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Culture Through Cuisine: Gastrodiplomacy
July 26, 2016 @ 5:30 pm CDT
/ $60Event Navigation
Chef Lenny Russo of Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul has earned the title Culinary Ambassador – a new kind of diplomat who utilizes food as a tool to foster cultural understanding and promote better relations between nations. At a special Culture Through Cuisine, we’ll explore this concept of “gastrodiplomacy” and the one language everyone can speak: food. Over an expertly curated meal that highlights Heartland Restaurant’s sustainable farm-to-table cuisine, award-winning chef, James Beard Award semifinalist, and member of the U.S. Department of State American Chef Corps, Lenny Russo will discuss the role culinary engagement plays in aiding America’s formal and public diplomacy efforts.
Chef Russo has more than 38 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Along with his wife and partner, he opened the original Heartland in 2002. Heartland has received the prestigious Wine Spectator Award of Excellence from 2003 to 2015. From 2008 to 2015, Chef Russo was named a James Beard Foundation Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest. In 2013, he was named to the prestigious U.S. Department of State American Chef Corps. As part of that diplomatic mission, Chef Russo spent two and half weeks in Slovenia meeting with farmers, chefs, artisans, and winemakers, and spoke at the opening of the Slovenian Consulate in Minnesota. Awards both locally and nationally include: Best Restaurant 2006-2009, Best Chef St. Paul, 2007-2009, and Top 100 Restaurants in the World 2008.
Book Giveaway: Global Minnesota members who register will be entered into a drawing for a free signed copy of Chef Lenny Russo’s latest cookbook, “Heartland: Farm-Forward Dishes from the Great Midwest.” Must attend to win.
Want to use a voucher? To register with a voucher, please call us at 612.625.1662. Only certain Global Minnesota vouchers are valid for $10 off a Culture Through Cuisine program. Check your vouchers to verify. Two vouchers may be used at one program for a $20 discount. You must bring voucher(s) to the event to redeem.