Attendees to the Latin Food Symposium heard from their peers and "titans" of the industry.
Latin restaurant owners and food manufacturers had plenty of opportunities to learn how to grow their businesses during the Western Foodservice Expo in Los Angeles, September 19-21.
The 5th Annual Latin Food Symposium, held concurrently with the Expo, attracted 180 people interested in better understanding the key issues behind the industry.
“The take-aways were incredible,” said Lilly Rocha, director of events for Space 67 Productions, which produced the event. “People from all different parts of the food spectrum said they learned something new today.”
Lilly Rocha addresses the Latin Food Symposium, which attracted 180 attendees.
The symposium included three panel discussions. The first, “The Journey: Stories from the Battlefield,” was a panel discussion among five individuals who have succeeded in the food industry: Jocelyn Ramirez of Todo Verde; Dave Shimkin of Cozen O’Connor; Rodrigo Gonzalez of Deodate; Elisa Gomez of Sunbox; and Dan Solis of FDA Imports.
“Their stories helped other, potential entrepreneurs see what some of the pitfalls are and how to avoid them,” Rocha said.
The second panel, “Titans of the Industry,” featured conversations with Lupillo Ramirez of Northgate Marekts; Luigina Del Pozo of Amazon; Lisette Gavina-Lopez of Gavina/Don Francisco Coffee; Peter Stearns of Hard Frescos; and Ruben Smith of the Latino Food Industry Association.
The third panel covered a topic that concerns many Latino restaurant owners – immigration issues. The panel, called “Powered by Immigrants,” included comments from Betzabel Estudillo of the Miguel Contreras Foundation; Gladdys Uribe of the Law Offices of Gladdys Uribe; Edward Medina, CEO of Ramona’s Food Group LLC; Fernando Vasquez, co-founder of Barriles Restobar; and Chef Natalie Curie of E Coraloense.
“Both entrepreneurs and industry experts shared how the Latin food industry is being affected by the current political situation,” Rocha said.
In addition to the symposium, attendees could learn about many Latin food trends by visiting the 42 booths that were part of Sabor Latino, also produced by Rocha’s firm, and presented this year by the Latino Food Industry Association.
The booths that were part of Sabor Latino included food items such as agave wine from Agamiel and avocadoes from Avo Salc; beverages such as Hard Fresco and Naturas mixes; and non-food items such as uniforms for female chefs from Athena. Click here for more info about some of the products at the show.