Salsa Caterers and Special Events
Thriving and Growing in The Bronx
Salsa Caterers and Special Events–established in 1990 by President and Founder Daniel Garcia–is a high-quality food service provider, concessionaire, and catering firm. Salsa Caterers is a graduate of Ascend NYC’s first cohort, where they participated in the BOC Business Peer Exchange - Management Training Program. Mr. Garcia found Ascend at a critical juncture for their business. Since completing the program, Salsa Catering made significant strides as a business. They purchased a new building to accommodate their expansion, introduced new corporate members to their staff and increased sales by 56 percent in 2022.
Mr. Garcia was introduced to Business Outreach Center (BOC) Network’s newest program, Ascend NYC in 2020, through its Bronx Women’s Business Center then Director, Damaris Bergas-Misarti. Mr. Garcia shared that he found Ascend NYC to be unique among business development programs. “They [Ascend NYC] offer procurement and create partnerships with large corporations in their ecosystem of Bronx Businesses… you’re talking about directly affecting sales,” Mr. Garcia said.
As part of Ascend’s Peer Exchange, Mr. Garcia created a business Scorecard focused on his staff, customers, operations and finances. “The program sections and modules that we went through made us question what’s working and what’s not working, how are our people, operations, and finances and what is our vision and how are we gonna get there in 5 to 10 years,” Mr. Garcia said. He continued, “I remember thinking, ‘so we want to grow the business and do we have what we need and what exactly do we need? We need a new facility and a team and I can't do it alone’.”
Their exciting expansion includes a new building to house Salsa’s corporate headquarters, a growing executive team and a newly launched online fulfillment business. Salsa’s purchase of the 18,000 square foot industrial building in Port Morris, Bronx enabled the expansion of daily meal capacity from 3,000 to 10,000. The new building will allow for the launch of Salsa Express, taking them from only serving corporate cafeterias to a second brick & mortar in 2023.
During the transition, Salsa Caterers connected with Luz Electric, a fellow Ascend NYC business, to perform electrical work at their new building. Mr. Garcia is committed to sharing opportunities with other Bronx-based businesses. “I was raised in The Bronx and my business has been in The Bronx for many years and I'm about creating a stronger Bronx,” Mr. Garcia explained.
Ascend NYC’s networking events introduced Salsa Caterers to procurement officials who shared critical insights on their expectations and advice on how business owners can best present themselves. Mr. Garcia also connected with BOC’s Minority and Business Development Agency Program whose director, Roxanne Neilson, assisted him with preparing for bidding opportunities and negotiations. “She coached me on post-bid conferences. We do that regularly now and as a result, we get closer to winning certain bids and that's invaluable,” Mr. Garcia said.
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month in 2022, Salsa Catering was featured by JP Morgan Chase on their social media platforms, further providing traction to the company’s pages while increasing their visibility. “The fact that Ascend gets us visibility pays off to the growth of the company,” Mr. Garcia explained.
This is an inspiring example of a growing Bronx Business led by an experienced entrepreneur with a vision – who shares his culture through the foods he makes, and who cares about the development of his workers and the community he grew up in; the Bronx.