Culture, Career & Beauty Weekend hosted for prestigious African American debutant program
Two-day program featured the Taste History Culinary Tour to Lake Worth and Lantana; and a Career & Beauty Day at Macy’s Boynton Beach. Sponsored by Macy’s and Iris Apfel
Photo: At Hoffman’s Chocolates in Downtown Lake Worth for the Taste History Culinary Tour hosted for the debutants of the Frances J. Bright Woman’??s Club. L-R: Chelsea Maloney, Jacobi Peavy, Annabelle Dormescar, Dawnesha Williams, A’??Lexus Garnett, Tyler Grant and Ariel Williams with Lori J. Durante, Executive Tour Director for Taste History Culinary Tours. The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History hosted the Culture, Career & Beauty Weekend Seminar for the 2015 debutants of the Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club (FJBWC). The program included a two-day agenda that started on March 14th with MLFH’??s Taste History Culinary Tour of Historic Lake Worth & Lantana where the debutants tasted new foods; met local artists and learned about other cultures, history and Viva Florida. On the second day of March 15th the Career Day was held at Macy’s Boynton Beach with a stellar line-up of speakers representing creative and medical professions who came from Washington, D.C., New York City, N.Y.; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Pembroke Pines, Florida and Boca Raton, Florida. The FJBWC was established in 1959 in honor of one of the first black woman teachers in southern Palm Beach County, Frances J. Bright. The prestigious debutant program and the annual cotillion were created in 1967 to offer striving African American high school girls etiquette training and raise monies for scholarships.
Palm Beach County, Florida – – – The Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History hosted the Culture, Career & Beauty Weekend Seminar for the 2015 debutants of the Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club (FJBWC). The program included a two-day agenda starting on March 14th with MLFH’??s Taste History Culinary Tour of Historic Lake Worth & Lantana where the debutants tasted new foods; met local artists and learned about other cultures, history and Viva Florida. On the second day of March 15th the Career Day was held at Macy’??s Boynton Beach with a stellar line-up of speakers representing creative and medical professions who came from Washington, D.C., New York City, N.Y.; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Pembroke Pines, Florida and Boca Raton, Florida.
The FJBWC was established in 1959 in honor of one of the first black woman teachers in southern Palm Beach County, Frances J. Bright. The prestigious debutant program and the annual cotillion were created in 1967 to offer striving African American high school girls etiquette training and raise monies for scholarships. The current 2015 class of debutants attend AtlanticCommunityHigh School in Delray Beach and Palm BeachCentralHigh School in Wellington, Florida.
“??Career, Culture & Beauty weekend was created especially for the debutants with the objective of exposing these striving young ladies to new cultural foods, emerging artists, other Florida history and unique careers”?, says Lori J. Durante of the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History, who developed the program.
The MLFH Taste History Culinary Tour featured international food tastings at the Cheese & Wine Café in Lantana; and in downtown Lake Worth at South Shores Tavern, Brogues Downunder, The Java Juice Bar and Hoffman’s Chocolates. The debutants also met local artists at the Lake Worth Art League Gallery, the Artisans on the Ave Gallery and met Finnish artist Sami Makela at his namesake gallery Makela Art Studio. The debutants were also excited about the Going A-Wall murals created by Tekk 6 and Ruben Ubiera which was organized by the Bruce Webber Gallery. The walking component of the tour traveled thru Lake Worth’??s LULA Arts District that featured the 1941 Lake Worth Public Library, 1924 Lake Worth Playhouse and the James Monument.
The roster of speakers at the Career Day were interior designer Angela S. Colley, President of the American Society of Interior Designers-South Florida Chapter; David Green, Vice President at Macy’s; eye Dr. LaMia Jones of Novi Eye Associates; Pharmacist Dr. Renee Jones of Nova Southeastern University; Megan Mikailonis of Macy’s; and Architect Vicki Soderlund of Soderlund Architecture. At the conclusion of the program, each debutant received a makeover in Macy’??s beauty department.
The has rated Taste History as one of the “established food tours in Florida”.? VisitFlorida said about Taste History “the mission is both education and entertainment”.? Created in 2011 as the first culinary history tour of its in kind in Palm Beach County, Taste History has grown to feature five cities that are West Palm Beach; Lake Worth and Lantana; and Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. The tour partners include family-owned eateries, cafes, markets, bakeries, juice bars, tea bars; art galleries and non-profit cultural centers highlighting local artists. Lori J. Durante, Executive Tour Director, developed the Taste History Culinary Tours as an extension of the Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach that began in 2004 which has hosted more than 8,000 people. Combining the culinary and narrated tours, more than 10,000 people have been hosted, to date. “I took the Narrated Bus Tour and enriched it by adding food tastings which morphed into the Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County”, says Lori J. Durante, Executive Tour Director of the Taste History Culinary Tours.
Sponsored by Macy’??s, Kingston Fresh, Carl and Iris Apfel, the 2015 dates are set for the Taste History Culinary Tour delivering an engaging taste of the cuisine, culture, art and history of the main streets and historic districts in Northwood Village/West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach; and Lake Worth and Lantana.
Offered year-round, the Taste History is a four-hour food-centric narrated excursion of bus riding and four to six blocks of walking through historic districts for alternate visits to eateries, markets, and an urban farm for food history, food culture facts, foodways information and food tastings. At least three to four eateries are visited per Taste History tour along with trips to historic buildings, cultural centers or art galleries. Tour guests meet the restaurant owners and chefs; and directors and artists of the cultural centers and art galleries. Florida history is narrated by a guide.
The international news agency has included the Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County in its roundup of . Taste History landed in good company too. The Culture Trip is a global online news agency, showcasing the best of art, food, culture and travel for every country in the world.
Effective January 1, 2015, rates changed to $45 to $50 per person; free for children under age 14 (accompanied by a paid adult family member). Tickets can be purchased at tastehistoryculinarytours.org. Pre-payment is required. For information, call 561-243-2662 or E-mail . Private group tours are also available at special rates.
The food tours board at Macy’s (Outside at the East Entrance) located at 801 N. Congress Avenue, Boynton Beach, FL.
The Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County program is a food eating, art and history experience offered by the non-profit Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History (MLFH) and sponsored by Macy’s, Kingston Fresh and Carl and Iris Apfel; and bequests from the late Patricia Ann Ravo and the late Boris & Edith Rueger. This culinary tour primarily consists of travels to historic West Palm Beach on the first Saturdays of each month; Lake Worth and Lantana on the second Saturday of each month; and historic Delray Beach and Boynton Beach on the third and fourth Saturdays of each month, year-round at 11am plus private tours are offered during the weekday.
The Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County premiered in October 2011 as the first food tour of its style in Palm Beach County, Florida. Originally, this gastronome tour program was designed to visit historic Delray Beach and Boynton Beach but when the first seven-months sold-out it was expanded to offer more dates and in April 2012 to include historic Lake Worth and Lantana, Florida. The premiere December 6, 2014 West Palm Beach Taste History Culinary Tour featuring Northwood Village sold-out in 72-hours.
Taste History incorporates a rotation of cuisine tastings representing varied cultures that are American Fusion, African American, Southern American, Asian, Brazilian, Caribbean, Continental, Greco-Roman, Italian, English, French, French Canadian, Irish, Australian, New Zealand, Hungarian, Turkish and Ancient Mexican along with farm-to-table and organic tastings. Taste History combines history, culture and cuisine therefore this gastronomy tour infuses food tastings with the history of the State of Florida and the local area along with visits to historic buildings and art galleries.
The non-profit Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County, Florida has been designated one of the official community event partners for the State of Florida’s Viva Florida initiative.
2015 Dates (revised/more dates added)-Taste History Culinary Tours
Saturday, January 3, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana-Special New Year’s Weekend Tour
Saturday, January 10, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, January 17, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach (January 17, 2015 is sold-out)
Saturday, January 24, 2015 – Delray beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, January 31, 2015 â?? Lake Worth/Lantana (extra date added)
Saturday, February 7, 2015 – Northwood Village/West Palm Beach (February 7, 2015 is sold-out)
Saturday, February 14, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana (February 14th is Valentine’s Day Tour)
Saturday, February 21, 2015 – ?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, March 7, 2015 â?? Northwood Village/West Palm Beach (March 7, 2015 is sold-out)
Saturday, March 14, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, March 21, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, March 28, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, April 11, 2015 -?? Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, April 18, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, April 25, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, May 2, 2015 â?? Northwood Village/West Palm Beach (May 2, 2015 is Sold-out)
Saturday, May 9, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, May 16, 2015 -? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, May 23, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, June 6, 2015 – Northwood Village/West Palm Beach
Saturday, June 13, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, June 20, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, June 27, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, July 11, 2015 -?? Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, July 18, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, July 25, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, August 1, 2015 – Northwood Village/West Palm Beach
Saturday, August 8, 2015 -?? Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, August 15, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, August 22, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, September 5, 2015 -?? Northwood Village/West Palm Beach
Saturday, September 12, 2015 -?? Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, September 19, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, September 26, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, October 3, 2015 – Northwood Village/West Palm Beach
Saturday, October 10, 2015 -?? Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, October 17, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, October 24, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, November 7, 2015 – Northwood Village/West Palm Beach
Saturday, November 21, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, November 28, 2015 -?? Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, December 5, 2015 – Northwood Village/West Palm Beach
Saturday, December 12, 2015 – Lake Worth/Lantana
Saturday, December 19, 2015 – Delray Beach/Boynton Beach
Saturday, December 26, 2015 – Day After Christmas Tour to Lake Worth/Lantana
About MLFH
The Museum of Lifestyle& Fashion History (MLFH) is a non-profit 501c3 organization as designated by the IRS. MLFH was established in year 1999 in Palm Beach County, Florida. The Mission of MLFH is to offer educational programs, and history and retrospective anthropology exhibits showcasing lifestyle, cultures, people, places, fashion trends, clothes, architecture, furnishings, decorative arts, interior designs, locomotives and toys, and information about popular uses of artifacts by people/events of various periods of time. In year 2004, MLFH premiered the Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach, Florida. The tours have been hugely popular and rated the Most Unique Travel Gem by AAA Travel Home & Away Magazine. The Historic Tours have hosted more than 7,000 passengers. The mission of the tours is to showcase the historic cultural lifestyle, people, and places. American Express was a sponsor of the Narrated Bus Tours of Historic Delray Beach in year 2007. In October 2011, MLFH premiered its newest program the Taste History Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County. The purpose of the Taste History Culinary Tours is to infuse food history, food culture, foodways and food tastings into facts about the historic districts and pioneer people of Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, and Lantana, Florida (Palm Beach County) along with highlighting art galleries, historic buildings and showcasing the contributions of early settlers. There are more than thirty culinary partners for this program that include restaurants, cafes, an urban farm, historic buildings and art galleries.
About Macy’??s
Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s, Inc., delivers fashion and affordable luxury to customers at more than 800 locations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. Macy’s stores and macys.com offer distinctive assortments including the most desired family of exclusive and fashion brands for him, her and home. Macy’s is known for such epic events as Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks(R) and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade(R), as well as spectacular fashion shows, culinary events, flower shows and celebrity appearances. Building on a 150-year tradition, Macy’s helps strengthen communities by supporting local and national charities that make a difference in the lives of our customers.
About Viva Florida
In 2013, Florida reached a significant milestone, the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de León’s arrival on Florida’s east coast. Building on the success of Viva Florida 500 in 2013, The Florida Department of State continues to work with partners statewide to promote cultural and historical experiences through a multi-year campaign called Viva Florida, which promotes 12,000 years of Floridaâ??s people, places and cultural achievements. For more information visit