Thread: Utahn is excited to cook for Fox

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635209446,00.html

Utahn is excited to cook for Fox





By Deborah Bulkeley
Deseret Morning News
Jorge Fierro never envisioned building a life in Utah, let alone hosting a presidential breakfast.
Tom Smart, Deseret Morning NewsWhen Mexican President Vicente Fox visits Utah later this week, Julio Fierro, Rico's head chef, above, will cook up a breakfast for him. In fact, sitting in his west-side office last week, Fierro was still a bit in shock that he'd been selected to cook up breakfast for President Vicente Fox of his native Mexico who will be a Utah visitor.
"It was completely unexpected," he said. "Completely, completely unexpected. We're quite honored."
But several years after his first sample of American canned refried beans left a bad taste in his mouth, Fierro has long since proved he can make his own beans, and that's not all.
His Rico brand has caught on not only among other Mexicans but among mainstream Utahns as well. In fact, Salt Lake Consul Salvador Jimenez said he selected Fierro to host Wednesday's breakfast for Fox because Fierro is a model of Mexico's culture.
Fierro started his life in the United States two decades ago as a sheepherder in rural Wyoming. Then, he worked odd jobs while learning English in Salt Lake City.
Eventually, the idea that had been at the back of his mind for years materialized. His parents came from Mexico to help him start a business selling beans at the farmer's market. His fiancee also offered support.
Success didn't come at first, but he persevered, expanded his product line and now operates a market, catering business and wholesale distributorship.
"Jorge Fierro is a success story for us," Jimenez said. "He came (to Utah) without anything. Now he is an important figure in the Mexican community."
In addition to promoting education and trade, President Fox's visit Tuesday and Wednesday will be an opportunity to show the vibrant side of Mexico's culture, Jimenez said.
Fox's visit will showcase Fierro as an example of a side of Mexican-American culture often overlooked by news coverage focused on illegal immigration, protests and the ongoing debate in Washington, Jimenez said.



"I am a firm believer that when we build bridges to the community, we can erase or diminish misconceptions," Jimenez said. "With a visit, President Fox is showing his desire to be close friends to Utah."
However, Fox's visit won't be without controversy. The Utah Minuteman Project plans to protest, saying Fox has pushed for Mexican rights in America but has done little to curb the tide of illegal immigration.
"I think it's an incredible event for Utah to have him come, and I think it's spectacular timing," said Kirk Jowers, director of the University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics. "It certainly will be controversial. That's not always a bad thing."
Jowers said using the visit to showcase a successful Mexican entrepreneur is part of the appeal of Fox's visit.
"We should look at all the success stories of all these citizens who come here one way or another, and then become incredible citizens here," Jowers said. "There's just no denying that Mexico is an incredibly important part of what Utah is."
Jowers said such a focus would be wiser for Fox than the details of American immigration policy.
Instead, Jowers suggested Fox "focus on a lot of positive things, to focus on our relationship with Mexico."
The president, whose term ends at the end of this year, will walk a fine line as he seeks to establish a long-term relationship with Utah, said Armando Solorzano, professor of associate professor of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah.
"He has to be very, very sensitive," Solorzano said. "He doesn't want to alienate the United States. We need the United States for trade, we know that."
Deseret Morning News graphic Jimenez said bringing the focus to Fierro's story, his success and his willingness to give back, will help emphasize Utah's economic and cultural ties to Mexico.
Fierro said his business grew gradually, but it was words in early 1998 from his ailing father, a successful businessman himself, that gave him a kick-start.
He asked, Fierro recalled, "Who's going to take care of your mother and sister when I am not here?"
Fierro said he would, but his father replied that his income wasn't enough.
"He said, 'You step up and make sure your success doesn't get to your head and change you," Fierro recalled. "If I can rely on you, I can die peacefully."
At the time, Fierro was sharing a kitchen at the site of his current east-side market. He started opening up the front of the shop to sell food on the weekends. And by that summer's farmer's market he was ready with tamales, beans, salsa and his mother's recipe, chile con crema.
"Things started going really well," Fierro said. "I'd grab some money and send it back to Mexico."
And he's not only focused on his family. He has helped other entrepreneurs get started. He's now on the board of the Utah Microenterprise Loan Fund, which gave him his first $10,000 loan. He's also a board member of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
And now, Fierro says, he's honored that he's been chosen to represent the unique blend of Mexican and American culture that many immigrants have embraced.
"I actually do represent our culture, the way our culture is in every single aspect of who I am as a businessman," he said. "I am very excited. This visit is going to really allow us to feel a little better about who we are with all these issues around immigration."

There is an email address at the end of that article. I just emailed them.