Saturday, October 7, at 3:00PM on the Main Stage at the 2023 DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival
Join Raul Medrano as he welcomes you to the world of specialty coffee. Witness and learn about how to perfect a direct pour over of coffee, as well as taste Cafe Medrano's new Black Latte Coffee that includes a dark roast from Copan, Honduras, organic cinnamon, organic vanilla from Mexico and organic cane sugar. Then, learn from Chef Carolina Gomez as she demonstrates how make a coffee BBQ Rub of use on brisket meat, as well as how to prepare a tiramisu desert.
Raul Medrano, Founder of Café Medrano
Born and raised in Washington DC, Raul has worked in the small business arena for more than 25+ years as an: entrepreneur, economic/workforce development professional, small business consultant, Spanish-language media professional, educator and mentor in the Washington, DC area.
In 2018, Raul along with cousins and family members both here in the United States and in Honduras, developed the brand of Café Medrano, which represents three generations of coffee producers in the highlands of Copan, Honduras. This family owned and operated business produces organic coffee, exports to the USA, where it is roasted in the DMV area and distributed both locally and nationally. Café Medrano is currently celebrating its 5th Anniversary and for more information visit, www.cafemedrano.com or visit us on social media @CafeMedrano
In the Fall of 2022, at the Inaugural DMV Chocolate and Coffee Festival, Café Medrano was awarded 1st Place in the Top Roast Coffee Competition. They were then featured on the front page of Washington, DC’s leading Spanish-language weekly newspaper, El Tiempo Latino on July 21, 2023, as a human-interest story of a family operated business. In the Spring of 2018, Raul was awarded the Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year Award by the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC).
Raul graduated from Johns Hopkins University, Carey Business School, MBA Program in Spring of 2010 and has served on local Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, and Board Member of the Latino Farmers Alliance, as well as other community organizations.
Carolina Gomez, Chef & FoodBiz Mentor
Born and raised in Washington DC, Carolina is a chef with a deep understanding of her community. Carolina has worked in the restaurant industry in DC for 17 years. She began her career at Restaurant Nora, America's first certified organic restaurant, she then moved on to working at other restaurants that supported the farm to table movement in DC and New York City.
After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York she came back to DC and opened her first meat curing facility and delicatessen. Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen was a unique business on Georgia Avenue in Washington DC where she cured and aged local farm-raised meats. Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen was a beloved neighborhood deli that also focused on wholesale distribution, catering and special event sales, and taught specialized butchery and culinary classes. Carolina owned and operated Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen for six years and sold the concept in July of 2017.
Carolina then became Executive Chef of MK Catering Inc. one of the largest corporate catering companies in Washington DC, where she managed events for Congress, Large Corporations, and catered special events for many exclusive clients including the first lady of the United States. Carolina then became the Corporate Chef Consultant for recipe development and innovation at Gourmet Kitchen Inc. - the largest hors oeuvre manufacturing and distribution company in the Country.
Carolina continues to work with those companies and is now a consultant for multiple businesses in the food and hospitality industry including the DC Small Business Development Center at Howard University and the business program at The Carlos Rosario Public Charter School. She was awarded Young Hispanic Entrepreneur Of The Year by The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in November 2022.
