For Release: May 27, 2008
Dawn Stranne & Associates
(415) 893-1780
dawn@pr-dsa.com
www.destinationdinners.com

ABOUT FOUNDER AND CULINARY ADVENTURIST LISA DIAMOND 

Ever since she came up with the idea for Destination Dinners in 2006, Founder and Culinary Adventurist Lisa Diamond’s company has proven a stroke of culinary genius. Especially considering that Diamond -- a professional dancer and choreographer who had lived and traveled overseas for more than a decade -- was not known for pirouetting around the kitchen. “I spent the first 30 years of my life letting others cook for me,” the San Francisco Bay Area resident admits. 

What brought about the change?  First, an appreciation for food and culture and the ways in which each reflects the other. Then marriage and motherhood -- Diamond’s daughter is now a toddler -- and a desire to find a rewarding career that would enable her to be creative while remaining a stay-at-home mom. 

She had also worked in the technology industry and experienced its downturn. “Next, I wanted to do something with a passion,” she says. “I found that passion in Destination Dinners.”

Diamond lived in Japan for 10 years and traveled extensively throughout Asia, becoming familiar with the distinctive foods of countries, regions and cities. “Food,” she learned, “bundles together hundreds of years of history and culture.  The ingredients, cooking methods and even the way it is shared at the table are all a part of the cultural experience.  Especially for people unable to travel as often as they would like, food is a wonderful gateway to new places or can bring back wonderful memories of their travels.”

When she returned to California in 1997, she wanted to continue experiencing the exotic flavors she had come to love. Encouraged by her husband, she began collecting treasured recipes from the friends she had made abroad -- many of them “from their mothers and grandmothers,” she says. 

Diamond tested Destination Dinners in the San Francisco market in 2006 with rave reviews. She soon expanded her home-based business to reach out to local corporate clients, predicting -- accurately -- that Destination Dinners would make unique, popular and memorable gifts for just about anyone and any business.  Word-of-mouth marketing took it from there. She expanded into a kid-friendly office in 2007 and is officially launching her company nationwide in 2008. 

To date, she offers ten distinctive Destination Dinners; several others are in the research stage. She also offers cooking and serving items to complement her recipe and dinner party kits. 

“It is wonderful to be able to be able to share the foods and cultures from destinations around the world,” said Diamond.  “I hope that Destination Dinners will ignite people’s curiosity to learn more about people and places.”

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