MFHA was founded in 1996 to act as a catalyst for creating opportunities for people of color in the industry. Since its first conference 14 years ago, MFHA has delivered high quality events, workshops and conferences that have driven diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the foodservice and hospitality industry.

While browsing through an industry journal, founder of MFHA, Gerry Fernandez, spotted an advertisement for the annual Women’s Foodservice Forum, a group that is focused on creating opportunities for women in the foodservice industry. Gerry thought that if there was a group focused on creating career opportunities for women, then there must certainly be a need for a group that focuses on creating career opportunities for minorities and people of color.

At the time, Gerry was employed at General Mills Foodservice. As a result of his vast professional network he was able to canvas the idea across different segments of the foodservice industry. With dedication, perseverance and a lot of hard work, Gerry assembled a meeting in Chicago with a group of 17 companies in September of 1996, to discuss the concept of creating an organization to promote opportunities for minorities in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

The group met again in November. At this meeting, Gerry’s mission was branded with the name Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance.

Michael DeLuca, the past editor-in-chief of Restaurant Hospitality, commissioned designers for Penton Publishing Group to come up with an exciting logo that would communicate the desires and objectives of MFHA. The winning result became the first version of MFHA’s logo.

In March 1997 , Gerry was granted a leave of absence to focus his energy on building MFHA and creating a plan to promote diversity in the foodservice and hospitality industry. Gerry appointed a Chair for the organization and selected members for its Board of Directors.

The group successfully impressed MFHA’s mission upon attendees of the upcoming Restaurant Show in Chicago that was to be held in May.

In 1997, MFHA held its first Diversity Reception at the former Michael Jordan’s Restaurant in Chicago. At the time, this marked the largest gathering of people of color and other individuals who were committed to diversity in the industry’s history.

Founding sponsors of this first meeting included General Mills, Pillsbury and Nabisco. Each company was recognized for its leadership and involvement in the mission and vision of MFHA.

In 1998, MFHA held its first National Conference in Atlanta with the theme “Business Solutions through Multicultural Diversity.”

Two years later, MFHA introduced the first Showcase of the Stars™ event. Showcase of the Stars™ is an interactive career exploration event that promotes careers in the food and hospitality industry. The purpose of the event is to educate, motivate and inspire young people, particularly from multicultural and urban communities, to pursue careers in the restaurant, foodservice, lodging and manufacturing industries.

Showcase of the Stars™ features diverse professional panelists or “stars,” that represent different segments of the industry. Panelists engage young audience members with their own inspirational success stories and follow with a question and answer session. Showcase of the Stars™ builds on themes promoted by educators, which are necessary for long-term career success such as reading, writing and professional development.

Since its first Showcase of the Stars™ in Chicago, MFHA has delivered the award-winning event to more than 25 cities across the country including Atlanta, Dallas, Boston, Milwaukee, Los Angeles and Houston. Showcase, which was originally presented to high school students, has been extended to also include colleges and universities that serve multicultural and minority student populations. MFHA has held over 50 events and reached over 230 schools since its inception.

MFHA has developed an online version of Showcase of the Stars™; www.whatsnext4me.com (WN4ME) is a career exploration website targeted towards high school students that promotes the food and hospitality industry. The website is bilingual (English/Spanish) and customized to address the needs of a diverse audience. It features hundreds of professional profiles as well as a vast collection of helpful resources for students, parents and educators.

MFHA revised its future plan in 2008, shifting focus to attract multicultural talent to the foodservice and hospitality industry and build a resource bank to develop that talent. This new strategic plan was launched at the MFHA Talent Summit, held in Chicago.

In 2009, A Regional Council Strategy was initiated to help MFHA reach a wider audience. The councils are held at least three times a year and identify regional issues related to diversity and inclusion.

In addition, MFHA has produced an annual Report to the Community which has been distributed to community-based organizations throughout the country.

MFHA conducts biennial National Conferences and Symposiums as well as a variety of freestanding Professional Development Workshops and products.

MFHA’s approach to diversity and inclusion has consistently included business solutions, business opportunities and business development. Diversity simply makes sense. But, it must also make “dollars” and “cents.”

In order for the corporations of America to sincerely progress with diversity and inclusion efforts they have to be able to clearly see how MFHA’s outreach programs, people development programs and community development programs connect their business values to their business results.

Since its first conference over 14 years ago, MFHA has continued to deliver high quality events, workshops and conferences that have driven diversity and inclusion into the food and hospitality industry. MFHA has proven to be the standing bearer when it comes to diversity and inclusion information and knowledge.

Founders Board

The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance was founded by a small group of visionary individuals and organizations who were committed to the idea of increasing diversity in the industry.