Fine Wine and Mexican Cuisine are Featured at East LA Meets Napa - a
Celebration Benefiting AltaMed Health Services Corporation
LOS ANGELES, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- AltaMed Health Services hosted its
third annual East LA Meets Napa celebration featuring more than 20 Latino
owned/managed wineries, Latino wine makers and 20 Los Angeles area Mexican
restaurants. The event was attended by more than 1,000 wine and culinary
enthusiasts who enjoyed great music, food from some of the best Mexican/Latin
restaurants in the city and wonderful conversation in one of Los Angeles' most
historic venues -- Union Station. The celebration speaks to a trend among
aficionados of Mexican cuisine to choose wine over beer or margaritas to
accompany their meal.
Many of the business owners that showcased their products share an
immigrant experience, with some of the winemakers working their way up from
the fields. The event provided these entrepreneurs with the opportunity to
come together to support AltaMed's mission of providing quality, culturally
relevant health care to underserved populations throughout Southern
California.
"This year's event has been the most successful yet and we expect the
attendance to keep growing," said Castulo De La Rocha, AltaMed CEO. "These
Latino entrepreneurs and event sponsors are not only here to showcase their
products, they are supporting our organization's programs and our mission to
provide quality health care to underserved communities in the Southern
California region."
In 1990 there were just a few Latino-owned vineyards and today there are
well over 15 and growing each year. One such success story is that of Ceja
Vineyards. In 1983 Pedro and Amelia Ceja with other family members, pooled
their resources and invested in fifteen acres in Carneros. Coming to the
United States as farm workers, the family has worked hard over the years for
Ceja's stellar reputation.
"Robledo Family Winery is a strong supporter of AltaMed and this event,"
said Vanessa Robledo, spokesperson for Robledo Family Winery. "We believe in
what they are doing for Latino families and other diverse communities by
providing critical health services."
In addition to Robledo Family Winery, other participating wineries were
Alex Sotelo Cellars, Carneros della Notte, El Centauro del Norte, Frias Family
Vineyard, J Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Karl Lawrence Cellars, Mi Sueno Winery,
Renteria Wines, Ceja Vineyards, Sequoia Grove Vineyard and Two Wives.
"We are presenting guests an opportunity to try something that they
perhaps have not tried before," said event co-chair Ricardo Robles, President
of La Reina Inc. a manufacturer of Mexican food products. "Wine can be
fantastic with traditional favorites such as ceviche and even tacos. We are
trying to introduce people to something new, elevating great Mexican food so
that it is on par with great French or Italian cuisine."
Several wonderful restaurants provided food samplings including East LA
mainstays like Tila's Kitchen, Tacos Baja, Homegirl Cafe and El Siete Mares.
Rounding out the list are the soon to open Rivera Restaurant in downtown Los
Angeles by renowned Chef John Rivera Sedlar, La Casita Mexicana in the city of
Bell, Phlight in Whittier, palate food + wine by Chef Octavio Becerra, Cook's
Tortas, El Portal Yucatan cuisine in Pasadena, and chocolates by D's Delights.
Proceeds from the event benefit AltaMed Health Services. AltaMed Health
Services, a private nonprofit organization, is a major provider of health and
human services in the Greater Los Angeles area and the largest Federally
Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the State of California. The mission of
AltaMed is to provide high quality, coordinated, comprehensive health and
human services to the underserved in Southern California, with particular
attention to Latino and multi-ethnic populations. AltaMed began as the East
Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic in 1969, a volunteer-staff storefront providing
basic medical services. Today AltaMed's service area extends beyond the
immediately surrounding East Los Angeles area to the Southern California
region.
SOURCE AltaMed Health Services
Jania Palacios of Arevalo Sanchez, Inc., +1-520-404-7643,
Jania@arevalosanchez.com
