Relationships matter. Just ask Emerald Mills, founder of Diverse Dining. For nearly three years, she’s been bringing individuals from diverse backgrounds together to share a meal and engage in meaningful conversations about race, gender, segregation and any number of related topics. Her goal? Create connections and relationships that people can leverage, not only to increase understanding, but to incite change.
On this week’s podcast, we’re talking with Mills about the importance of the programming she creates, how vulnerability plays a role in building relationships, and how those relationships can function to improve the world around us. Along the way, Mills shares her experience pivoting from in-person to virtual events during the COVID-19 pandemic, offers insights into her new book, “Rejection Uprooted,” and explains how vulnerability helps to set individuals up for success.
Listen in!
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Got an idea for a topic we should consider for FoodCrush? Want to offer feedback on our latest episode? Email me at lori@staff.onmilwaukee.com. You can also give @FoodCrushPod a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information on future episodes, special features, live tastings and more.
Curious about more FoodCrush content? Check out some of our FoodCrush Live features (including our recent tasting of Dairyland Old Fashioned Hamburgers new Spicy Chicken Deluxe sandwich).
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
