A new dinner series at Venezuelan restaurant Crasqui is bringing together the area’s top Latino chefs to showcase food culture and support immigrants.

The events, taking place monthly from April through November, feature a three-course meal prepared by Soleil Ramirez and other chefs including Gustavo Romero of James Beard-finalist Oro by Nixta in Minneapolis and Cristián de Leon of El Sazón in Eagan and Minneapolis and the new Xelas in Stillwater.

The series is called Cena Entre Panas, or “dinner among friends.”

Each dinner is also held in partnership with a local nonprofit, which will receive the funds raised from the event. Many nonprofit partners are centered around the Latino community, and Ramirez said the organizations with a wider mission have agreed to route funds from Cena Entre Panas events toward Latino clients specifically.

“This idea came from the desperation of helping immigrants in general,” Ramirez said. “I wanted to do this all year as a series, because (difficulties faced by immigrants) are not going to stop. Raising money for a nonprofit for one day is not going to make enough of a difference.”

Each dinner will have two seating times, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $165 per person, with gratuity included; drinks are extra. Tickets for each dinner will go on sale the day after the previous event; tickets for the inaugural April 23 event are on sale now at crasquirestaurant.com.

The idea for the dinner series was sparked about a month ago, Ramirez said. In mid-February, nearly nine years after fleeing her home country of Venezuela, Ramirez was approved for political asylum in the U.S. This status solidifies her right to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation and, in one year, she’ll be eligible to apply for permanent residency, colloquially known as a green card.

She told a few of her regulars at Crasqui, and one started crying.

“We’re not going to lose you,” Ramirez said the customer had told her through tears.

Ramirez is one of the country’s highest-profile Venezuelan chefs, and Crasqui is one of fewer than a handful of fine-dining Venezuelan restaurants in the U.S., she said. And since the restaurant opened in 2023, Ramirez has been intentional about using her space and standing in the community to support advocacy efforts. Earlier this year, she testified to state legislators about the needs of small restaurateurs, and this week, she’s inviting other chefs from the West Side to come together and discuss how they can work together.

“English is my second language, so I don’t use a lot of pretty words and I just get straight to the point,” she joked.

With the Cena Entre Panas series, she said, “the idea is to bring the community together to help the people who need it the most.”

Here is the schedule for the Cena Entre Panas series:

April 23: Gustavo Romero of Oro by Nixta in Minneapolis; his cooking focuses on heirloom Mexican ingredients, especially via corn tortillas

Nonprofit partner: Huellas Latinas, an organization providing outdoor recreation and family programs

May 28: Cristian de Leon of El Sazón in Minneapolis and Eagan and the new Xelas in Stillwater; his cooking blends Mayan influences from Mexico and Guatemala

Nonprofit partner: COPAL, which works to build power and social change in Latino communities

June 25: Nettie Colón of pop-up concept Red Hen Gastrolab; her cooking reflects her upbringing in Puerto Rico

Nonprofit partner: Neighborhood House, which provides a variety of basic needs — food, housing, literacy and family support — to build stability in St. Paul

July 27: Rolando Diaz of Marna’s Eatery and Lounge in Robbinsdale; his cooking highlights traditional Costa Rican ingredients and recipes

Nonprofit partner: Latino Lead, working to develop Latino leadership in civic, nonprofit, and business spaces

Aug. 24: Pedro Wolcott of Guacaya Bistreaux in Minneapolis; his cooking is a creative fusion of his native Caribbean flavors and Louisiana style

Nonprofit partner: Open Arms, which delivers meals to people with critical illnesses and their families

September, October and November: Exact dates are still being finalized, but featured chefs will include José Alarcón, formerly of Popol Vuh and Centro; longtime local hospitality professional Noe Lara; Jorge Guzmán of Chilango and formerly Petit León; and local Venezuelan pastry chef Hilda Vera-Terhark of pop-up Holy Sins Royal Bakehouse.

Crasqui: 84 Wabasha St.; 952-600-5578; crasquirestaurant.com

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