How a new cookbook project plans to weave together the cultures of St. Louis

Roll up your sleeves and tie your apron — it’s time to get to cooking.

The International Institute of St. Louis and Global Foods Group have put out a regionwide call to action for residents and restaurants to submit their favorite dishes that use ingredients that aren’t typically available in conventional grocery stores. Professional chefs, hobbyists and amateurs are all welcome to share their recipes.

International Institute President and CEO Arrey Obenson told St. Louis on the Air that sharing recipes from kitchen to kitchen is a great way to better understand people from different cultures and regions of the world.

“This cookbook [is] a window to a whole new world that lives right next door,” he said. “This cookbook tells a story of how diverse this community is and how through gastronomy we can find our way to each other.”

Shayn Prapaisilp, Global Foods Group's chief officer of operations, attested to this personally. His parents opened their first small grocery store shortly after immigrating to St. Louis from Thailand in the 1970s. At first, the Prapaisilps were catering to St. Louis’ new Vietnamese population — one made up of refugees from the Vietnam War.