For Release: May 27, 2008

Dawn Stranne & Associates

(415) 893-1780

www.destinationdinners.com

DESTINATION DINNERS: THE EXCITING CULINARY GIFT

THAT COMBINES FOOD, CULTURE AND FUN

New Orleans Added as the Tenth Culinary Destination in June 2008

in Time for Destination Dinners’ National Launch

(SAN FRANCISCO) Searching for the perfect gift for a food lover or world traveler who dreams of entertaining friends with a festive, exciting meal from abroad, but might be short on time or inspiration?

Destination Dinners combines food, culture and fun in authentic, high-quality dinner recipe kits. Started by Lisa Diamond for the San Francisco market in 2006, Destination Dinners is being launched nationally in 2008. The company offers a variety of international themed parties-in-a-box to help novice and accomplished home cooks prepare a spectacular dinner for family or friends.

Each kit includes pre-measured spices and other key ingredients needed to create a fabulous meal from one of ten exciting destinations around the world. The cook need only shop for a few fresh ingredients, such as chicken or beef, which are readily available in most supermarkets.

In June 2008, the newest Destination Dinners Recipe Kit for Creole Style Jambalaya from New Orleans will be introduced to make a total of 10 dishes from around the globe. The other Destination Dinners Recipe Kits represent the flavors and traditions of Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Israel, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Thailand, with several more in the works. Each recipe kit includes step-by-step instructions on preparing the meal, a shopping list for fresh ingredients, suggestions for beverages and other dishes to accompany the meal, photos of the completed meal and of any vegetables that may be new to the uninitiated, and “Tea & Trivia,” a collection of conversational tidbits on the history, traditions and culture of the destination at hand.

The company is the brainchild of Diamond, a dancer and choreographer who lived and worked in Japan for 10 years and traveled extensively before settling in California in 1997. An inexperienced cook -- “I spent the first 30 years of my life letting others cook for me,” she says -- she loved the flavors not only of Asia but of the other stops along her travels. And as an artist, she had a deep appreciation for the intersection of culture and food and the ways in which each reflects the other.

The idea of helping the home chef prepare authentic foods appealed to Diamond, who was looking for a business opportunity that would provide an outlet for her passion and creativity while at the same time enabling her to remain a stay-at-home mom with her newborn daughter.

Encouraged by her husband, she collected treasured recipes from the friends she made abroad, hoping to recreate them in her own kitchen. In the process, she often found it took hours searching in many small ethnic specialty stores to find particular spices, and then she had to buy much more than she needed. So, the concept for Destination Dinners Recipe Kits was born.

“Our recipe kits take the hassle out of preparing an exotic dinner,” said Diamond. “We provide just the right amount of specialty food items along with instructions to make it easy for anyone in the kitchen, even someone like me who is relatively inexperienced in the kitchen. And the cultural information makes it fun for everyone around the dining room table. It starts out as a unique and elegant gift, but then it becomes an experience and a celebration to share with others.”

Diamond also offers a line of Dinner Party Kits, which include serving pieces, placemats, bowls, trays and even music CDs for ambiance, as well as smaller simplified Gift Sets. Food lovers can also take advantage of the Destination Passport plan and receive one dinner kit, including a corresponding cooking or serving tool, each month for three, six or 12 months.

Destination Dinners recipe kits are $25 and are currently only sold online. For more information on the full Destination Dinners product line and corporate orders, visit www.destinationdinners.com.

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