Cooking for a Crowd at Restaurant Expo in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Last week, USA Rice participated in the 17th annual Expo Restaurantes, the foremost trade show for the restaurant and food service industry in Mexico that attracted more than 17,000 visitors from the surrounding metropolitan area.  

During the three-day event, professional chefs from restaurants, culinary institutions, and catering companies staffed the USA Rice booth preparing restaurant-quality rice dishes to showcase new rice recipes as well as ways to increase the use of rice in restaurants.  Attendees learned many new methods of preparing rice and were inspired to create their own gourmet dishes.

USA Rice Chef Gabriel Saucedo served as a judge for the Expo’s main event:  a cooking competition for students from culinary institutions throughout the area.  U.S. rice was included in the collection of “surprise” ingredients students had to use for their gastronomic presentations in front of the judges and hundreds of spectators.  Winners received gift baskets from USA Rice containing U.S. rice products and promotional materials.

“Expo Restaurantes is an important business platform for the restaurant and foodservice sector,” said Sarah Moran, USA Rice senior director for international trade and market development.  “Most who attend are responsible for restaurant purchases, whether they are owners, directors, managers, or executive chefs and our participation reinforces positive impressions of U.S.-grown rice and lays the groundwork for additional and future use of our rice.”