In 2015, Martin Dahinden was the Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States.
He was also the 83rd stranger to dine with me. His staff at the Swiss Embassy were incredibly generous to arrange an evening of a special menu for the two of us, taking place at the gorgeous Swiss Residence in Washington, DC.
“When the decision was made that I would come to the United States, we were thinking about culinary issues and what to present here. Most of my colleagues were thinking very traditional Swiss dishes like fondue. But Switzerland has produced a lot of people who had an important impact on culinary history, and those stories are not known,” he said.
Martin shared with me not only Switzerland’s critical role in food and drink, but also talked about the work of an international ambassador, what brought him to DC, and his life before coming to the city.
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