Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell is the epitome of a modern renaissance woman.

The Spelman grad owns a thriving pediatric dental practice in Northern New Jersey and has been practicing dentistry for nearly 20 years. A proud first generation Jamaican American, the wife and mom of five is also the founder of Iconoclast Dinner Experience (IDE). The unique dining events IDE produces have gained fans in a laundry list of tastemakers who personify Black excellence, from our Forever First Lady Michelle Obama to Spike Lee to Kelis. An award-winning platform that elevates diverse and culinary professionals, IDE was created out of a genuine longing.

“I’m a deep lover of food and culinary culture, and for years I’d noticed a lack of representation of chefs and beverage professionals of color in the higher echelons of that world,” the multi-hyphenate explains. “I’ve always believed that whoever controls the table, the plate, and the glass controls the cultural narrative. In 2015 I founded The Iconoclast Dinner Experience. More than a decade later, our IDE alumni, from Chef Nina Compton to Chef Kwame Onwuachi, are shaping the culinary world.”

Just in time for Black Business Month and while Harvell prepares for her next IDE event this Sunday, August 9 in Martha’s Vineyard, we checked in with the stylish entrepreneur. She revealed how bringing people together over food brings her joy, why she’s so passionate about giving back to underserved communities and the importance of treating all her event guests (celebrity or not) in the highest regard.

ESSENCE: As a little girl growing up in Westchester County, New York, did you aspire to have your own dental practice?
DR. LEZLI LEVENE HARVELL: My husband has an MBA and a background in corporate America, and I am a board-certified pediatric dentist. We had a dream of creating a company together that leaned into both of our strengths and allowed us to prioritize our family. We founded Dental Kidz Pediatric Dentistry in 2009.

ESSENCE: You are a mother to five daughters! How does it feel to have two of them attend your alma mater, Spelman College?
HARVELL: Family is the center of my life. As a Spelman woman, I know what that campus does for a young Black woman’s sense of self. It tells her, unequivocally, that she can enter and impact any room entirely on her own terms. To have seen my two eldest daughters walk that same ground, find that same sisterhood and share that sisterhood with them, moves me profoundly.

ESSENCE: Explain how The Iconoclast Dinner Experience came about.
HARVELL: I kept dreaming of an event that celebrated chefs of color. One day I was talking it through with my husband. He looked at me and said, “You don’t need to wait for someone else to create this, you can.” That was the permission I didn’t know I needed.

ESSENCE: Previous guests have included a list of who’s who in Black America, from former FLOTUS Michelle Obama to Spike Lee. This is an amazing feat.
HARVELL: IDE is about the sanctity of authentic, in-person connection. We build every gathering as a pristine, uncompromised environment, intentionally intimate, deeply curated, and designed for the people in the room rather than for a lens.

When you create a space with that kind of integrity, one that honors artists and their craft, people want to be part of it. At its heart, our mission simply resonates. Every guest at an IDE experience matters equally, whether they’re a household name or not; what draws them all is the same thing, something rare, rooted in connection. No one at our table is more important than anyone else.

ESSENCE: What do you want people to know about your August 9th event in Martha’s Vineyard?
HARVELL: “The King Is Dead.” is our annual Martha’s Vineyard event, and the name and the punctuation carries real intention. The phrase “The king is dead, long live the king!” dates to the 15th century —simultaneously announcing the passing of one monarch and saluting the immediate ascension of the next. Our event challenges that traditional cycle of succession. In an industry long dominated by a homogenous old guard passing torches of influence exclusively to those who mirror them, we are rewriting the lineage.

ESSENCE: Will this be your first event on the Vineyard?
HARVELL: No, this is our sixth year on Martha’s Vineyard in partnership with The FARM Institute, and IDE itself is in its eleventh year. The collaboration centers island-based sustainable agriculture and spotlights pioneering female culinary and beverage professionals. IDE’s 2026 chefs-in-residence: Monika Dominguez (Shiso, Miami), India Doris (Markette, NYC), Sahar Siddiqi (Chai Pani, Atlanta), and Whitney Stancil (Clean Slate Eatery, Cape Cod), are immersed in the island’s food-equity community. Our residency culminates with the 2026 chefs developing an aspirational menu sourced from Martha’s Vineyard ingredients, concluding in a festive, outdoor celebration.

ESSENCE: You are creating seats at the table for chefs and beverage professionals of color, which is powerful.
HARVELL: For too long, mainstream publications and culture have decided what counts as haute cuisine, which cuisines are deemed casual, and which are allowed to command a hefty price tag. Meaningful access is not a photo opportunity; it is an introduction to the people who hold the keys to cultural capital, the kind of connection that can reshape a career. IDE exists to give rising chefs and beverage professionals of color a pristine, uncompromised environment to be seen, and to affirm that they can enter and impact this industry entirely on their own terms. This year, with a spotlight on women redefining the field, that mission feels especially close to my heart.

ESSENCE: How are you using both your dental practice and your signature dining experiences to give back?
HARVELL: My worlds are less separate than they appear. They are about care, presence, and creating spaces where people feel seen. At Dental Kidz, that’s our young patients and their families; with IDE, it’s our chefs, beverage professionals and our guests; and at home, it’s my 25-year marriage and our five daughters that both anchor and support everything I do. That same intentionality shapes the stories we tell: IDE is an award-winning platform, and beyond our in-person experiences, we produce meaningful content, most recently winning a 2026 Telly Award. Lastly, net proceeds from IDE events support international students at Spelman College. It all comes back to family, representation, and opening doors on our own terms.

Author: Bridgette Bartlett Royall

Read the original article on Essence.