was present as a representative of LMI who provided background information about the organization. Portions of the TV video were shown. We then divided into teams and prepared a series of appetizers which were paired with appropriate wines. The event drew our 5 LM members along with 18 of the 24 prospective members.
Our second event was held on 23 March 2009. This event was held at “Our Daily Bread,” a local “soup kitchen.” Our guest chef was Frank Messana, the owner of a local Italian dinner club, who led us in the preparation of a four course Italian dinner. Use of the venue was free and we charged $50 per person. We netted over $600 for the evening. Attendance included our 5 local LM members plus 16 of our prospective members.
Our third event was held on 11 May 2009 and again at “Our Daily Bread.” Our guest chef, Natalie Veisz from Greenville, SC, is a Johnson & Wales graduate and a free lance instructor at various locations around the Upstate. We prepared a four course dinner based mostly on Asian cuisine. Again we netted over $600 for the evening. Attendance included our five local LM members plus 18 prospective members.
At this point, we have elected not to collect money for dues and uniforms until we have been granted a charter. Once a charter is granted, we intend to formally invite those who have attended at least three events to commit to membership and pay dues and uniform costs. If a charter is granted in June, we will begin collection in July in preparation for a September recognition of our charter and induction of new members.”
We propose the name Les Marmitons of Keowee. Our chapter is located in the Upstate of South Carolina at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area served includes portions of Oconee, Pickens, and Anderson counties including the towns/cities of Salem, Seneca, West Union, Walhalla, Clemson, Pendleton, and Anderson. We take our name from the Cherokee Indian word, “Keowee,” which means “Place of the Mulberries” and was the capitol of the Lower Cherokee Nation.
At this stage we had established a relationship with Tri County Technical College in Anderson, SC for the use of their culinary training facility as our cooking venue to begin in September 2009.
Our charter was granted by the Board of LMI on June 6, 2009 at the Les Marmitons International Gala held in Quebec City, Canada. Bruce Johnson and Bill Wayco were in attendance to accept the charter.
Our first official event as Les Marmitons of Keowee was held on September 21, 2009 at Tri County Technical College. Spouses were included in our celebration, and we were joined by guests from our Sponsoring Chapters, Les Marmitons of Atlanta and Les Marmitons of Canton. Our Guest Chef, Hillary Galagher from Chattahoochee Technical College, who provided meal planning and recipes, was unable to attend due to a serious flooding storm in Atlanta on the day of our event. Our guests from Atlanta and Canton were instrumental in guiding our fledgling chapter in delivering an outstanding dinner.
Our Guests:
Mr. & Mrs Larry Lodisio – Atlanta chapter
Mr. & Mrs. Ron Seiberling – Atlanta chapter
Mr. & Mrs. Ron Laird – Canton chapter
Mr. & Mrs Steve Bloom – Canton chapter
Founding Members: Transferring from Atlanta chapter
Bruce Johnson President
Bill Wayco Vice President
Bob Akroyd Secretary
Glen Gilbert Treasurer
Chuck Schroder Sommelier
Charter Members: Inducted September 21, 2009
Dudley Blair Tom Fuss Jim Hublou Dave Lyle
Jimmy Evans Dave Long Ed Weiland El Henry
Charter Members: Inducted October 12, 2009
Fynn DeHay John Ozols Bob McKenna Pat iafigliola
Charter Member: Inducted November 9. 2009
Paul Trehearne
Charter Presentation, Quebec City – 06 Jun 2009
Les Marmitons of Keowee, Charter Celebration/First Official Cooking Event – 21 September 2009
Standing: Steve Bloom, Bruce Johnson, Jimmy Evans, Ron Seiberling, Dudley Blair, Ron Laird, Tom Fuss, Larry Lodisio, Jim Hublou, Ed Weiland, Dave Lyle, Bill Wayco Seated: Glen Gilbert, El Henry, Dave Long, Chuck Schroder