Sofia Vergara & Manolo Gonzalez Vergara Launch LatinX Culinary Brand TOMA At Hyde Sunset
- By: Ashley Joy Parker
- June 13, 2024
A landmark partnership…
Sofia Vergara and her son Manolo Gonzalez Vergara recently celebrated the launch of their innovative LatinX culinary brand TOMA at Hyde Sunset in LA.
Masterfully harmonizing flavors and elements from Latin America, TOMA debuts in partnership with Sam Nazarian’s revolutionary food and beverage technology company and platform, Everybody Eats, along with Luis Balaguer, CEO and founder of Latin World Entertainment.
The brand conveys a potent message of inclusivity and authenticity while also ensuring to delight global palates by exuding the vitality and delight synonymous with the Vergara family. Stemming from the proven culinary expertise of Everybody Eats, Sofia’s deep-rooted love for Latin food, and Manolo’s unwavering passion for cooking, TOMA—a combination of Vergara’s nickname, “Toty,” and Manolo—embodies the intricate tapestry of flavors that define Latin American cuisine.
“It’s an honor to join forces with international superstar Sofia Vergara and her son Manolo on TOMA,” says Sam. “Sofia is not only incredibly talented but she has an innate entrepreneurial instinct and passion that will drive TOMA to close the gap in representation of South American, Latin QSR brands. My team and I at Everybody Eats, are honored to collaborate with an incredible duo to deliver authentic experiences to a broader audience that Sofia has been able to connect with since the beginning of her career.”
With a female-led and Latin co-owned brand, TOMA aims to fill the gap in the Latin foods segment by bringing South American flavors and elevated dishes to the forefront of fast-casual dining. At the heart of TOMA are the Vegara family recipes that Sofia and Manolo take pride in, of which have been formulated and perfected over the years with the Everybody Eats culinary and hospitality standards of excellence.
“I have been eating Manolo’s cooking since he was a little kid, and I’ve always thought this was a perfect thing for us to do together, because he cooks but I eat,” says Sofia. “I’ve also known Sam Nazarian for many years, and he loves Latin food I think even more than I do, so I knew he would be the perfect partner who not only understands our food, but understands what we want to accomplish with this brand. It’s our love letter to Hispanic food and we want to share it with the world, and I’m so proud to be doing this with our team. It’s really special, we hope you love eating it as much as we do.”
Menu items, inclusive of empanadas and pandebono, are made with high-quality ingredients and classic South American flavor combinations to create a fast and fresh dining experience both at the food hall and for delivery.
Highlight menu items include Empanadas (Beef, Chicken in Salsa Verde, Cheese & Onion, and Guava & Cheese), Croquetas (Ham and Chicken; Pandebono) and a variety of Salsas.
“I am beyond excited to announce this new endeavor with Sam Nazarian and his best-in-class team at sbe,” says Manolo. “It is such an incredible opportunity to partner with them for my first foray into the food industry.”
He continued, “TOMA delivers my personal recipes that I’ve cooked for my mom since I was a kid, to the world. TOMA offers dishes that not only Latinos, but people from all cultures, would enjoy, so we took it a step further and created new and fresh recipes for Latin staples that can be enjoyed by everyone. There is so much variation in Hispanic cuisine and we wanted to honor that. TOMA is really a passion project and a labor of love and I can’t wait for you to taste it!”
Launch the slideshow below to see more pics from the celebration launch at HYDE.
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