FSR September 2022

RI S ING S TARS

THE SOCIAL VISIONARIES For the two younger members of Immigrant Food’s leadership, the migrant story is deeply personal.

AGE: 31 HEAD CHEF AND PARTNER IMMIGRANT FOOD WASHINGTON, D.C. Mileyda “Mile” Montezuma

Téa Ivanovic AGE: 28 COFOUNDER AND COO IMMIGRANT FOOD WASHINGTON, D.C.

IRENA STEIN (2) LAUREN PETERSON

Chef Mile Montezuma hails from Venezuela and leads the Immigrant Food kitchen under the direc tion of chef/partner Enrique Limardo, whom she pre viously worked with at Latin fusion establishment Alma in Baltimore. While Montezuma draws from her own culinary heritage, she also relishes the opportu nity to work with other migrants and develop dishes whose provenance can range from India to Turkey to Thailand and beyond. Melding different flavors into a cohesive menu is a tricky process, but the chef savors the opportunity to indulge her curiosity. (READ MORE ABOUT IMMIGRANT FOOD ON PAGE 67.)

THE VET TURNED CHEF Perhaps no one’s entry into the culinary arts is as unex pected as Lauren Peterson’s. Since 2014, she has worked as a veterinarian, but during the pandemic, she decided to pur sue a long-held dream of attending culinary school. Now, in addition to her day job, she is a student at the Hotel, Culi nary Arts, and Tourism Institute at Anne Arundel Commu nity College. While she’s not completely sure of her plans after graduation, she hopes to bring her science/nutrition knowledge base into the food industry. Téa Ivanovic was born in Belgium to parents from former Yugaslavia and moved to the States for col lege. Her subsequent studies and career focused on international policy at top think tanks in D.C., but anti immigrant rhetoric compelled her, along with chef Limardo and global policy veteran Peter Schechter, to open a restaurant with a mission. Immigrant Food, which now has three locations, not only serves global fare, it also provides space to local nonprofits and encourages guests to become civically engaged. In her multifaceted role, Ivanovic manages everything from restaurant operations to financial responsibility.

Lauren Peterson AGE: 36

STUDENT AND VETERINARIAN HOTEL, CULINARY ARTS, AND TOURISM INSTITUTE (HCAT)

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

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FSRMAGAZINE .COM

SEPTEMBER 2022