You snooze, you lose. 

That’s the name of a new series of breakfasts being hosted by CHAMPS, Capitol Hill’s Chamber of Commerce. Each installment of the series will feature an elected official from the District who will address attendees before taking questions.

The first breakfast in the series is at 8 a.m. today with D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown, a Democrat first elected to the council in 2005. Brown will discuss what can be done to help businesses in the District.

According to CHAMPS Executive Director Julia Christian, the goal of the breakfasts is to increase interaction between elected officials and their constituents. 

“We want to find ways to provide forums for business owners and community members to have access to our elected officials,” she said.

Going forward, Christian said, this will be a monthly event, although the exact day may vary based on the officials’ schedules. The next breakfast will take place Thursday, Nov. 3, with at-large Councilmember Vincent Orange. The Democrat was elected in May and sits on the Small and Local Business Development Committee.

The following breakfast will be held Thursday, Dec. 8, with Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells. This Democrat has been on the council since January 2007 and is the chairman of the Libraries, Parks and Recreation Committee.

Admission to each of these breakfasts is $10 for CHAMPS members and $15 for the general public. To register to attend a breakfast, go to the CHAMPS website, capitolhill.org.

Books to Feed Your Mind — 
And Now Your Stomach, Too

Imagine experiencing your favorite works of literature, not as written words but as food.

That’s exactly what you can do at the Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s annual event, “A Literary Feast.” Attendees pick which meal they wish to attend and pay $75 to $1,000 per ticket, most of  which is tax deductible. Proceeds go to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s support of neighborhood schools.

This year’s feast boasts 33 houses, each with a meal based on a different book. The details of these meals can be found at aliteraryfeast.org. Some examples of this year’s offerings include Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” with a “good old-fashioned, down-home Alabama barbecue,” a sampling of traditional Italian food inspired by Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” and a meal based around Voltaire’s “Candide,” featuring regional cooking from the places visited by the author.

Martha Huizenga, chairwoman of “A Literary Feast,” said the inspiration for the event came from a similar one in upstate New York. 

“We decided to try it, and it worked out well for us,” she said.

The event has been so popular that it sells out every year, including this one. Although the feast has reached its limit of 326 people, those looking to attend can register online to be added to the waiting list.