14th Annual Fiesta Kansas City Fiesta Kansas City

Celebrating 36 Years of the HCCGKC and the 14th Annual Fiesta Kansas City
Fiesta Kansas City is an annual celebration located in the heart of Kansas City. Presented by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City and sponsored by some of the best local companies Kansas City has to offer, this is the place you want to be. Celebrating it’s 14th year, the Fiesta features delicious food, ice cold beverages, superb entertainment and a host of vendors making it the premiere Fiesta in the Greater Kansas City area. With 2 stages rocking the Crown Center Pavilion over three days, families and friends will find the perfect way to celebrate Latino-style! Rain of shine, you won’t want to miss out on this Kansas City summer event.

Friday, June 21st from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 22nd from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 23rd from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Crown Center Plaza
2450 Grand Boulevard
(Grand Boulevard & Pershing Road)
Kansas City, Missouri

Regular Admission
Free admission until 4:00 p.m.
$10.00 per person and $20.00 for a 3-day Fiesta KC Pass
Kids 12 and under free with a paid admission

Fiesta 3-Day Passes
Pick up your 3-day Fiesta Kansas City pass at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City office today!  The 3-Day Fiesta Pass is only $20 and grants you entry into the fiesta all weekend, June 21, 22 & 23, 2013.

Inauguration group donates funds for Latino arts

By BRETT ZONGKER

Associated Press

Organizers of a gala concert and series of events celebrating Latino culture during President Barack Obama's second inauguration are donating the proceeds to help raise the national profile of Latino arts and culture.

On Friday, actress Eva Longoria and others announced they are giving $170,000 to the Friends of the American Latino Museum, which aims to build a museum on the National Mall. That group will make grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 to the Smithsonian Latino Center, the American Latino Heritage Fund of the National Park Foundation and the Kennedy Center to support Latino cultural programs.

A co-chairman of the Latino Inaugural event, who is now finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee, said the gifts are symbolic to begin developing Latino philanthropy to ensure Latinos have a prominent place in the nation's cultural institutions.

"It represents our investment into institutions that are responsible for telling the American story," said Henry Munoz III. "It is saying now that we're beginning to develop a generation of arts patrons, of involvement in the arts that will begin to pave the way for a more complete story."

The money also supports the advocacy effort to urge Congress to authorize a national Latino museum. A bill has passed through the Senate but is awaiting action in the House.

Munoz led a presidential commission that called in 2011 for an American Latino museum to be built as part of the Smithsonian Institution. Longoria also served on the commission, along with actor Emilio Estefan and others.

In a written statement, Longoria said Latinos "are leaving their mark in politics, culture and the arts" across the nation.

Latinos played a prominent role in Obama's second election and inauguration, after raising funds and turning out the vote. Hispanics voted 7 to 1 for Obama over Republican Mitt Romney. Latino dollars also helped make a difference, Munoz said.

"This is the moment to begin to develop Latino philanthropy. It's critically important," he said. "I'm hoping that this will increasingly be known as the brown age. It's important for us to support our own."

The gift to the Smithsonian will support an upcoming exhibition entitled "Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Kennedy Center leads training for minority arts organizations, and the National Park Foundation has a fund to help preserve significant sites in Latino history.

KC Hispanic leader: Immigration reform will boost business

By Megan Hart

megan.hart@cjonline.com

No group will get everything it wants from immigration reform, but businesses still will benefit from the coming solution, according to Carlos Gomez.

Gomez, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City and a Topeka resident, spoke at the Topeka Independent Business Association’s lunch meeting Tuesday. Gomez said he would like to see a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million to 12 million people living in the United States who entered illegally, but he doesn’t expect that in the near future.

“It’s not going to happen,” he said.

Large-scale deportations aren’t likely either, Gomez said, and Congress is trying to find a middle ground that probably will allow some of the people who immigrated illegally to stay and work toward citizenship. That will be a boost for the economy, he said.

“That’s (for example), 5 million more people who can buy car insurance who couldn’t before,” he said. “That’s 5 million people who couldn’t get small-business loans before.”

Hispanics are the fastest-growing group when it comes to starting new businesses, Gomez said, and young females are leading business creation within that ethnic group. Like earlier waves of immigrants from Europe, most people from Latin American countries arrive in the United States with dreams and entrepreneurial inclinations, he said.

“A lot of people ask me what’s different about the Latino community,” he said. “The DNA of a small-business owner is the same.”

Spending also is growing among Hispanic consumers, making it important for businesses to learn how to reach them, Gomez said — and translating your fliers into Spanish isn’t the best tactic. Getting to know people in the Latino community through working with churches and nonprofit groups they value is more important, he said, because most people are loyal to businesses when they have a relationship with the owner and employees.

“At the end of the day, no matter the demographic, we’re all the same,” he said.

Business owners also need to recognize that there isn’t a monolithic “Hispanic” culture, Gomez said. People from Puerto Rico may respond differently to a certain message than do people from Mexico, he said, and even people from different states within Mexico may not have the same reaction because of cultural differences, making it doubly important to get to know your area’s community.

Though hiring employees who speak Spanish is helpful, hiring someone who isn’t qualified because he or she is bilingual is “the biggest mistake” a business can make, Gomez said. Businesses need to seek employees who have the right skills and show potential to grow, and having language skills is a bonus, he said.

El Salvadoreño provides taste of Central America in downtown Overland Park

 By KELLI DANIELS

The evening began with a pretty perfect bike ride up and down Lamar Avenue and then west to Metcalf Avenue.

Not surprisingly, we found ourselves winding our ride down near Downtown Overland Park surrounded by the usual watering holes.

Luckily for us, we couldn’t decide on where to stop to grab a bite and a brew as our spokes spun past a quaint Central American store front at 7926 Santa Fe Drive that is home to El Salvadoreño.

“How about here?” My friend asked as her bike was seemingly being drawn in by the authentic music spilling out of this urban, ethnic find.

After reading their accolades on Yelp and Urbanspoon, we learned we were not the only passersby who have been slaves to this Latino spell.

Quite honestly we didn’t expect much, especially after we were approached by the astute Anglo server named John who greeted us and looked like he had just left the set of The Truman Show. Little did we know, we were in for a very pleasant surprise.

As it turns out, John is the brother-in-law of the chef and owner Blanca Alvarenga and very knowledgeable of Salvadoreño fare.

He walked us through the menu and encouraged us to order the Sampler Platter which, as he explained, has a small version of everything on the first page of the menu.

I rubbed my hands together, scooted my chair in, looked at my friend and said, “Let’s do this.”

The appetizer, which served as a perfect tapas tasting for two, included five dishes that are apparent staples in El Salvadorian cuisine:

•  El Pastele — a perfectly fried dough which contained carrot, potato, chilés and braised beef with a light sauce that was undoubtedly the result of this combination being slowly melted together with the patience, discipline and passion that only a native could convey.

•  Next to that was a Papusa — a griddled soft corn shell filled with cheese and the pedals of the flower Foroco. We looked at each other nodding constantly as we savored each bite. The hand made papusa paired with the sweet and slightly floral notes of the loroco were pure incentive to book a trip to the small, coastal Latin American country.

•  The Enchilada — not at all what you would find from its neighbors to the north. This was more like a tostada of sorts. A fry bread that was topped with roasted chicken that was stewed in their house-made salsa, shaved radish, pickled beets and hard-boiled egg. It was our favorite on the plate and boasted so many flavors and textures, I found myself eating more of it just to figure it out.

•  “Tamale Extraordinaire” — riddled with braised pork and its rendering sauce this was, by far, the best tamale I have had in this town, hands down. The masa wrapping is much thicker than the Mexican version of this Latino staple and finer ground than Honduran tamales I have had and the pork melted in my mouth like a well crafted piece of chocolate.

•  Lastly, the Yucca Frita — topped with a spicy cabbage slaw called “Curtido” and, of course, chicharones. The yucca, although a very starchy vegetable was perfectly crispy and the sweetness of it was brazenly balanced with the sharp acidity in the slaw.

We were offered dessert but were somewhat over stimulated and still had a few miles to go on our journey home but we will definitely be back with more friends, empty stomachs and a greater curiosity for the rest of the menu. I encourage you to do the same.

El Salvadoreño can be found on the Internet via its Facebook page.

Bon Appetit.

Chef Kelli Daniels is owner and operator of Good You Mobile Vending and Catering, as well as the chief dishwasher, a restaurant consultant, sister, daughter, a lover and a fighter, metro cyclist, socialite, epicurean and drinker of strong coffee .

Clinton announces Latin America initiative

By DEEPTI HAJELA

Associated Press

The Clinton Global Initiative is taking its formula of a powerhouse gathering of global leaders to a new part of the world.

Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that the first Clinton Global Initiative Latin America is scheduled for December 8-10 in Rio de Janeiro. He made the announcement in New York City, at the mid-year meeting for his annual September conference, which brings together leaders in politics, business and philanthropy to tackle the world's biggest problems.

He was joined by the Brazilian city's mayor, Eduardo Paes, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the start of a session discussing climate change and how cities can deal with it.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a CGI commitment that a group of the world's cities would be taking: The creation of an assessment framework for evaluating risks from climate change.

The framework from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group would allow for a common standard that could be used by cities all over the world as they try to figure out what actions to prioritize in trying to mitigate climate change, Bloomberg said in introducing the commitment.

"Cities can't afford to close their eyes and hope for the best," he said. "In many cases, we've already caught a glimpse of what the future may hold."

He added, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

Bloomberg is the current chairman of C40, which was started in 2005 and is a network of cities around the world looking to implement local actions that can impact climate change.