Les Dames d’Escoffier gathered for a holiday luncheon at Al Tiramisu restaurant near Dupont Circle on Dec. 7 to showcase “Sacred Foods of Italy.” Dame Amy Riolo partnered with Al Tiramisu chef/owner Luigi Diotaiuti to lead a gastronomic journey culminating in an elegant buffet of “sacred” foods. Their remarks shed light on culinary traditions that date from antiquity and pre-Christianity to modern times. Luigi is one of the chefs participating in the Department of State’s Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, a cross cultural exchange through food partnering with the James Beard Foundation to bridge other cultures as “everyone speaks the language of food.”