100 Women We Love, Queer Women We Love, Wonder Women

100 Women We Love 2012

June 15, 2012
“Knowing that my election showed Charlotteans and the world that we are not bound by discrimination wakes me every morning with pride,” proclaims LaWana Mayfield, the City Council representative for District 3 in Charlotte, NC, and the city’s first openly gay elected official. Last November, she trounced her Republican opponent in the council election with 78 percent of the vote, replacing an eight-year incumbent. Now, continuously building on her 15 years of activism, her other leadership posts include the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Mecklenburg County Development Corp. Board, Smart Start Board and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund Board of Advisors. Prior to the election, Mayfield took an active role in LGBT activism as the Human Rights Campaign’s Diversity Co-Chair. “I believe that my role, along with growing the City of Charlotte, is to open the door for LGBTQ dialogue and to create pathways to service. I have this amazing opportunity to help direct the growth of the City of Charlotte through my vote,” Mayfield says. “I am right where I am supposed to be, and I love my job!”

Drum roll, please! We’re excited to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—our most diverse group of out entertainers, artists, athletes, activists, business principals and elected officials yet. Each of these women is a superstar in her own right. Their achievements and contributions shape our lives —and elevate us in the eyes of the world . They’re working to raise LGBT awareness, increase our visibility and quicken our progress toward a just society.

We are extremely proud to present the class of 2012. There are no rankings or numbers. They are all leaders.

Elise Kornack
Chef and entrepreneur Elise Kornack vividly recalls the Proustian memory of her childhood home scented with tomatoes, basil and garlic. After honing her craft at the Spotted Pig and Aquavit, she nabbed a spot as a contestant on the Food Network’s Chopped—and won the competition with her creativity, finely tuned sense of flavor profiles and ability to improvise under pressure. Last September, Kornack and her partner founded Take Root, a hybrid business concept combining the ideals of locavore eating with yoga principles. The idea definitely has taken root—and taken off. An offshoot of Take Root is called Brooklyn Rooted, in which Kornack prepares artisanal cuisine for private, unique dinner parties. Recently, she and her partner signed a lease on a commercial space to operate Take Root and Brooklyn Rooted, along with yoga classes and a coffee counter. “Since starting Take Root, we have been touched at the response from our diners and their enthusiasm to join us on our epicurean adventure,” Kornack says, “inspired by our love for one another, our efforts to do what we love and our desire to share that with others.”

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