Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Kerri Lesh is a cultural and linguistic anthropologist who has lived in various parts of Spain over the course of her academic career. She received her PhD from the University of Nevada, Reno, having conducted research on minoritized languages, tourism, and gastronomy. Her particular interest focuses on how culture and language intersect with gastronomy. She returns to Spain as much as she can to meet with both academics and local food and wine producers. Dr. Lesh has fond memories of having completed a portion of the Camino de Santiago, marveling at the wonders of the Alhambra, wandering through Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, and walking among the vineyards in the verdant coastal regions of the Basque Country and Galicia. She is at her happiest when eating and drinking and talking about eating and drinking.

Dr. Lesh is also a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), having worked harvests in both Chile and the Basque Country. She is currently based in Kansas City, dividing her time between working at a local vineyard, teaching for the Culinary Center of Kansas City, as well as teaching in the Anthropology Department at a local college. Kerri has taught courses in Basque Culture, Indigenous and Minoritized Languages, Linguistic Anthropology, and the Anthropology of Food and Wine, and has published several articles in journals such as Anthropology of Food, Applied Linguistics Review, and BOGA: Basque Studies Consortium Journal.