Ethnic Kitchen Director Shares Meal with Renowned New York Chef and EK Star’s Family

Between breaks in filming Ethnic Kitchen last week, Aistė Ptakauskė invited some special guests over for dinner. EK star Marisa Leonavičienė and her children Rimas, Lina, Liepa and Darius, who moved to Lithuania from Uruguay a few years ago, joined the director at her home. Another guest, famous Lithuanian chef Michael Laiskonis, cooked the meal while visiting from New York.

“We Lithuanians are usually hospitable and warmly welcome visitors. However, while making this film, I’ve found out that foreigners perceive Lithuanians as shy and reluctant to open their doors for foreigners,” Aistė observed. “A sincere invitation to dinner and a warm chat by the table can help us find common ground and really get to know someone new. That is why I decided to start with myself. I’ve resolved to open up my home more often to people who are newly arrived in Lithuania and less familiar with Vilnius or with the country as a whole. I invite you to do the same.”

Together with the Ethnic Kitchen team, Aistė is launching a fun campaign called “Invite a Foreigner Over.” Stay tuned for more updates!