The Global Chef Society is a collective of international chefs, bloggers, foodies, and others coming together to produce dining experiences. The experiences are intimate 5 - 12 course dinners, and the proceeds address food insecurity in Africa, Central, and South America. Richard Cook is the founder and culinary curator of the Global Chef Society. He joins us today to speak about their upcoming dinner, CONVO, taking place on May 13th here in Atlanta as part of the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Chef Richard Cook, the founder of this unique event, joins us.
I ask Cook how the concept for CONVO came into being, and he speaks about his history of producing concerts and feeling a void with his work. He decided to take his love of travel and food to create an event to bring diverse audiences together for a cultural experience.
Cook explains that West African, Latin, and Caribbean countries share a food culture that has survived the trauma of slavery to result in similar dishes throughout the diaspora. Cook lives between Atlanta and Medellin, Columbia. He speaks about a Venezuelan dish similar in taste and smell to gumbo.
The proceeds from the CONVO dinners support food-insecure communities in Central and South America. He speaks about the communities that they serve, including a recent event with chefs in Ghana.
These events include food, drinks, music, and conversations with diverse attendees. I asked Cook how he goes about curating these expansive events. He speaks about starting with the culture and building everything around that destination. The upcoming event is Havana Meets Atlanta and will include special guest Buena Vista Social Club found Juan de Marcos Gonzales. Cook also shares that other entertainment will include a Latin Jazz Quintet.
For more information about the Global Chef Society
For more information about CONVO Havana Meets Atlanta
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