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14 epic Latin American party food traditions and twists

For holiday menus to remember, chefs revel Latin America’s many festive foods, from Puerto Rican roast pollo to build-your-own fajitas to Mayan pumpkin seed salsa, fresh Baja bites, modern Mexican plates, ceviche, tostadas, concha, guac-stuffed tomatoes, sizzling shrimp, crispy plantains and more.

Tara Fitzpatrick, Senior Editor

November 16, 2021

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On the first floor of Stony Brook University (SBU)’s Staller Center for the Arts, the art gallery recently hosted a photography exhibit, Dos Mundos: (Re)Constructing Narratives. This show featured Latin American artists, and was curated by En Foco, a non-profit dedicated to supporting U.S.-based photographers of Latino, African, Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander heritage.

In conjunction with the exhibit—and Hispanic Heritage Month—SBU’s dining team brought on two guest chefs, CulinArt Chef Evelyn Reyes and Chef Julieta Ballesteros, a restaurateur from New York City (her restaurant, La Loteria, is in the West Village). Reyes prepared Dominican and Puerto Rican dishes and Ballesteros brought her modern Mexican dishes to the table for a special dine-in event. Check out these dishes and more, including Texas Christian University (TCU) Dining’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations and the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s debut party for its new Baja concept, one of five chef-driven concepts at a new dining hall called The Shore (Editor’s note: stay tuned for a tour of The Shore at UNCW!)

About the Author

Tara Fitzpatrick

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group

Tara Fitzpatrick is Food Management’s senior editor and a contributor to Restaurant Hospitality and Nation’s Restaurant News, creating editorial content for digital, print and events. Tara holds a bachelor of science degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kent State University. Before joining Food Management in 2008, Tara was associate editor at National Association of College Stores in Oberlin, Ohio. Prior to that, Tara worked as a newspaper reporter in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, where she lives now. Tara is a fan of food history, legends, lore, ghost stories, urban farming and old cookbooks. 

Tara Fitzpatrick’s areas of expertise include the onsite foodservice industry (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare and B&I), menu trends, sustainability in foodservice, senior dining, farm-to-table and innovation.

Tara Fitzpatrick is a frequent webinar and podcast host and has served on the board of directors for IFEC (International Food Editors Consortium).

Tara Fitzpatrick’s experience:

Senior Editor, Food Management (Feb 2008-present)

Associate Editor, National Association of College Stores (2005-2008)

Reporter, The Morning Journal (2002-2005)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-fitzpatrick-4a08451/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tara_Fitzie

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