the iconoclast dinner experience
-
Food for Thought: The Creator of the Iconoclast Dinner Experience Is Encouraging Us to Have an Impolite Conversation
Of the many, many things we have been missing in recent months, the intimate yet communal aspect of the dinner party is high on our list. With good food, a great guest list, and perhaps a few drinks (if you’re so inclined), a well-curated dinner party hits on several levels, satisfying the appetite while stimulating…
By
Published
-
Deliciously Diverse: The 2019 Iconoclast Dinner Experience Series Kicks Off in Chicago With an All-Star Culinary Bash
Foodies everywhere are familiar with the James Beard Awards, the culinary-focused ceremony considered the “Oscars of food.” And those who look forward to the annual Chicago-based event are swiftly getting a taste for the hottest party of the weekend, the Iconoclast Dinner Experience All-Star Culinary bash. Deliciousness and diversity are on the menu this Saturday,…
By
Published
-
Watch Black and Brown Chefs Show Out at the 2018 Iconoclast Dinner Experience
Lezli Levene Harvell created the Iconoclast Dinner Experience four years ago to honor trailblazing chefs of color who otherwise might go uncelebrated in the culinary world. Not only is the event a treat for your taste buds, but net proceeds also benefit Spelman College students from Jamaica and sub-Saharan countries. Watch a recap of the…
By
Published
-
Cocktails and Conversation: Bartender Tiffanie Barriere on the Art of the Pour and Why the Iconoclast Dinner Experience Matters
Tiffanie Barriere started making cocktails on her parents’ porch in South Central Louisiana when she was 5 years old. Sorbet, cognac, lemon juice or anything that was in the house were the ingredients she used to whip up cool summer drinks for her family and folks in the neighborhood. “We did a lot of porch parties,”…
Published
-
There Goes the Neighborhood: How Food Helps Drive Gentrification
Lezli Levene Harvell has enjoyed food all of her life. The festivals, invitations to private food events and the scene, in general, fascinated her. However, she also noticed a dearth of black people being celebrated in the culinary world and wanted to do something about it. A pediatric dentist by training, Levene Harvell started the…
Published
-
Icons in the Making: The Iconoclast Dinner Experience Is a Delicious Opportunity for Guests and Chefs
Guests of the Iconoclast Dinner Experience who assemble at the James Beard House in New York City on Saturday are in for an incomparable experience. It’s the experience that culinary enthusiast and founder Lezli Levene Harvell envisioned when considering what—and who—was missing from the ultraexclusive foodie gatherings that she frequented. “The reason I started this…
By
Published
-
The Iconoclast: How Lezli Levene Harvell Is Redefining ‘Having It All’
Doctor. Wife. Mother—of five. Entrepreneur. Food enthusiast. Event curator. Philanthropist. Lezli Levene Harvell wears so many hats, it’s exhausting just to consider what a typical day in her life must be like. Inevitably, the clichéd phrase “I don’t know how she does it” comes to mind. On the evening she speaks with The Glow Up,…
By
Published
-
The Sweet Taste of Victory: Inclusion Won Big at This Year’s James Beard Awards
It was a landmark year for inclusivity at the prestigious 2018 James Beard Awards—long considered the “Oscars of the food world”—which took place at the Lyric Opera in Chicago Monday night. This year’s nominees included 24 female chefs (out of 61 total nominations), making 2018 the biggest year for women in the event’s 28-year history,…
By
Published
-
This Is How We Do It: The 2018 Iconoclast Dinner Experience Kicks Off With an All-Star Bash in Chicago
We got hot sauce in our bags (swag). No, seriously: There was actual hot sauce in the swag bags handed out to VIPs at last Saturday’s kickoff event for the Iconoclast Dinner Experience in Chicago, the IDE All-Star Bash. Hosted by chef Edouardo Jordan, twice nominated for this year’s James Beard Awards, the four-course event…
By
Published
-
A Seat at the Table: The Iconoclast Dinner Experience Is a ‘For Us, by Us’ Culinary Celebration
“Create your own committees, build your own institutions, give your friends awards, award yourself, and be the gold you wanna hold, my Gs.” These were the words Solange Knowles tweeted after watching big sis Beyoncé gracefully weather an Album of the Year snub at the 2017 Grammy Awards. For Lezli Levene Harvell, creator and curator…
By
Published