Membership in the Cincinnati Bailliage of the Chaîne is by invitation by one of our current members.  Prospective members must be invited to attend at least two events prior to being asked to complete an admission form which must be sponsored by two members.  The timing of the invitation to complete an admission form is subject to any waiting list that may exist at the time. Once the admission form is completed and accepted and all induction fees and national and local dues are paid, the new member will be invited to all future events.

Formal induction, with the awarding of the official membership ribbon denoting the member’s rank, takes place only one time per year, currently in May.

New members beginning their membership in September through December pay local and national dues that are good through the end of the following year.  Current induction fees are $275 (one time only) and national and local dues are $225 and $75 respectively per year.  Voluntary contributions to a local foundation are solicited from our members each year to support scholarships for young chefs, one of the Chaîne’s primary missions.

The Cincinnati Bailliage has nine monthly events per year that all members are invited to, two of which are formal black tie events – our Induction Dinner and our Holiday Dinner.  Four of the nine events are major dinners consisting of five course dinners with matching wines and an opening champagne reception with hors d’oeuvres.  The remaining five dinners are “Dine Arounds” which are less formal consisting of reception hors d’oeuvres, a three course dinner and each attendee bringing a quality bottle of wine to share. The major dinners range between $160 – $175 per person and the Dine Arounds range between $65 – $75 per person plus the wine each person contributes.

In the remaining three months of the year we have dinners by our wine and crafted beverage organization known as Société Mondiale du Vin (Mondiale).  Membership in Mondiale is currently limited to 50 Chaîne members and we have a waiting list of approximately 20.  Mondiale dinners focus on specific varietals, wine regions, wineries or crafted beverages and are primarily educational events for our members.  Mondiale induction fees are currently $60 and national and local annual dues are $35 and $25 respectively with dinner prices ranging between $75 and $125 per person.

Other membership benefits

• Prestigious international organization enjoying recognition in the culinary world.
• Unique combination of Professionals and Non-professionals.
• Access to global network of friends and colleagues with high level of camaraderie.
• Special welcome at Professional member restaurants and hotels.
• Participate in unique gourmet events worldwide throughout the year.
• Meet renowned chefs and vintners who are Chaîne members.
• Chaîne membership status is recognized internationally and is transferable worldwide.

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By way of participating in a Chaîne activity, members and guests implicitly grant permission and hold harmless the Chaîne to use their likeness and those of their guests in photographs in all its publications and any and all other media, without compensation.