Meet Minnesota's champion of Latin American culture and cuisine

If you haven't heard of Amalia Moreno-Damgaard, you haven't been paying attention.

The banking executive turned chef/author/entrepreneur has been a media fixture during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends Oct. 15, while being tapped by businesses worldwide to share what she calls her passion, telling the story of Latin America through food.

"It's been a really, really busy month, but you know, it's a blessing to have this work and to have fun in the process," she said.

Moreno-Damgaard can cover a lot of ground — business, culture, history and cooking — and she's uniquely qualified to be an authority on all of them.

She grew up in Guatemala, raised and nurtured by her grandmother, who was an entrepreneur and an excellent cook. In the early 1980s, she moved to the United States, where she went to college and started her first career in Kansas City. There she worked in international banking and met her future husband, who was born and raised in Copenhagen. Their professional paths took them first to St. Louis and in 2001 they moved with their young son to Minnesota, where she eventually left a corporate career that required a fair amount of travel.

"Coming from Latin America, my customs and traditions, I didn't want my son to grow away from me," she said. "I started getting the urge, the strong calling of connecting with my son. ... I wanted to be a nurturing mother the way my grandmother nurtured me. And that was it. And for three years, I questioned did I make the right decision, because I had a bright future."

But Moreno-Damgaard didn't stand still. With a master's degree in international business and the perspective of connecting Latin America to the rest of the world through her work and travels, she put her ideas in motion, meeting with mentors to help chart a new but familiar course.

"I have a North Star. We live in Minnesota and that is so appropriate," she said. "My North Star is my grandmother; she is my light, she is my inspiration. I have a fire in me, and part of that is my grandmother, because she was an excellent cook and she was an entrepreneur. And guess who I became? I became another version of my grandmother."

Now Moreno-Damgaard is a sought-after speaker who bridges cultural divides through food, an award-winning author of two deeply researched cookbooks about Latin American cuisine that could double as history books, a food and beverage consultant and a presence in several community and nonprofit organizations.

We caught up with Moreno-Damgaard and talked about the rise of Latin cuisine in Minnesota, the one thing home cooks should be able to make and how mise en place isn't just for the kitchen. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

After leaving the corporate world, what prompted you to attend culinary school?

When I quit banking, I started thinking, did I do the right thing? Now what? What am I going to do when my son is at preschool? That's when Le Cordon Bleu came to Minnesota, and I joined class number two. Going to Le Cordon Bleu was one of the best things I've ever done because I had teachers from all over the world. I said, "Oh, my gosh, I belong here, and I love it." It's a lot of work, but I belong here because I'm learning how to take what I know to the next level.

With a young son, I'm assuming you didn't intend to open a restaurant. What were your goals?

Good question. I've never had a desire to open a restaurant; it's not my calling. It is my calling to educate. And so I see myself as a cultural ambassador. I see myself as a teacher. I see myself as someone who has a deep desire to bring Latin America up high and to highlight the contributions of all Latinos in this country, and the contributions of their food is phenomenal.

What has fueled your desire to champion the Latin culture globally?

I see a need for it. The more diversity we have nationally, the more need there is to correct some incorrect narrative. We have one label, but there are 21 countries within Latin America. And there is more diversity within the Latino population in the States. The Mexican demographic is still the largest, but there are many other nationalities within that that are creating this Latino melting pot, and it's a wonderful thing.

I see more authenticity growing in the nation, and there's an opportunity for us and for new immigrants and Latinos that have been second-, third-generation to have a voice. I see an opportunity to educate, and I am on a mission to educate corporate America because I want to start at the top, where I feel that I can present to larger groups of people and make a bigger impact.

How have you seen the demographic shift in the Twin Cities?

When I moved here in 2001, to see a Latino, you had to go to St. Paul. And now they're everywhere, and that is a good thing. But there is also more growth in terms of embracing what is new, what is unique. I think Minnesota is a very unique place because they're open to innovation. They are open to learning. They're open to new cuisine, which is not what I heard when I went to Le Cordon Bleu. The chefs were saying "Amalia, Minnesotans only like meat and potatoes," and that's not true.

How about people's reception?

People are interested in learning more in depth about our culture. For many years as an immigrant, I've felt and I have seen how our culture has been misunderstood, our food has been misunderstood, how our food is changed from the authentic to comply with people's preferences. What I see now is more authenticity coming into play. And that is a good thing, because I feel like that's the space that I live and thrive in. And this is the love that I have for my craft, and the love that I want to transfer to humanity about food, culture, the Latin cuisine. And I feel that this unifies us as people.

Is that why you decided to have your mission be through food? Because it's unifying?

My main mission is to help organizations of all sizes develop a broader understanding and appreciation of Latin cultural nuances, using traditional cuisine and storytelling as a platform. So it's education, and the unifying piece is part of it, because food brings us together to the table for any kind of conversation. We can talk about anything when we're talking about food.

Food is so intimate and tactile. How do you convey that through virtual or hybrid events?

That's an excellent question. I create menus that allow me and allow them to create that space of friendliness, of familiarity. As people are walking in, I am welcoming them with bites, appetizers, with traditional drink pairings, and we start the conversation, we start the mingling, the networking. And then after that, we transition into a presentation, and then the virtual aspect begins. The appetizers and drink pairings already creates a mood locally. For people overseas, they get engaged in getting the energy from looking at the group, and I have a camera on me and a camera on the stovetop, so they get the energy from that. And they get the energy from the storytelling, from the passion — I'm using traditional recipes that connect us.

The lessons expand to other cultures, though.

We connect because we are celebrating Latin culture, but they are also people in the DEI [diversity, equity, inclusion] space, and many companies are embracing that. Whether it's Latino Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans, this is an environment that we are creating of festivity, and this is how we celebrate our culture, through food, through music, through art.

That's a lot to pack into a presentation.

I've been doing this for a long time, and I know I can probably do even more, but my sweet spot is three to four recipes, because then I can talk about each recipe. It starts with mise en place, being organized and having fun in the kitchen. And mise en place is something that doesn't just apply to the kitchen. It can apply to your personal life. It can apply to your corporate life, because it's about being organized and having a plan and understanding the recipe and understanding the steps of a recipe, anticipating what equipment you're going to be needing, and becoming familiar with what ingredients are needed. So it's a learning opportunity.

Applying mise en place to your personal life is an amazing idea.

I use mise en place in my everyday life. That's how I organize myself. That's how I organize in the kitchen, and that's what makes sense to me. You know, when I went to Le Cordon Bleu, they brainwashed me in a good way.

Elevated Latin cuisine seems to be having a moment, and restaurants are getting more personal.

Ever since I came to this country, I have seen the evolution of Latino food and I have seen the not-so-true Latino food out there, being imitated and being produced. But I think what has changed a lot of what we're seeing here, especially in the Twin Cities, is that more chefs are creating more authentic food. These are many chefs that were born and raised in the countries of origin. That is where authenticity is, and that's where I come in. I get it.

Are people's attitudes changing, are their palates changing, or both?

People's palates are becoming more accepting of new things. People's attitudes toward food are becoming more normalized. When I say normalized, I come from a culture where you eat everything from the head to the tail and everything in between. Another aspect is the explosion of the Latino population, one that is more affluent and more educated than ever before. We are very proud Latinos, and we want to support all these restaurants that are popping out there because they are representing who we are. And we want to go and eat their food, because everybody needs to know about this. But then I see people that are non-Latinos, who are foodies, who are accepting and those who really, really take it to heart. They say, "You know, we all belong in this world."

Jocón: Chicken, Tomatillo and Cilantro Stew

Serves 4 to 6.

From chef Amalia Moreno-Damgaard: Jocón (pronounced ho-CON) is a traditional dish from Huehuetenango, a department located in the Mayan highlands in western Guatemala, and the surrounding region. The recipe varies by family; this is my simplified version. It is not only easy to make, but also hearty and delicious. The sauce has a vibrant green color. Pair it with vegetable rice or the Gallo Pinto recipe below, or Tamalitos, mini banana leaf-wrapped cheese-masa tamales. (AmaliaLLC.com.)

• 4 to 6 skinless chicken thighs, visible fat removed
• 1 ½ c. chicken stock or bone broth
• 1 medium whole onion, peeled, halved
• ½ c. cilantro (left whole, stems and leaves included)
• 1 c. trimmed green onions, cut into 1-in. pieces
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 10 small tomatillos (about 1 ½ c.), husked and quartered
• 1 green bell pepper (about ½ to ¾ c.), seeded and diced
• 1 poblano pepper (about ½ to ¾ cup), seeded and diced
• 1 c. roughly chopped cilantro (stems and leaves)
• 1 whole serrano pepper, seeds and veins included, or to taste
• 2 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
• 2 tbsp. toasted pepitas, ground (see Amalia's Notes)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, cook the chicken in the stock with onion and cilantro, covered, for about 10 minutes until half-cooked. Remove the chicken, shred or dice, and set aside.

In the same saucepan, cook the remaining ingredients (except seasonings and garnish) with the stock, onion, and cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 5 to 8 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Purée the mixture using an immersion or regular blender until smooth (see cooking tip). Season with pumpkin seeds, salt, and pepper to taste, and blend again. Return the purée to the pot, add the chicken, and cook covered for 15 minutes more or until the chicken is fully cooked. The sauce should be velvety and bright green.

Serve the stew garnished with cilantro sprigs.

Amalia's notes: To prevent burns when using a regular blender, loosen the center of the lid slightly to allow steam to escape, and securely cover the lid with a thick, folded towel. Toast raw pepitas in a toaster oven until medium brown, keeping a close eye to prevent burning. Cool, then grind in a spice grinder.

Gallo Pinto: Spicy Rice and Black Beans with Bell Peppers and Bacon

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: From chef Amalia Moreno-Damgaard: Gallo pinto (speckled rooster) is a traditional Central American dish. Rice and beans with a variety of other ingredients is popular in Guatemala and elsewhere in the Latin Caribbean. I discovered Gallo Pinto while vacationing in Costa Rica (and Nicaragua). I loved it. I ate it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The key to a great Gallo Pinto is Lizano, a Costa Rican sauce available at most Latino markets in the United States or online. Nicaraguan Gallo Pinto stands out for its simplicity, using red beans and fewer ingredients. (AmaliaLLC.com, @amaliamorenodamgaard)

• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 c. finely chopped onion
• ¾ c. diced multicolored bell peppers
• 3⁄4 c. cooked bacon, chopped
• ½ to 1 c. canned black beans with ½ c. of the bean broth
• ¾ to 1 c. washed, finely chopped cilantro, including stems
• 1 ½ tbsp. Lizano sauce (see Note)
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tbsp. Tabasco sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 c. cooked long-grain white rice, cooked in chicken stock
• ½ c. roughly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish (omit if serving with Jocón)

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions, peppers, bacon, beans and cilantro for about 3 minutes. Season with Lizano sauce, Worcestershire, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. (Keep in mind that the seasoning sauces already contain salt, so salt with a light hand.) Continue sautéing for 2 more minutes.

Lower the heat. Gradually add the cooked rice, making sure it gets well coated with sauce. Use a firm spatula to break any large clumps of rice. Sauté for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve as a one-meal-dish or side dish.

Amalia's notes: Make this dish vegetarian by cooking the rice with vegetable stock and omitting the bacon. Freeze leftovers and reheat in microwave oven.

Fresco de Chan: Chia Seed Limeade

Makes 4 cups.

From chef Amalia Moreno-Damgaard: Limonada (fresh limeade) is a very common fresco to accompany lunch or dinner in Guatemala and surrounding region. Frescos are cold drinks made with fresh fruits, flowers, nuts, and seeds. Chia is ancient and native to southern Mexico and Guatemala and revered by the Aztecs and Maya. It's a superfood containing omega 3 and 6, some protein, and other nutrients. During soaking, the seeds develop a gel-like coating and delightful mouthfeel. (AmaliaLLC.com, @amaliamorenodamgaard)

• 2 c. cold water
• 4 tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 c. sparkling water
• 4 tbsp. ground panela (raw sugar cane) or sugar, or simple syrup
• 1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste

Garnish options:

• 1 tsp. rose petals
• Fresh edible flowers
• Mint leaves or sprigs

Directions

Fill a clear pitcher with 2 cups of water. Add the chia seeds, stir and wait 5 to 10 minutes to allow seeds to bloom. Add sparkling water, panela or sugar and lime juice and stir well.

Taste and chill.

Serve the limeade in tall glasses filled with ice. Garnish as desired.

Amalia's notes: Panela is hard and should be grated to help it dissolve more easily. For simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water, heat until dissolved, then cool and store.