Adobe Spotlights Vibrant Culinary Traditions for Hispanic Heritage Month

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Adobe’s North American cafés (Palettes, temPLATES, and Layers in San Jose, CA; Landmark 193 in San Francisco; Adobe Café in Lehi, UT; and Watermark Café in Seattle) offered menu specials to honor the vibrant culinary traditions of several countries with historical links to Spain.

Colombian arepas at Palettes in San Jose, CA

Held in partnership with the Hispanic/LatinX at Adobe (HOLA) employee network, the kick-off featured themed snacks such as chicken ropa vieja taquitos with tomatillo, avocado, and lime salsa, and a plantain and tortilla chip salsa station, as well as traditional dancing. More than 700 guests attended!

Additional dishes highlighting the culinary traditions of Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia were offered throughout the month. Each of the cafés displayed educational menu signage about the four featured countries so Adobe employees could further appreciate the depth of these cuisines.

“This was a task that I took to heart,” explained Chef de Cuisine John Carlson of Palettes Café. “I wanted to challenge myself and my team to put a modern spin on local, traditional foods. As one of my sous chefs put it, ‘We’re taking traditional flavors and renewing them in a bold new way.’” Among the highlighted recipes were Colombian arepas de huevo (corn cakes stuffed with egg) with Colombian salsa and a sweet Argentine rogel torta (a pastrywith layers of dulce de leche, topped with meringue) served at Palettes; Peruvian chupe de camarones y calamares (seafood with creamy pepper broth, couscous, and sous vide egg) served at the Adobe Café; pollo en coco (chicken in coconut milk) and Venezuelan guasacaca (avocado-herb sauce) with steamed white rice and potato salad at Landmark 193; and Venezuelan empanadas served at Watermark Café.

Argentine pastry at Palettes3

The program was designed to shed light on the unique culinary traditions of some Hispanic countries that are less widely known to the American palate. “In California, we tend to focus on Mexican food, which is delicious, but we forget about the variety of Latin American cuisine,” said Adobe’s Global Workplace Solutions Program Coordinator Socorro Anaya. “The amount of thought and effort put into [showcasing] each individual country helped not only educate employees about the different countries, but also allowed them to immerse themselves in these cultures each week. Thank you, Bon Appétit!”

Submitted by Kristina Echols, Marketing Coordinator