All Over Albany

Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food

Project: Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food, a specialty Latin American food products company.

Who: Julianna Glassanos

Short bio
Julianna Glassanos is chef and owner of Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food. "Hey, Chica!" is a specialty Latin American food products company. Products range from freshly roasted and blended authentic salsas, chimichuris, and sofritos, to the sweet candies and desserts of Latin America as well as the delicious coffee blends. You can currently find her conducting Latin American food classes at the Honest Weight Food Co-op, The Arts Center of the Capital Region, and Different Drummer's Kitchen. Julianna is excited about bringing her products to local farmer's markets this summer!

In October 2013, Julianna graduated from the inaugural Latin Cuisines Certification Program (LCCP) at the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, Texas. After obtaining a bachelors degree in Culinary Arts Management at the CIA in Hyde Park, New York, Julianna was awarded a scholarship to attend the Latin Cuisines Certification Program, and graduated at the top of her class. During the course, Julianna studied authentic Latin American cuisine under the top chefs from all throughout Latin America.

After returning to the Capital District, Julianna spent about a year working in various cooking and management jobs, while contemplating the next step in her career. She was hoping to discover a meaningful way to share the beauty and importance of Latin American cuisine and culture with her community here in the Capital District. She also had aspirations to start a business focused around this vision. Having a passion for authentic Latin American food, as well as community involvement and bringing people together to enjoy delicious food, Julianna launched her business in August 2013.

Julianna is passionate about the cultures and cuisines within Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. One of her greatest passions is meeting people and learning about their relationships with food, recipes, family, and cooking. Julianna aspires to teach the Capital District more about Latin American cuisine and culture, and she's looking forward to doing this through her food products, cooking demonstrations, and community involvement.

A description of the proposed project

Behind every goal, is a driving passion that feeds the efforts to succeed. The passion of chef and owner Julianna Glassanos is Latin American cuisine, and her efforts to succeed have evolved into Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food. Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food was inspired by the cuisine itself, which goes hand in hand with the hospitality, friendship, stories, myths, and heart and soul that is found in Latin American cooking.

As one of ten chefs in the United States to have had the opportunity to receive an intensive certification in Latin American cuisine at the world's premier Culinary Institute of America, and graduate at the very top of the class, Julianna Glassanos is without a doubt one of the leaders in the Latin American cuisine sector within North America. She has traveled back to her hometown of Albany, New York with a very special goal in mind. To bring Latin American cuisine to the community. The Capital District currently does not have representation of genuine, authentic, Latin American food. Many companies have tried in this sector, but this area still remains with a few unsuccessful interpretations that fall short of nothing more than lower quality imitation, fusion, and Tex-Mex.

Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food is a specialty Latin American food products company that produces authentic Latin American salsas, chimichuris, sofritos, candies, and coffee blends. All products are made from scratch and in a true authentic way. The flavors are very accurate to their authentic recipes and are bold, exciting, and different to those who aren't familiar with Latin cuisine.

The concept of Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food is to become a strong presence in the community, and to share with others the wonderful world of Latin American traditions and flavors. These specialty food products will be sold at local farmers markets within the Capital District, as well as in local grocery stores and food co-ops. The next steps to bringing Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food to markets is through the sourcing of local produce, marketing, labels, equipment, and materials. Funding of the business will help tremendously with these efforts!!

Company Mission:
The mission of Hey, Chica! Authentic Latin Food is to share the beauty of Latin American cuisine and culture through authentic and high-quality specialty food products.

How would the grant money help?
Chef and owner, Julianna Glassanos, is currently enrolled in the Albany-Chamber of Commerce
"Entrepreneurship Boot Camp" course. She has researched and studied her industry and has put together a comprehensive business plan complete with financial reports to request further funding. The grant money available through the AOA Grant Startup Contest will provide additional funds to allow the business to launch while greater funding is being obtained. The main focus currently is selling at farmer's markets. Some of the main costs associated with selling at markets include: proper insurance, access to a commercial kitchen, rental of booth space, application fees, marketing, transportation, and the costs to produce. Julianna has obtained the proper licensing from the Department of Agriculture and Markets to produce but still needs some funds to start producing.

The $1,500 grant will be allocated appropriately for the following:
+ Farmer's Market application fees and booth rental for the 2014 summer season. (Estimated between $200-$600)
+ Produce and finalization in recipe testing (Estimated at $300)
+ Labels and packaging (Estimated at $200)
+ Nutritional analysis of first two salsas (Estimated at $200)
+ Commercial kitchen fees (rent and utilities) for the summer (Estimated at $300)