Amalia Moreno-Damgaard, Author of Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table: Ancient Culinary Traditions with Gourmet Infusions (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Episode 35)
Amalia Moreno-Damgaard joined host John Ray to discuss her second book, Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table: Ancient Culinary Traditions with Gourmet Infusions. She shared the cultural heritage which is the source of the book, easy to prepare recipes, how she combined the legacy of her grandmother’s cooking with her training at Le Cordon Bleu, and much more. Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio is produced virtually by the Minneapolis St. Paul studio of Business RadioX®.
Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table: Ancient Culinary Traditions with Gourmet Infusions
Amalia Moreno-Damgaard’s most recent book, Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table: Ancient Culinary Traditions with Gourmet Infusions is a dazzling new international cookbook with 130+ recipes.
In the highly anticipated sequel to her first Central American cookbook, Amalia Moreno-Damgaard goes beyond borders to explore modern takes on ancient Latin American recipes.
Mesoamerica―or Middle America―has a rich history dating back to the Olmec, Maya and Aztec empires, and early Central American peoples with culinary traditions that are still alive today.
After years of travel and kitchen camaraderie with indigenous cooks proudly safeguarding their traditions, Amalia has created 130+ variations on time-honored dishes.
Inside the book, find:
- many recipes that are naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free
- vivid, full-color photography for every dish
- comfort food with a gourmet twist from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama
- tips and tricks to make the recipes practical, approachable, and easily prepared
With her signature gourmet take on ancient culinary traditions, Amalia’s recipes will lead home cooks and trained chefs alike on a journey through Mesoamerica without ever leaving the kitchen.
Amalia Moreno-Damgaard, Author of Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table: Ancient Culinary Traditions with Gourmet Infusions
Amalia Moreno-Damgaard is a nine-time award-winning author and chef entrepreneur with a prior executive career in corporate America. Born and raised in Guatemala City, her best-selling book, Amalia’s Guatemalan Kitchen -Gourmet Cuisine with a Cultural Flair, is a personal memoir and recipe collection designed to encourage and empower people to explore new foods and cook more fresh meals at home for health and wellness.
Her passion for Latin culture and cuisine rose from her childhood in Guatemala, where her close-knit relationship with her maternal grandmother taught her simple and healthy artisan cooking using local organic ingredients. She was also determined to bridge the knowledge gap of Latin American culture in the United States. At the core, Amalia’s style is fresh, practical, healthy, and proudly Latin American, blending pre-Columbian and classic French techniques with her Guatemalan-Spanish roots.
Amalia provides a distinctive approach to Latin culture and cuisine. She adopted her own unique style, fusing Latin flavors with a variety of the influences she received throughout her life, from the most rustic to the refined, and continues to create and develop new fresh and modern concepts. Global travel to over 80 countries on all 7 continents has also enhanced her cooking presentations. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, a member of the National Speakers Association with a Masters of International Business from St. Louis University, and an alumna of the Cornell University-Bank of America Woman’s Entrepreneurship Program.
In addition to running Amalia LLC, Amalia is co-founder-first president emeritus and chief advisor of Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota (WeMN.org), a 501(c) 6 nonprofit (established in 2007) that fosters women entrepreneurship through mentoring and leadership education.
Amalia is the spokesperson of Crystal Farm’s (Michael Foods) first line of Hispanic cheeses. In addition, her clients include the Minnesota Department of Agriculture/Minnesota Beef Council, Kroger, Del Monte, General Mills, Supervalu, Land O’Lakes, Target, Best Buy, Ecolab, Prudential Financial, Cargill, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, 3M, RBC Wealth Management, Baird, Fitch Ratings, CVS/Aetna, U.S. Bank, Macy’s Culinary Council, Carleton College, DiaSorin, and Wells Fargo, plus many more companies, nonprofits, universities, and professional organizations in the Twin Cities and beyond since her company’s inception.
Amalia’s work and talent have been recognized locally and internationally. Her accolades include:
- Latino Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 by the Latino Chamber of Commerce Minnesota
- The 2020 Woman in Business Champion of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration Minnesota District Office
- The 2020 Catalyst award by Women Venture
- 2020 Woman in Business Honoree by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ)
- 9-first prize literary awards for her book Amalia’s Guatemalan Kitchen, including the prestigious Gourmand World Cookbooks Award for Best Foreign Cuisine book USA
- Advocate Award (a first of its kind) by NAWBO-National Association of Women Business Owners-Minnesota
- Heritage Award for community leadership by Latino American Today
- Champion Award for board service excellence by Depart Smart
- Women Who Lead Honoree by Minnesota Business Magazine
- Two-time Bold Award nominee by ACG-American Corporate Growth-MN
- Speaker’s Academy Strides finalist by the National Speakers Association-MN
- Outstanding Mentor Nominee by Team Women-MN
Amalia’s community work includes board service, philanthropy, media-driven food and culture education, and empowering and mentoring women.
Questions and Topics Discussed in this Episode
- Since we last talked, you’ve published another book. Tell us about it.
- The combination of ancient cultures with current techniques.
- What might your maternal grandmother think of how her legacy has impacted your work?
- The layout of the book and its recipes
- How easy are the recipes?
- What’s ahead for you in 2022?
Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the Minneapolis St. Paul studio of Business RadioX®. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
