THE ICONOCLAST DINNER EXPERIENCE™

An Anthem-Award winning platform that curates high-touch experiences and meaningful content that explores culture through the lens of food. Our signature programming includes intimate celebrations, dinners, and curated conversations each with its own paradigm-shifting theme. Our mission is to broaden the conversation to include the diverse voices from throughout the globe making significant contributions to culture. IDE programming includes The IDE All-Star Culinary Bash, IDE Impolite Conversation Live, IDE Impolite Conversation Podcast, Taste of The Iconoclast Dinner, The Iconoclast Dinner, IDE 13 Million Acres, and “The King Is Dead.”

IDE IMPOLITE CONVERSATION - THE PODCAST

Webby-Nominated Podcast

Join Lezli Levene Harvell, Creator + Curator of The Iconoclast Dinner Experience on Mondays and Fridays, as she and her daughters, Zuri and Nava, explore imperative race, cultural, and societal issues with cultural critics, industry experts, writers, and HBCU students/recent grads.

Available on all major platforms.

Episodes & Info >>

IDE IMPOLITE CONVERSATION - LIVE

Curated Conversation - NYC

Small bites and spirits curated by Iconoclast Dinner Honorees followed by an intimate, moderated panel discussion with thought leaders on race, culture, and societal issues. IDE transcends the celebration of diversity and culture in the restaurant industry to create discussions pertinent to the larger cultural landscape.

tonya and spike

MEET LEZLI LEVENE HARVELL

Creator + Chief Curator (she/her/hers)

Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell is a wife, mother of five daughters, and board-certified pediatric dentist who has spent her career providing oral healthcare to healthy, medically compromised, and special needs children. As a food enthusiast, she found a lack of representation of chefs and beverage professionals of color in the higher echelons of culinary culture. She founded The Iconoclast Dinner Experience (IDE) in 2015 with one dinner at the James Beard House to address this void. Today, the IDE is an Anthem Award-winning platform that has expanded to a Webby-nominated podcast and five signature events held annually, each with its own paradigm-shifting theme. Lezli has curated programming for global brands including Meta (Facebook) + Pepsi and the IDE has partnered with luxury properties and well-appointed kitchen brands. Additionally, Lezli has been quoted as an expert in national publications such as Bon Appétit and Saveur.

GIVING BACK

A CHOICE TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Spelman College, a historically Black college and a global leader in the education of women of African descent, is dedicated to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and the intellectual, creative, ethical, and leadership development of its students. Spelman empowers the whole person to engage the many cultures of the world and inspires a commitment to positive social change.

Enhancing the presence of international students on campus is pivotal to both the College’s comprehensive internationalization agenda and strategic planning. A simultaneous approach that bolsters students’ opportunities to study abroad while recruiting more international students to campus, bodes well for our Quality Enhancement Plan aimed at developing students’ intercultural understanding and global competence.” – Dimeji R. Togunde, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Global Education and Professor of International Studies in the Gordon-Zeto Center for Global Education.

“I intend to work in international development, focusing on education. I aspire to work for an organization, such as the United Nations or for a global non-profit and focus my work in West Africa, where I am from.”

–SOBA DIAOUNE’ 24 AY ’21-22, Recipient of Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell Endowed Scholarship for International Students.

The Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell Endowed Scholarship for International Students is dedicated to providing scholarship support for students from developing nations while making Spelman’s campus a more international community and increasing the College’s global presence. As a Spelman Alumna, Spelman Parent, and first-generation Jamaican-American, Dr. Lezli is proud to serve her alma mater in this capacity.

Beneficiary

100% of net proceeds from all IDE events benefit Spelman College students from Jamaica and sub-Saharan African countries, administered through a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (Tax ID 47-1593185). Tax deductible to fullest extent of the law.

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