Latest news with #JoséTorres
Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
This Riviera Nayarit Resort Is Hosting An Epic Summer Chef Series
Experience unique dishes some of Mexico's best chefs If you're the type of vacationer that loves to relax by the beach and indulge in delicious food, then a visit to Conrad Punta de Mita for its Summer Chef Series might be the right move for you. This line up of food-filled events will bring together renowned chefs from all over Latin America — many of which are local to Mexico — for exceptional dining experiences all summer long. These exciting guest chef dinners will be led by the chef José 'Chema' Torres and executive chef Germán Ghelfi, the creative forces behind Codex, the property's stunning signature restaurant. Beautifully designed, serving food that's just as lovely to look at (and eat) as its surroundings, the regular menu is filled with dishes that blend local flavors with rich traditions of Riviera Nayarit and contemporary techniques — this summer it's extra special with guest appearances by an array of super talented chefs. Ghelfi has a strong passion for cooking over an open flame. Having grown up in Argentina with a family farm of ingredients and proteins, the culture dictated grilling and experimentation. As a chef, he's followed that flame his entire career, and has been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet other chefs along the way that also focus on grilling techniques. When Ghelfi arrived at Conrad Punta de Mita over a year ago, he seized the opportunity to create a beachside event that rivaled any barbeque event in the U.S., but with Latin flair. That's how Latin Grill Masters was born. Ghelfi sees it as a chance for guests to learn about the food cultures of Latin America in a very delicious way. The Latin Grill Masters event will begin on July 2nd Guests are able to discover the flavors of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico as renowned chefs come together for the second edition of Latin Grill Masters at Conrad Punta de Mita this July. From traditional asado to bold Amazonian spices, these chefs will showcase signature grilling techniques while offering an authentic taste of their homeland along the shores of Riviera Nayarit. This year's guest chefs include: Dario Brugnoni (Argentina), Guillermo Busquiazo (Argentina), Francisca Cortés (Chile), Christian Guarrina (Chile), Juan Ozaki (Peru), Bruno Panhoca (Brazil), and Juliana Machado (Brazil). The Latin Grill Masters event kicks off Wednesday, July 2 with a delicious dinner on the sand. On Thursday, July 3 guests can enjoy the Chefs' Take on the Taco event where creativity meets tradition — in the form of everyone's favorite food: the taco. Each participating chef will reimagine Mexico's most iconic dish, infusing it with their unique techniques and cultural influences for an extraordinary culinary showcase. Spoiler alert: not everyone will use a tortilla. On Friday, July 4, the resort will host The Grand Feast. This live-fire dining experience will showcase the art of Latin American grilling in a big bold way. All cooking will be done on an open flame and guests can move about to each grill station and interact with the chefs as they cook. Then the weekend will finish off with a Peruvian Night where chef Juan Ozaki will bring the fusion of Peruvian and Japanese flavors to life with a Nikkei-inspired evening centered around the finest local tuna. Guests will enjoy live fire cooking and a chance to interact with the visiting chefs Can't make it over July 4th weekend? All summer long Conrad Puta de Mita will be hosting chefs from across Latin America. The Summer Chef Series will feature talented guest chefs from across Mexico, each bringing their own unique approach to Latin cuisine. Chef Fernando Hernández, born in Teziutlán, Puebla, draws inspiration from his roots—corn, adobos, forest herbs, and family traditions. Trained at ICUM and shaped by a formative stage at Martín Berasategui, he leads Puebla's acclaimed Moyuelo. A San Pellegrino Young Chef semifinalist and MexBest winner, Fernando is known for elevating traditional Poblano flavors through technique and innovation. Armando Acosta, the culinary mastermind behind Archiebald, brings a passion for fine dining and a keen eye for detail to every dish. Renowned for his innovative take on classic American steakhouse cuisine, he blends tradition with modern flair to create memorable dining experiences. This Summer Series dinner will highlight innovation and tradition in every bite. Ana Dolores, the innovative chef behind Esquina Común, brings seasonal Mexican cuisine to new heights with international influences. Known for her ever-evolving menu, she highlights the freshest ingredients each season offers. Esquina Común's creative approach earned them one of Mexico's first Michelin stars. At this dinner expect the best of Mexico's culinary traditions with modern flair. Oswaldo Oliva, one of Mexico's most talented and understated chefs, brings creativity and passion to every dish. With culinary studies at Ambrosía, his focus lies in research and innovation, having opened Alelí and Lorea in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood. Known for his dedication to expressive cooking, this dinner will blend tradition and artistry in every bite. Chef José Luis Chávez, co-founder of New York's acclaimed Mission Ceviche, joins the Summer Chef Series at Conrad Punta de Mita. Venezuelan-born and Peruvian-trained, he blends culinary traditions with bold, modern creativity. Known for honoring Peruvian flavors through Nikkei and Latin American influences, he brings a unique perspective shaped by his journey across the Americas. At Codex, he will collaborate with the restaurant's chefs on a vibrant six-course menu rooted in heritage and innovation.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fed should cut rates as soon as this month: Economist on services PMI
The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) services PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) slipped to 49.9 in the month of May, below estimates of 52.0 and a 1.7 decrease from April's print, which was the highest level seen since January 2023. Catalysts anchor Madison Mills is joined by Interactive Brokers senior economist José Torres to talk about the economic data, including ADP's underwhelming private sector numbers ahead of the May jobs report this Friday, and what it is signaling to the Federal Reserve about inflation and the possibility of cutting interest rates. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Consumer sentiment is 'in the basement,' but retail sales persist
US consumer sentiment dropped again in May, as tariff concerns weigh on Americans' outlook. Interactive Brokers senior economist José Torres joins Market Domination to break down the disconnect between weak sentiment and resilient retail sales. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination here.
CBS News
06-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
José Torres, former Elgin School District U-46 superintendent and interim Chicago Public Schools CEO, dies at 65
Dr. José Torres, an educator who served as superintendent of Elgin Area School District U-46 and briefly as interim chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools, died last week. According to a published obituary, Torres died Friday, May 2, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a brief illness. He was 65. A published obituary was not found Monday night. Jose Torres Illinois Math and Science Academy District U-46 issued a statement honoring Torres upon learning of his unexpected passing. He served as superintendent of the district from 2008 to 2014. "As a leader, mentor, and education advocate, Dr. Torres embodied the values of equity, service, and humanity," U-46 Supt. Dr. Suzanne Johnson, whom Torres hired as the Principal of Bartlett High School and later as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said in the district news release. "His belief in people — and his insistence that we lead with purpose — shaped the trajectory of my career and life and the lives of countless others, including thousands of students. Our students in U-46 who will never know this amazing man benefit every day from these principles." The district noted that its award-winning dual language program was launched under Torres' leadership. The program now serves more than 12,000 students in preschool through high school. Torres also established the superintendent's scholarship program for first-generation scholarship students and supported the creation of leadership institutes for Black and Latino parents in the Elgin district. After moving on from District U-46, Torres spent seven years, from 2014 to 2021, as head of Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. "During his tenure, Dr. Torres successfully navigated IMSA through unprecedented times, including three years with no state-appropriated budget, as well as the global COVID-19 pandemic. His accomplishments at IMSA include the development of a board-approved diversity, equity and inclusion policy, the execution of a global vision surrounding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as completed renovations of the Steve and Jamie Chen Center for Innovation, science labs, and the auditorium," Illinois Math and Science Academy said in a statement. "He was also the driving force in securing IMSA as the host of the 14th annual International Student Science Fair, making IMSA the first school to host the event in the United States. In June 2021, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Torres as interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools — with CEO Janice Jackson set to step down. Torres served in the role for about three months, until CEO Pedro Martinez took over on a permanent basis. Torres was also a regional superintendent for CPS from 2006 to 2008. He also served as an assistant superintendent for Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Annapolis, Maryland; as well as in top administrative roles at the Baltimore City Public Schools, National Association of State Boards of Education, the San Ysidro School District in southern California, and the San Jose Unified School District. Torres also worked as a teacher and human relations specialist at Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. Torres was born March 29, 1960, in La Playita, Santurce, Puerto Rico, and Illinois Math and Science Academy noted that he was "deeply influenced by his early experiences with poverty." "This background fueled his lifelong mission to end poverty through education," IMAS said in a statement. In his obituary, Torres was remembered for "a life of service guided by purpose, principle, and quiet strength." "He loved learning—so much so that he often bought more books than he read, not out of neglect, but out of hope. His shelves were filled with possibility," Torres' obituary read. "He cried freely at sad movies, TV shows, and even commercials, finding in them a thread of humanity that touched him deeply. He viewed emotion not as weakness, but as witness to what matters." Torres was honored with a moment of silence at the U-46 Board of Education meeting on Monday night.
Los Angeles Times
18-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Slaying of 13-year-old boy devastates L.A. immigrant community: ‘We can't trust anyone'
For years, the bright green turf of Whitsett Fields Park has served as a joyous hub for Los Angeles youth soccer — particularly for thousands of immigrant families in the San Fernando Valley. On most weekends, the sprawling North Hollywood complex echoes with the shouts of hundreds of boys and girls, as vendors hawk aguas frescas, balloons and candy along the sidelines. But recently, immense grief and worry have settled over this close, Latin American community. Just last week, a well-known coach and Salvadoran national was charged with murder in the killing of 13-year-old soccer player Oscar Omar Hernandez during a lewd or attempted lewd act and then dumping the boy's body in a roadside ditch in Ventura County. The coach, who has not yet entered a plea, has also been charged with sexually assaulting another teen and investigators say there are probably more victims who have yet to come forward. The teen's slaying has left many in the youth soccer community profoundly shaken. Some say their faith in a long-trusted institution has been broken, and they question why the coach wasn't scrutinized more carefully before he was allowed to work so closely with children. 'We have never seen anything of this magnitude,' said José Torres, president of the Proyecto 2000 Soccer League in the San Fernando Valley. The allegation comes at a time when many families are feeling increasingly vulnerable to anti-immigrant sentiment and threats of deportation by the Trump administration — a factor that could complicate the reporting of other possible crimes. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have insisted that immigration status will not be an issue for those who step forward to report alleged sexual assaults. 'We're not going to ask about that,' Sheriff Robert Luna said. But it wasn't long after authorities charged 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino with the crimes that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seized on his immigration status. '13 year-old Oscar 'Omar' Hernandez was an innocent child who was exploited and killed by this depraved illegal alien who should have never been in this country,' the DHS said on X. 'Child predators, pedophiles and murderers will be hunted down and removed from America's communities.' On a recent Saturday, a flier with a photo of the victim hung from a Whitsett Fields lamppost as parents spoke to a Los Angeles Times reporter in hushed tones, so that their children would not overhear. One mother, who declined to give her name, said she tells her children not to talk to strangers — but if the charges are true, what good is that if the person they have to fear is someone they know and trust? Iris Rodriguez, who sells bacon-wrapped hot dogs at the park, said she had met Omar when he first arrived in California, and that she soon became close to his parents and siblings. His killing feels like a death in the family for so many immigrants in the North Hollywood community, Rodriguez said. 'Everyone that is a mother is horrified about what happened, because how could a person do that?' During a memorial service at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in East Hollywood earlier that Saturday, mourners wore black T-shirts emblazoned with the boy's photo, the words 'Forever 13' and the letters LLO — Long Live recalled him as a quiet, thoughtful and trusting boy. He and his mother arrived in Los Angeles from the small town of Marcala in Honduras three years ago while his father and the rest of his siblings had already established themselves in the Sun Valley neighborhood. The boy's older sister, Alejandra Hernandez, said she sometimes chided her brother for being so trusting, and told her brother that he didn't always have to talk to people if they greeted him. 'He came from Honduras and we grew up there in the countryside, so we don't have people like that there, people who are so bad, so crazy,' she said. An avid soccer player who adored Real Madrid and Lionel Messi, Omar played for Huracan Valley Soccer Club, where he met his accused killer. In the wake of Omar's death, authorities and youth soccer officials have revealed a history of complaints and concerns involving Garcia Aquino, who two people said managed to avoid background checks and criminal charges. The lapses have unsettled those who knew both the victim and the accused. 'We have to support one another at this time,' said Arcelia Martinez, family friend and parent of a student at Sun Valley Magnet School where Omar was a seventh-grader. She said there are no words to describe his death and how it has wounded immigrants from Central, South and North America. 'We're all just the same people and only God can take away a life,' Martinez said Saturday. Classmates described Omar as someone who wanted to support his family as soon as he could start working. 'He was like my brother because he usually told me that I was like his sister,' said his friend Magavi Davila, 12. The students sobbed as Omar's family carried his gray casket out of the church. His mother, Gladys Hernandez, appeared to collapse within sight of the hearse. His siblings and father wailed together on the sidewalk as they said goodbye. His older brother, Josué Hernandez, gripped Omar's blue soccer jersey in his hands as the hearse pulled away. Omar's family last saw the boy boarding a Metrolink train to meet with Garcia Aquino at the coach's home in Lancaster. He planned to help the older man make soccer jerseys, according to his family. When he did not come home, his family reported him missing on March 30. When his brother tried to phone him later that day, the coach answered the boy's cellphone and said Omar was busy and could not talk, according to police. According to the family and investigators, Daniel Hernandez, the boy's father, later called the coach and insisted he drop the teen off near the family's home. Investigators used data from cellular devices, cellphone towers and other tracking systems to determine that the suspect visited the Oxnard area near McGrath State Beach and the Santa Clara River, according to law enforcement sources, who were not authorized to discuss the probe. Omar's parents have received an outpouring of support following his death, but they've also seen numerous videos criticizing them for letting their son travel alone, according to Omar's sister. ''You just have to focus. You don't know people, you don't know how evil people can really be,'' Alejandra Hernandez said she told her mother. 'I tell her, 'We come from a village, maybe we are not the kind of people who see the wrong in people.'' The family were unaware of prior complaints against Garcia Aquino and how he managed to skirt background checks as a traveling soccer coach playing with independent leagues, according to two other youth soccer officials. Independent leagues are seen as being more informal than those affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation, the primary governing body for American soccer. Shortly after he was charged with Omar's killing, prosecutors also charged Garcia Aquino with assault and performing a lewd act on a 14-year-old boy in December 2022 at his then-home in Sylmar. Some officials who lead and coordinate soccer leagues say they had their suspicions about Garcia Aquino and that he refused to submit to background verifications. 'We can't trust anyone,' said Marco Carballo, president of the Naciones Unidas Soccer League, who has spent more than 30 years working in local soccer, many of them at Whitsett Fields Park. In three decades working in the San Fernando Valley, Carballo said he had never seen anything like Omar's slaying. 'There are a lot of people in fear,' acknowledged Carballo, who said that Garcia Aquino's team was not affiliated with Naciones Unidas. 'About eight years ago, he wanted to join my club, but he never wanted to submit to his fingerprints,' recalled Álvaro Chávez, director and president of the U.S. Soccer affiliated Spartans FC. After Garcia Aquino failed to submit to the requirements, Chávez barred him from his club. Chávez believes that Garcia Aquino remained in independent leagues because he was unwilling to submit to the paperwork required by youth associations affiliated with U.S. Soccer. According to Chávez, Garcia Aquino acted as a team sports director, but would direct a team coach to fill out the registration forms. Although Garcia Aquino's name would not appear on the paperwork, he would still travel to competitions and coach from the sidelines. The vast majority of independent leagues have their own rules and don't follow the requirements of official associations, so they don't have to subject their coaches or managers to a background check, Chavez said. 'The local leagues need to require fingerprints, the coach's record,' he said. Jorge Rodriguez, president of the California State Soccer League, said Garcia Aquino was affiliated with his league but had to be disaffiliated in 2022 because of an alert in its registration system. The alert was triggered by an LAPD investigation into accusations of sexual assault on a minor, but the coach was not charged at the time because the alleged victim refused to testify against him, according to multiple law enforcement sources. 'I told him, 'You can't be with the boys, not even near, not from far, you have to stay away from them until you solve this problem,'' Rodriguez said. Garcia Aquino denied the allegations, and was never again involved in any tournaments organized by Rodriguez. Torres, president of the Proyecto 2000 Soccer League, said he dealt with Garcia Aquino on several occasions. Although he always considered him an 'ordinary and normal' person, he clarified that he was not affiliated with his competitions either. Cal South Soccer, which is affiliated with U.S. Soccer, had once included Huracan Valley in its organization, but that arrangement appears to have ended several years ago. Cal South declined to answer questions from The Times about its oversight of Huracan Valley, but did release the following statement: 'Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, teammates, and friends during this incredibly difficult time. We take player safety very seriously and will support law enforcement in any way we can,' the statement said.
