Events
Cooking is central to human life, culture, and politics around the world. Food can be a literal carrot or stick in international relations.
Culinary diplomacy, therefore, has become a part of many countries’ soft power initiatives, attempting to win the world’s hearts and minds – and stomachs.
How does culinary diplomacy work? How can we use food to help bring people together and encourage greater cross-cultural understanding and international cooperation?
Join Perry World House and The Culinary Diplomacy Project for a virtual event exploring these questions and more through a moderated panel discussion and cook-along demonstration with renowned chefs Marc Murphy and Amanda Freitag, accompanied by Ed Beetar. The discussion will be moderated by Lauren Bernstein, Founder & CEO of The Culinary Diplomacy Project.
If you would like to cook along, stay tuned and we'll share the ingredients you need soon. Sign up for this virtual event, and details of how to take part will be in your order confirmation email.
SPEAKERS
Amanda Freitag - through her work in professional restaurant kitchens, as a food television personality and now author - has become more than a chef, she is The Chef Next Door. While the moniker is derived from the title of Amanda’s first cookbook, The Chef Next Door: A Pro Chef's Recipes for Fun, Fearless Home Cooking (Houghton Mifflin; 2015), it also aptly conveys both her professionalism and warm, accessible personality. These traits have served her well as a judge on Food Network’s hit series, Chopped, and as the co-host of Food Network’s American Diner Revival with Ty Pennington.
Marc Murphy is a Chef & Restaurateur who has been cooking for over thirty years. Son of a globetrotting diplomat, he started in some of the most highly esteemed kitchens in the world from Paris to Monte Carlo and today is one of New York’s most celebrated chefs. He is a judge on Food Network’s top-rated shows, Chopped and Chopped Junior and has appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, The Today Show, Good Morning America, HSN, and the Rachael Ray Show among others.
Ed Beetar is a professional translator, amateur standup comedian, and committed social activist. In 2013, he moved from Syria to the U.S. because of the escalating conflict in the region. Before fleeing, he worked as a journalist in Aleppo, boosting recognition of various social and cultural events across the city. Shortly after settling in the U.S., Ed co-founded KAMA DC, and became a member of the #1JourneyFestival Core Team. Both organizations advocate for refugees. Recently, after getting his U.S. citizenship, he founded “TranslatorAlliance.com” a platform for clients to communicate directly with A-List translators to save their times and costs.
MODERATOR
Lauren Bernstein is the Founder and CEO of The Culinary Diplomacy Project. Previously, Lauren was the Director of the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership in the Office of the Chief of Protocol at the U.S. Department of State. Working with prominent chefs from across the country, Lauren programmed chefs in various public diplomacy efforts both at home and abroad to 47 countries on 65 trips.
