>> Cathy: THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS RELEASED THEIR NEWEST COOKBOOK THIS SUMMER CALLED, "KITCHENS OF HOPE."

BEYOND SHARING RECIPES FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE, THE GOAL IS TO SHARE STORIES OF IMMIGRANTS ALONGSIDE THE DISHES FROM THEIR HOMELANDS.

THE BOOK BOASTS MORE THAN FIFTY RECIPES AND FEATURES DOZENS OF CONTRIBUTORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

JOINING US NOW IS CO-AUTHOR LEE SVITAK DEAN, SHE SPENT DECADES WRITING FOR THE STAR TRIBUNE TASTE SECTION.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SECTIONS.

WITH HER IS ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS, INGRID KUBISA.

INGRID, SO NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE, THANK YOU.

LEE, GOSH, IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG TIME SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE.

THANK YOU.

SAY, I WANT TO KNOW, HOW ARE THE DISHES AND THE COOKS PICKED?

>> IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING PROCESS WHERE WE -- WILLING TO TALK TO US AND IT TOOK AWHILE TO GAIN SOME TRUST THAT THESE CRAZY THREE AUTHORS WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO PUT A BOOK TOGETHER.

SO ONCE WE STARTED TALKING WITH PEOPLE AND THEY FELT COMFORTABLE WITH US, THEN THEY TOLD THEIR FRIENDS AND WE GOT A WIDER CIRCLE.

AND WHAT WE DID, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE COVERED THE ENTIRE WORLD WITH THE STORIES AND WE ACTUALLY HAD SPREADSHEETS OF, YOU KNOW, HERE ARE THE PEOPLE FROM SOUTH AMERICA, HERE ARE THE PEOPLE FROM THE FAR EAST, HERE ARE THE PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER.

AND.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.

>> YES.

>> WHAT DISHES DID YOU GROW UP THAT YOU STILL MISS >> CASAVA LEAVES, ONE OF SOME OF THE FAVORITE DISH.

AND A LOT OF FISH, I'M STILL MISSING THAT ONE, I CAN FIND A LOT HERE BUT IT'S NOT THAT FRESH.

>> Eric: HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS AND WHY DID YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

>> BECAUSE IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO TELL THE PEOPLE WITH ABOUT WHERE I'M COMING FROM.

THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO IS KNOWN FOR WAR BUT ALSO IT'S A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.

AND AS THEY SAID, THEY REACHED OUT TO SO MANY PEOPLE AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS DID WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH THE ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND THAT'S HOW I GOT INVOLVED.

>> Cathy: WHEN YOU ARRIVED IN THIS COUNTRY, HOW MUCH F A FOOD CULTURE SHOCK WAS IT?

>> OOH, IT WAS REALLY, REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE I COME FROM A FAMILY WHERE RADIO MY MOM GOT UP AT 5:00 A.M. TO JUST COOK NOT KNOWING WHO WAS GOING TO COME TO THE HOUSE TO EAT.

AND HERE IT WAS LIKE HOT DOGS, LIKE NOT BIG MEALS AT THE TABLE.

SO THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING FOR ME, TO GO TO PEOPLE'S PLACE JUST LIKE, OKAY, WE ONLY HAVE THIS DISH AND THIS AND THIS.

AND I GREW UP IN A FAMILY WHERE LIKE THE TABLE WAS ALWAYS FULL.

AND, YEAH, A LOT OF FOOD HAD SUGAR, WHICH WAS REALLY INTERESTING, LESS SPICY, SO, YEAH.

>> Eric: ON THAT SPICE ISSUE, HOW EXOTIC DID THE SPICES GET AS YOU SAMPLED THESE RECIPES?

>> I WOULD SAY THAT THERE WERE SPICES THAT WEREN'T NECESSARILY ON EVERYONE'S PANTRY SHELF ORIGINALLY, AND WE HAD TO LOOK FOR SOME OF THEM AND ALWAYS GOT HELP FROM THE CONTRIBUTORS LIKE INGRID HERE.

BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT THEY MADE OUR KITCHENS SMELL WONDERFUL WHEN WE WERE TESTING THE RECIPES, AND WE HAVE QUITE A -- >> Cathy: OF COURSE YOU DID, OKAY.

WHAT AS THAT LIKE?

>> IT WAS A VERY LONG PROCESS AND VERY INTERESTING.

OUR KITCHEN SMELLED WONDERFUL AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE.

IT TOOK US TO -- -- WASN'T NECESSARILY AWARE OF ORIGINALLY SO THAT WAS REALLY A GREAT ADVENTURE FOR US.

>> Cathy: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL MARKET HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES?

>> THERE IS THE SUN FOOD, A FEW LOCATIONS, SUN FOODS.

IT'S AN ASIAN MARKET BUT YOU CAN STILL FIND LIKE AFRICAN FOOD AND ALSO IN BROOKLYN PARK AN AFRICAN, INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN MARKET WHERE YOU CAN FIND ALMOST EVERYTHING NOW.

>> Eric: HOW MUCH DOES FOOD CONTRIBUTE TO THE CULTURE OF THE CONGO?

>> FOOD IT IS EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY WHERE I WAS BORN, THE EASTERN PART, SIDE OF KONG YES, IT'S A PLACE WHERE HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY AND FOOD IS LIKE THE MAIN THING.

SO GROWING UP, WE SHARE FOOD LIKE CHRISTMAS, FOR INSTANCE, I'LL JUST GO TO MY EIGHBOR'S PLACE WITH FOOD AND JUST KNOCK AND, HEY, TODAY WE HAD MAYBE -- OR DONUTS, AND YOU GUYS -- AND MAYBE WANT TO TRADE.

>> Eric: -- RELATIONSHIPS IT SOUNDS LIKE.

>> YES, YES.

YEAH.

>> Cathy: -- YOUR BOOK.

>> I THINK THAT I WAS REALLY TOUCHED BY HOW IMPORTANT THE FOOD TRADITIONS WERE AMONG THE INDIVIDUALS FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND ALSO JUST THE SORT OF SENSE THAT THEY BROUGHT BY HAVING THESE MEALS AND INCORPORATING THEIR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, NEW NEIGHBORS, IT JUST NOT ONLY EXPANDED SORT OF THEIR TASTE BUDS BUT REALLY JUST MADE FOR A MORE NEIGHBORLY, MORE FRIENDLY SENSE OF HUMANITY, YOU KNOW.

>> Cathy: A COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE.

>> YES, VERY MUCH.

>> Eric: PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK.

>> THE PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK GO TO THE ADVOCATES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, WHICH IS A LOCAL NON-PROFIT THAT DOES GLOBAL WORK AND AMONG THE HUMAN RIGHTS THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IS IMMIGRATION, SO THAT'S -- >> Eric: WHAT'S YOUR IMMIGRATION STORY, INGRID?

>> SO I ALSO CAME AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING IT'S BECAUSE OF GROWING UP IN CONGO, IT'S A WARTORN COUNTRY.

I DO RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO VISIT ONE DAY.

BUT BECAUSE OF WAR MY FAMILY HAD TO MOVE HERE IN 2016 TO SEEK ASYLUM AND THAT'S WHY WE ARE HERE.

NOW WE ARE U.S. CITIZENS, WE ARE ABLE TO GO BACK AND FULLY GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH IN MINNESOTA, WE WANT TO GO BACK WITH MY SISTERS ND PEN A COFFEE SHOP AND GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY BACK IN CONGO.

>> Eric: HOW BIG IS YOUR STORY?

>> I'M THE OLDEST AND I HAVE FIVE YOUNG -- AND JUST GOT MARRIED.

SO, YEAH, GETTING BIG.

>> Cathy: CONGRATULATIONS.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: IS THERE GOING TO BE A -- >> WE HAVE SOME EVENTS COMING UP -- AS WELL AS AT THE AMERICAN SWEDISH INSTITUTE COMING UP AT THE END OF THE MONTH.

AND BARNES & NOBLE, YES.

>> Cathy: WHAT A GREAT PROJECT.

I LOVE IT.

>> Eric: IT IS FANTASTIC.

THERE IT IS.

"KITCHENS OF HOPE," AVAILABLE AT ALL THE USUAL PLACES.

>>