In late September, Avocados from Mexico (AFM) unveiled its state-of-the-art Culinary Center with a celebratory launch party at its corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas. As part of an expansion of AFM’s headquarters, the multifaceted Culinary Center will serve to further education and culinary innovation.
Special guests gathered for the debut, at which Avocados from Mexico President Alvaro Luque shared the AFM journey and the center’s purpose. Guests were treated to a VIP tasting of foods inspired by the beloved Michoacán fruit, prepared by acclaimed culinary talents of chef and AFM’s director of foodservice marketing Mark Garcia and James Beard-nominated chef Kent Rathbun.
“This is an incredibly state-of-the-art culinary center,” says Garcia, “but it’s really built for training, hands-on demos and learning/ideation sessions,” adding that the facility will help broaden the culinary use and knowledge of avocados.
Attendees were also given a preview of the forthcoming AVO University, which will launch in January and further expand the capabilities for chefs, offering seminars and continuing education credits.
AFM President Luque noted that the opening was also timed to celebrate 20 years of Mexican avocados in the United States marketplace, which has helped elevate the overall category and heighten its broad appeal and applicability.
