ESFM, Eurest Associates Bring the Flavor for Hispanic Heritage Month
Food is a staple of culture. It brings families together, bridges generations and creates warm memories.
Reflecting the spirit of hospitality that defines our work as divisions of Compass Group, serving the business and industry markets, ESFM and Eurest associates from the Hispanic and Latinx community shared some of their favorite recipes in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Click image to view recipes.
Meals hold special significance for many ESFM associates, including Lideny Andino, an operations support manager in Atlanta, Ga., who provided a sopa de caracol recipe.
“Growing up (in Honduras), my family would gather to attend church services and then share special meals, which brought us closer. This tradition carries special significance for me,” she said.
This time of year is especially memorable for Andino as September 15 is Independence Day for Honduras.
As a child, Lideny Andino was a baton twirler in Honduras Independence Day parades.
“This day is filled with vibrant parades, traditional music, and a strong sense of national pride,” Andino said. “When I was a kid, I used to participate in the parades as a palillona (baton twirler), which was one of my favorite parts of the celebration. Being part of the parade, dressed in colorful outfits and twirling the baton, made me feel proud to represent my school and my country.”
Pride in one’s heritage was a common theme among contributors, whose ancestry ranged from Honduras to Mexico and, in Denny Modesto’s case, the Dominican Republic.
Modesto, an ESFM Regional Director based in Virginia, underscored how this unique dynamic unites many.
“I love how Latinos, regardless of where they are or where they come from, are bound not only by language, but by striking similarities in culture.”
His homemade sazon, which pairs nicely with arroz con pollo, is one of the featured recipes.
In addition to providing inspiration for mofongo stuffed with garlic shrimp “Puerto Rican style,” Kamil Rodriguez, a human resources manager in Puerto Rico, also shared a song to illustrate “the cultural pride I carry in my heart.”
Puerto Ricans are known for their hospitality and joy. “If I could be born again, I would definitely choose to be Puerto Rican,” Rodriguez said. “As the song “Boricua en la Luna” by Juan Antonio Corretjer goes: ‘Yo sería borincano, aunque naciera en la Luna’ – I would be Boricua, even if I were born on the Moon.”