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A Chef’s Journey Leads to Giving Back when it Mattered Most - Chef Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya

What's On Tap - Industry Talk

Release Date: 04/07/2021

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What's On Tap - Industry Talk

Everyone knows the restaurant industry is difficult even without a pandemic! One Chicago chef found a way to not only survive this but to give back. Chef & Owner Diana Dávila of Mi Tocaya is busy running her restaurant and part-time food bank for hungry undocumented hospitality workers. The Beard-nominated, Michelin-recognized, “Chef of the Year” had one more lesson to learn - how to lead during a pandemic. We sat down with Chef to learn about the experiences that shaped her, Todas Ponen, and what’s

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Everyone knows the restaurant industry is difficult.  From long, stressful shifts, to working the majority of nights, weekends, and holidays, to hyper-competition and low-profit margins, it takes a special breed to stick with it and succeed.  Then try doing that during a pandemic while having to open and close your business to react to ever-changing mandates!  Keeping inventory and staff while strategizing on the various programs and grants available is draining at best, crushing to most.  A recent report by the National Restaurant Association compiled the data and 110,000 US restaurants have permanently shut down in the past year!  And many others are hanging on a thread.  One Chicago chef found a way to not only survive but to give back to those in need.

Chef & Owner Diana Dávila of the Logan Square neighborhood’s Mi Tocaya Antojeria has been staying extra busy by turning her popular restaurant into a food bank for the hungry for half of the week, with a focus on feeding undocumented hospitality workers.  The James Beard-nominated, Michelin-recognized, one-time “Chef of the Year” (by the Chicago Tribune), had one more lesson to learn and overcome - how to lead during a pandemic.  We sat down with Chef Diana at her creative Mexican concept to learn more about the experiences that shaped her, what her team is doing with the Todas Ponen project, and what’s next for this restaurateur who seems to always rise to the occasion.

If you're a bar or restaurant, TappedIn is here to help. We offer free consulting to help you think through your options, strategies, technologies, and other restaurant solutions. Send us an email at support@gettappedin.io and take the first step in growing your businesses as we emerge from the pandemic. 

This episode featured:

Diana Davila, Chef & Owner, Mi Tocaya Antojeria

Joseph Sheahan, Cofounder & CEO, TappedIn; Host, What’s On Tap