Gourmet Latino, in collaboration with The New School of New York City put together the first of a series of panels centered around Latin gastronomy.

The New School hosted the first panel to discuss the fact that although food from Mexico, Brazil, and other Latin American countries have become a staple of the New York diet, Latino chefs often do not receive the same public recognition and critical accolades as those from other cultures. Their culinary traditions are frequently conflated and confused, and many consumers are still reluctant to pay a fair price for dishes that require expensive ingredients and extraordinary skill. 

The panel addressed the question, what do Latino chefs need to do to be recognized and successful in a competitive restaurant market like New York City? And what structural and cultural obstacles do they face? They went on to discuss the future of the Latino labor force that is a dominant element of New York’s food industry.

The panel included chefs Jacques Gautier of Palo Santo, Roberto Santibañez of Fonda, and Maximo Tejada of Rayuela & Macondo, as well as Latino cultural promoter Mariana Suarez of Gourmet Latino. Moderated by Fabio Parasecoli, associate professor and New School Food Studies program coordinator. Sponsored by the New School Food Studies program and Gourmet Latino.

To see the panel and learn more, please check out the video here.

THE NEW SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT | http://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement