Located at 286 Broome Street in Loisaida, Café Colmado is more than just a coffee shop. It is a community cornerstone that brings Latino culture into the daily life of New York City. With 2,400 square feet of thoughtfully designed space, including a 1,000 square foot private backyard patio and a 20 foot coffee bar, it is a space built for genuine connections. Since opening in October 2024, we have hosted events for brands like Nike, Buchanan's, and Kids of Immigrants, each one an opportunity to celebrate and strengthen our heritage and the need for more inclusive spaces.

These two short series, which I executive produced and hosted, dive deep into the lives of Puerto Ricans who have inspired my culinary career and way of being. From wooden shacks in the mountains of Yauco serving Bacalaítos to conversations with some of the biggest food entrepreneurs on the island, the goal is to connect the world to Puerto Rico through episodic storytelling.

A collaboration with Chef César Pérez from Food52 and MofonGO, Primos Lejanos is a pop up dinner series that explores what it means to be Puerto Rican from both the island and New York's perspective. These gatherings bring people together through whole pig roasts, sit down dinners, and music driven tapas experiences, blending tradition with a contemporary lens.

Nestled in the outskirts of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Mofon•GO brought Puerto Rican cuisine to one of America's largest outdoor food markets. The concept was simple but powerful: mofongo (a smashed plantain bowl filled with meat) served in an innovative, on-the-go format. The stand quickly became one of Smorgasburg's most popular vendors, serving over 60,000 visitors every weekend.

From university auditoriums to international festivals, Manolo López shares Puerto Rico's story through powerful presentations that blend personal narrative with cultural history, with speaking engagements that have taken him from UCLA to the Unfinished Festival in Bucharest, Romania, where he delivered a keynote address to 2,000 attendees. Drawing from his experiences running Mofon•GO, organizing relief efforts, and building cultural bridges, López's talks focus on entrepreneurship, cultural preservation, and community resilience, often incorporating multimedia elements and culinary demonstrations to create immersive experiences. His work has expanded to include hosting "Identity at Play," a Spotify podcastfeaturing conversations with Latinx creators about cultural identity, through which he continues to advocate for Puerto Rico while highlighting the broader stories of migration, resilience, and cultural preservation that resonate across communities.