S4 E10 A Legacy of Culinary Diplomacy with Lauren Bernstein

Sabaidee and hello! Welcome back to another episode of LEGACIES.I’m Aven, a chef, storyteller, and Advocacy Ambassador with Legacies of War – and I’m honored to be your host today.In this episode, we get to explore one of my favorite topics: the power of food to build connection, community, and even peace. I have the pleasure of speaking with Lauren Bernstein, Founder and CEO of The Culinary Diplomacy Project and one of the leading voices in using food as a tool for cross-cultural understanding.Today, Lauren and I will explore what culinary diplomacy looks like in practice—and how food can soften political divides, help us tell the truth, heal histories, and build relationships across borders.Lauren is a leading expert in culinary diplomacy, a field that uses food as a tool to build trust, foster cross-cultural understanding, and advance cooperation in times of peace and conflict. She is the founder of The Culinary Diplomacy Project, where she has led global culinary exchange programs bringing together chefs, governments, refugees, and local communities.Through her work, Lauren has partnered with the U.S. State Department, U.S. governors, the Jordanian government, UNHCR, and global hospitality and cultural institutions—creating programs where chefs cook alongside local communities and displaced people, using culturally rooted food to build connection and dignity.Trained as a lawyer and former public defender, Lauren brings a justice-oriented lens to diplomacy and food. Today, she continues to explore how food can serve not only as soft power abroad, but as a tool for healing, truth-telling, and policy change at home.Thank you dear listeners,  for tuning into LEGACIES brought to you by our Innovators Sponsors AKIN GUMP and ARTICLE22. Please continue to listen and follow us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. The theme music used in this podcast are by the Lao Jazzanova Band from Vientiane, Laos.https://www.culinarydiplomacyproject.org/