The Communal Table: Why Shared Meals Build Connection at Events

When you travel somewhere new, you often don't know a single soul. So how do you actually understand the place you're standing in? Kenny Dunn's answer: eat.

This week on Eating at a Meeting LIVE, I'm talking with Kenny Dunn, Founder and CEO of Eating Europe. His story is a rare one — he started his career at the United Nations working on food security and sustainable agriculture, then a chance pizza tour sparked an idea that became one of Europe's leading culinary tour companies, spanning cities across seven-plus countries and hundreds of thousands of guests.

But here's what makes Kenny essential listening for our world. He treats food as a gateway to culture, not a checklist of dishes. His guides don't just point at plates — they translate daily life, share the stories behind the people cooking, and turn a meal into genuine access to a place.

And he takes the hard parts seriously. Safety starts with knowing every guest's allergies and dietary needs before they arrive — he'll share a Rome story that shows exactly why that communication is life-or-death. Sustainability, for him, means putting money behind the small, often family-run businesses preserving food traditions that globalization threatens to erase. Inclusion means the more diverse the table, the richer the experience — something he felt firsthand at a 100-year-old restaurant in Bogotá, seated with strangers who became a shared meal to remember.

For planners, destinations, hotels, and DMCs, this is a blueprint for off-site dining and local experiences that are safer, more meaningful, and more memorable than any banquet.

Watch LIVE and bring your questions. When has a meal given you real access to a place or a person? Tell me in the comments — I want to hear your table story.