Proposal to position Mexican Chef as corporate spokesperson

1. Chef Ana Garcia
of La Villa Bonita
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2. Chef Ana Garcia
Ana Garcia is one of the most exci1ng chefs in Mexico today. Born in Monterrey and
raised in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, Ana traces her lineage well beyond the Mexican
Revolu1on.
Her abili1es as a chef were passed down from her mother, aunts, grandmothers and great
grandmother, and her repertoire includes tradi1onal central and northern Mexican
special1es as well as experimental nouvelle Mexican cuisine using tradi1onal ingredients
in new and gastronomically adventurous ways.
She has given culinary demonstra1ons and lectures at the Orlando Culinary Ins1tute, the
Arizona Culinary Ins1tute, the Hospitality Ins1tute of Chicago, Central Market Cooking
School, and the Na1onal Restaurant Associa1on Conven1on, and has served as a
spokesperson for Modelo Beers and Méxicana Airlines.
Together with her husband Robb, Ana owns and operates La Villa Bonita an award
winning cooking school and culinary vaca1on des1na1on in Tepoztlan, Mexico
(www.lavillabonita.com).
Ana in the News
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3. Popularity of Mexican Cuisine
Mexican Cuisine is one of the most popular food choices by
general population
Mexican Cuisine is now the third most popular cuisine on menus
following American and Italian (Mintel Menu Insights 2007)
The American public is becoming more sophisticated about
authentic Mexican cuisine
Latin is the fastest growing ethnic food category in the U.S.,
splitting into 30 sub-sectors of food-service cuisine (Marketresarch.com
2007)
There is a booming interest in home cooking in the US. 53% of
U.S. consumers say they are cooking from scratch more than they
were six months before (Information Resources 2008)
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4. Ana Garcia
The Face of Mexico
Chef Ana Garcia is the face of modern Mexico. She is educated, talented, aspirational, family-
oriented, successful, recognizable, and accessible. Ana personifies Mexico’s rich history, art,
landscape, culture, music, cuisine and people.
• Ana understands and communicates the intersection of Mexican culture and cuisine
• She is a national spokesperson for Negra Modelo and Modelo Especial
• She is warm, knowledgeable, and professional
• She is born and raised in Colonial Mexico
• She is bilingual and part of the Mexican Hospitality Industry
Ana brings together all the different attributes of the country into one
deliciousMexico – A celebration of the five senses:
• TASTE
• TOUCH
• SIGHT
• SOUND
• SMELL
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5. Chef
Food is at the heart of life in Mexico – colorful, fresh, locally grown and raised
ingredients and livestock make up the healthy Mexican diet. Recipes are passed down
from one generation to the next with love and commitment. As a professional chef
with a rich cooking heritage, Ana demonstrates food’s power to:
· Inspire community
· Spur discussion
· Bring people together
· Reinforce tradition
· Bring back memories
· Nourish the spirit and the soul The Many Faces of Ana
Guide
Ana opens the door to North American visitors and demystifies this
land and its people as she takes her guests on a multi-sensory tour of
her world, ranging from the sights and sounds of everyday life, to the
brilliance and pageantry of festivals and celebrations. Ana highlights the
obvious, uncovers the hidden and provides an entirely new lens to view
the country that focuses on the taste, sights, sounds, smells and feel of
Mexico.
Spokesperson
Ana is a born communicator who understands how to reach an
audience, and how to inspire their interest. She speaks their language,
understands their interests, and knows how to pique their curiosity. As a
spokesperson for the Mexico Tourism Board, Ana will tailor her message
to her audience, and as a member of the hospitality industry, she can
reach out to a broad network of consumers and travel professionals.
She is adept at spotting and capitalizing on market trends and nuances
within the industry, and will help raise interest and awareness and
ultimately increase visitor traffic to Mexico.
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6. Ana Delivers
Partnering with Ana will...
• Change the subject
• Underscore the positive attributes of the country
• Give potential visitors more reasons to visit
• Open up a wider audience of potential visitors
• Introduce the charms of the interior and other areas of the country
• Help change negative perceptions
• Be the fresh face of a new direction
• Give a wholesome image to the country
• Introduce audiences to the healthy benefits of authentic Mexican cuisine
• Personify young, strong, smart, nurturing, exciting, hardworking 21st Century Mexico
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7. Partnership Idea
Spokesperson for Mexico Tourism Board
As the face of Moder n
As Spokesperson, Ana would:
Mexico, Ana Garcia would be
• Attend key industry conventions and trade an exceptional spokesperson
for the Mexico Tourism Board,
shows in specified locations around the
and would be instrumental in
U.S. raising the visibility of Mexico
• Perform cooking demos at high visibility while attracting both leisure
and business travelers.
and prestigious venues around the U.S.
including culinary institutions, festivals and
As the owner and operator of
food events a Cooking School/Culinar y
• Include The Tourism Board in all print and Va c a t i o n D e s t i n a t i o n i n
Te p o z t l a n , A n a f u l l y
broadcast interviews
comprehends the importance
• Maintain an active blog presence and take of a strong network, and will
advantage of new social media outlets to work on your behalf to forge
effective bonds with
maximize awareness, exposure and visibility
commercial tour operators,
• Include The Tourism Board in on-going agents, influencer s and
development of cookbook and Public executives within the travel
industry.
Television series opportunities
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8. Partnership Idea
The James Beard Foundation
• Sponsor a specialty dinner at the James Beard House in New York
• Sponsor a table at the James Beard Awards Ceremony at Lincoln Center
• Sponsor Celebrity Chef Tour at restaurants around the country
The James Beard Foundation is at the center of America's culinary community, dedicated
to exploring the way food enriches our lives.
Since its founding in 1986, The Foundation has become the preeminent food association
promoting all the best in the culinary arts and fine dining including world cuisines, upcoming
chefs, notable restaurants, wine and spirits and purveyors of fine foods
Deemed “the Oscars of the food world,” by Time magazine, The James Beard Foundation
Awards are the country’s most coveted honor for chefs, food and beverage professionals,
broadcast media, journalists, and authors working on food; and restaurant architects and
designers.
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9. Chef Ana in Action
Chef Ana Garcia in the My Mexico TV show pilot.
To watch the pilot, visit http://www.lavillabonita.com
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10. U.S. Contact
Karen Sperling
Sperling Greene Partners
(201) 871-0605
(201) 543-7421
ksperling@optonline.net
Thank you
Copyright 2009 La Villa Bonita
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