Come and Join Us!

At our July 12th Gala you will have a unique opportunity to savor fare from Alsace prepared by our area’s best French Chefs and served in an elegant room of the French Embassy with Live Music and a dance floor!

Let us Showcase the Evening

  First you will walk on the red carpet and have an opportunity to be photographed against the event backdrop.

  Then we will welcome you with hors d’oeuvres and of course a glass of Crémant d’Alsace.

  You will be served an elegant multi-course Seated Dinner with wine pairings. (Menu Below) and be entertained with live music.

  Then our favorite DJ will make you dance the night away.

  And you might win one of the great prizes in our Live Raffle or bid on the temptations in our Silent Auction.

  Meanwhile you can start bidding on our Online Auction.

Click here to reserve a seat and join us!

Bastille Day Menu: A Culinary Savoir-Faire

The Menu will have dishes you have heard of but may not yet have had a chance to taste…

...especially at this level of culinary savoir-faire as it is prepared by the best French Chefs of the Washington DC area.

You’ve heard about them, you know them, come and taste what they are preparing for you.

You will recognize the best French chefs of Washington DC and the mid-Atlantic on this special occasion.

These amazing chefs have joined the Bastille Day "Iron Chef" culinary team, with perhaps more surprises to come!

The story of the Choucroute Garnie

The word comes from the Alsatian term Sürkrüt, Sür meaning "sour" and Krüt meaning "cabbage". Its origin is believed to have originated in China over 2,000 years ago and brought to Europe by the Mongols.

Its specific taste comes from a fermentation process. After harvesting, the cabbage is cut into thin strips and then stored for weeks in vats with brine. Cabbage was preserved through fermentation to ensure a supply of vegetables during the winter months.

Choucroute Garnie, the most well-known version, is sauerkraut garnished with various meats and potatoes. Another version, the "choucroute de la mer" is made with fish.

The dish is a part of the broader food culture in Alsace, which values fresh, local ingredients, traditional preparation methods, and the conviviality of shared meals. Passed down from generation to generation, each recipe has slight variations that tell of personal family preferences and regional nuances.

The capital of sauerkraut is Krautergersheim to the south of Strasbourg, where a sauerkraut festival takes place the last week-end in September and on the first Saturday in October. On July 12th it will be in Washington D.C.!

Come Bid on the Silent Auction

The Silent Auction with more than 100 exclusive items will only be available on site.

Come to the Gala to bid on these unique opportunities: creations from exceptional artisans and designers, health & beauty experiences, world-class dining in the finest local restaurants, and more!

Click here to join us!

Meanwhile, we invite you to look at the exceptional prizes you can bid on in our Online Auction.

Click here to discover them.

Bastille Day is the Comité Tricolore’s annual fundraiser. All proceeds from the evening help sustain its charitable mission, serving those most in need in our local community.

Dancing the Night Away

David Dupre is a French DJ from Paris.

After moving to the US, he became very involved in the Los Angeles scene, with residences at the Ace Hotel and the C-Loft in the Art District.

Now established in DC, he is resident at Opaline and hosts the “One For You” show on Eaton Radio.

His style of music is at the meeting point between Chic and Underground.

You may have heard him recently at the Feel Listening Lounge under the name One4u, or at the "Roads to Paris" event organized by NBC at the French Ambassador’s residence for the 2024 Olympics.

Les Expressions Françaises

"Pédaler dans la choucroute"

"Spinning your wheels"

The expression comes from the first Tour de France.

At the back of the race the last van is the "camion balai". It picks up what has been left behind, including any racer that cannot finish the stage.

The first year the van was covered with ads for some choucroute brands.

The racers who were forced to give up and took refuge in the van were now “pedaling in sauerkraut”.

The expression left the world of cycling and is being used to talk about someone who works hard but gets nowhere.