Chef Enrique Lozano shares his story with shs students and small business community –
A great success! That’s what was experienced at this month’s Socorro Small Business Community meeting on May 15, 2023. This month’s meeting took place at Socorro High School inside their Culinary Arts Program Bistro with breakfast prepared by SHS Culinary Arts students and served in a buffet style for small business owners and resources partners attending the meeting. City of Socorro Mayor Ivy Avalos and Representative Rudy Cruz Jr. welcomed all attendees and encouraged our small business community and culinary arts students to expand their horizons and take advantage of assistance programs and resources available to start or expand their business idea.
The key speaker for this meeting was Chef Enrique Lozano, owner and chef at El Charlatan, El Paso’s only Ramen-ya and Taqueria located on our historic Mission Trail (10180 Socorro Rd., Socorro, Texas). Chef Lozano was honored with a Congressional recognition by Congressman Tony Gonzales for his distinction as a James Beard semifinalist in the Best Chef category. Chef Lozano gave a fireside chat on his personal experiences growing up in Socorro and Ciudad Juarez and launching his restaurant with a Mexican and Asian flair. SISD staff were also recognized for their coordination efforts with the City of Socorro on this event. The meeting continued with a pitch from various resource partners including, Project Vida, LiftFund, Workforce Solutions Borderplex, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Contract Opportunities Center representatives were present to support and share information about their programs. Local business owners were present and enjoyed the delicious breakfast and networking that the event provided.
A great thank you to our Mayor Ivy Avalos and Representative Rudy Cruz Jr. for their participation and support at this meeting, thank you to Chef Lozano for sharing his story with us, thank you to all of our resources partners that attended this event, thank you to Ms. Amanda Acosta (SISD CTE Facilitator) and Chef Rominsky (Culinary Arts Teacher) for making this event possible, and a HUGE thanks to the SISD Culinary Arts students for preparing a delicious breakfast and sharing their amazing talents with our community.
Want to learn more about Chef Lozano and El Charlatan?
- Check out this interview with the Texas Standard.
- Check out this news clip on our local James Beard finalists.
- Check out this episode of KTEP’s State of the Arts with Chef Lozano
If you own a small business or considering starting a small business in Socorro, join the small business community on the Socorro Business Hub and stay connected with our Economic Recovery Office.
🧑🏽💻 Visit our Economic Recovery Office webpage for information on resources available and more.
📞 Call Jose Quinonez, Economic Recovery Coordinator at 915-858-2915 ext. 5016 or email 📧 jquinonez@costx.us to ask about small business resources and programs currently available.
