Connecting to our Culture through Food with special guest Cynthia Banafsheh Samanian

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Join Bita and Beata in today’s culinary conversation about connecting to our culture with special guest Cynthia Banafsheh Samanian.  Cynthia is an expert in experiential marketing, teaches cooking class business school, and runs a podcast.  Cynthia is a great example of a woman who has built on her bi-cultural up-bringing to help others come together at the table, both literally and figuratively.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What is your mission with regards to experiential marketing with regards to your culture?</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">“At the end of the day I am all about helping people share their culture and share their stories around food”</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Is there a MPF podcast episode that you particularly connected with and why?</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Yes!  Episode 31, Caspian Chef</span></li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline"> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Mom is from “shomal”, Farsi for the northern region of Iran and I had never heard anyone speak of the specialty foods of this region that I grew up eating</span></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Favorite family foods - Cynthia’s folks used to overnight the following Persian foods to her!</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Mirza ghassemi (and fresh eggs to cook and enjoy along side)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Seer torshi</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Khoresh bademjoon</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Persian foods Cynthia likes to cook:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span styl