A diplomat in chef's clothing: Lenny Russo

Hail to the chef!

Lenny Russo of Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market in St. Paul joined other members of the U.S. State Department's American Chef Corps at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., last week for a reception honoring global culinary leaders. Among the participants were those chefs who cooked for heads of state worldwide.

"There was no politics," said Russo after the event, as he was dining -- and networking -- at Equinox in D.C., with several fellow chef corps members, where they enjoyed a six-course meal from Todd Gray. "All I heard was food and wine.

"The camaraderie was exceptional," he said.

"A person could be from the other side of the world and yet we had a common bond. We give sustenance, and that's how we relate to people."

Russo spent two weeks in Slovenia on a cultural exchange with the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana. Find out more about his time in Slovenia at www.startribune.com/chefcorps.