Our goal is to cultivate a globally informed, engaged, and active Kansas City region. And for many Kansas Citians, culinary experiences will provide their first taste of the world.

You know how important it is to sit down at the table and be part of conversations that matter. You and your organization deserve to have a voice at a space where Kansas City has considered international affairs since 1955.

At the IRC, we anchor global realities, foster aha! moments, mend social fabric, and welcome diverse perspectives.

All across Kansas City, at spaces like restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores, important and engaging conversations are being held, and cultural discoveries are being made through the transformative power of food. Through our new Global Cuisine Membership, the IRC is inviting those businesses to have a seat at our table, tell their stories, and get connected to our community.

The following information explains how the IRC’s Global Cuisine Membership can benefit you and your culinary business.

The World Right Here:

Joining the IRC means joining a community

We understand that food is one of the major ways in which people get exposed to other cultures. By sharing your food with the community, you are also sharing culture, history, and memories with the citizens you serve. The International Relations Council is a space that can help foster and deepen those existing global connections, and orient your business within a thriving international community.

The IRC offers the opportunity to become part of a globally minded community in Kansas City, and includes several different benefits for members of the culinary community to expand their network and invite the IRC’s membership into their business.

These opportunities look like:

• Individual IRC membership (member rate access to programs, participation in member-only events, etc.) is given to your entire staff through organizational membership.
• Preferential status from IRC when it comes to hosting one of our in-person events.
• Preferential status from IRC when the organization is in need of catering for in-person events
• Employee participation in our seven IRC Roundtables, a chance to engage with other IRC members with a deep interest in particular areas of the world. Roundtable regions are: The Americas, Europe & Russia, Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia & Oceania, and East Asia.
• Increased traffic to your business through IRC promotional materials, such as a directory listing on our website specific to global cuisine members.
• The opportunity to lead a Global Experience program, and share the global story behind a favorite meal, your cuisine or business, with the IRC being able to promote and bring an audience to this event.

The IRC’s annual report shares more about the work we do.

• More Opportunities include

*"The world is more connected than ever before... you need to hear from experts in various fields and disciplines. This is where the IRC lives and breathes."

–* Commerce Bank

The World Out There:

Gain Global Insights from Global Experts

At IRC events, you’ll go beyond the headlines and hear directly from noted journalists, professors, diplomats, and other global experts – to gain a broader global perspective and orient yourself within Kansas City’s international community.

Past events include:

• A conversation with Ambassador William Taylor, former United States Ambassador to Ukraine under Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump, about Russia’s motivations with regards to their campaign in Ukraine.
• A symposium (in partnership with the University of Kansas) about the regional impacts of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, with panelists including Luis Guillermo Solís, President of the Republic of Costa Rica from 2014-2018, and Yuan Wang, a 2021-22 fellow at the Columbia-Harvard China and the World Program.
• Executive Director of the Kansas City Zoo, Sean Putney, speaking about the zoo’s international connections related to Wildlife Conservation
• Other recent speakers include:

Recent series include:

• Nuancing National Security
• Women in Global Leadership
• Choices: Foreign Policy Issues in the 2020 Election

Check out the full calendar of recent and upcoming IRC events here, and see recordings of past programs here.

<aside> 💡 We’ll be excited to learn what your global story is, and help you share it with our community

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A Few Notable IRC Speakers:

1955 – Eleanor Roosevelt First Lady, Diplomat, & Activist

1975 – Henry Kissinger U.S. Secretary of State

1982 – Admiral Robert Long U.S. Navy, Pacific Commander in Chief

2003 – Madeleine Albright U.S. Secretary of State

• More Details