Working with Expo 2020 (Dubai) and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, HDI shared the history and tastes of African American cuisine with audiences in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
New York, NY - HDI Culinary Envoy Adrian Miller visited Dubai and Cairo, lecturing, conducting workshops, and introducing audiences to African American cuisine. Adrian Miller is among HDI’s most requested Cultural Envoys. Adrian is a recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award; his book Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine is considered the definitive history of this uniquely American cuisine. In his presentations, Adrian provided much-needed context by showing how race relations in the United States shaped the cuisine known as Soul Food. In Dubai, Adrian conducted lectures and cooking demonstrations at the USA Pavilion Rocket Stage. He was also a guest on the Helen Farmer Show on Dubai Eye.
After his successful program in Dubai, Adrian traveled to Cairo, Egypt. Adrian engaged Egyptians through lectures, demonstrations, and workshops. He presented on the history of Soul Food at the Egyptian Chefs Association. He also did a fun presentation on the “Liquid History of the U.S. Presidency,” in which he provided cocktail recipes favored by U.S. Presidents. Adrian was featured in Egypt’s oldest and bestselling English-language social affairs magazine, Egypt Today. The core event of Adrian’s visit to Egypt was a public presentation on the history of Soul Food at the renowned Tahrir Cultural Center of the American University of Cairo. As with all HDI programs, engaging students was a priority. Adrian accomplished this by giving a presentation to Egyptian participants of the Embassy’s English Access Micro-Scholarship Program. This excellent program provides two years of intensive English language learning and life skills to approximately 700 talented, economically disadvantaged students from throughout Egypt. Adrian’s final event in Egypt was a Facebook Live Session on the History of Soul Food for the U.S. Embassy Cairo.
HDI would like to thank Global Ties U.S., U.S. Consulate Dubai, and U.S. Embassy Cairo for organizing superb programs.
HDI is committed to highlighting U.S. culture as a method of promoting dialogue worldwide. We have worked with more than 70 U.S. Embassies and Consulates to bring American culture to countries worldwide.
