Viva the Chef™ to Open First Franchise this Fall in South Florida
Viva Enterprises, the parent company of Viva the Chef™ (www. vivathechef. com), today announced it has signed its first franchise agreement and will be opening a Viva the Chef™ in Pembroke Pines, Fl. this fall.
MORRISTOWN, NJ (PRWEB) May 30, 2004 -
– Viva Enterprises, the parent company of Viva the Chef™ (www. vivathechef. com), today announced it has signed its first franchise agreement and will be opening a Viva the Chef™ in Pembroke Pines, Fl. this fall.
“We are so excited to be bringing a Viva the Chef™ to southwest Broward County, where there are many families who will soon be able to enjoy the unique culinary instruction, foods and merchandise that we offer,” said Gina Martinez, president & CEO, Viva Enterprises.
“Viva the Chef™ will be like no other business in southern Florida, teaching families how food preparation can be fun and bringing people together in a whole new way,” said Martinez, who grew up in south Florida.
Viva the Chef™ will open in the Flamingo Falls mall, at 2010 Flamingo Drive. Martinez said it is the ideal location for a franchise, as the attractive mall already offers many of the latest stores and cafes and hums with vibrancy seven days a week.
Reservations for fall parties at the Pembroke Pines franchise are already being accepted, at 1-866-KID-CHEF
“Viva the Chef™ is a one-of-a-kind enterprise, offering culinary instruction to children in a way that is both fun and educational,” Martinez said. “Every class is a party! In colorful cooking studios bursting with music, Viva the Chef™ instructors teach children as young as three years of age to create tasty dishes from scratch.”
Viva the Chef™, in its first full year of business, has been the perfect place for children’s birthday parties, as the kids don chef hats and aprons, and work with instructors and parents to create pizza, pastas and other fun foods for all to enjoy. More than 1,000 events have already been held at the flagship Morristown, N. J. site, as Viva the Chef™ has become the solution for parents who want to throw parties that attendees will remember.
Maria Maturet of Pembrook Pines, is the new independent owner of the Viva the Chef™ in south Florida. The mother of two learned about the concept last month, when she met Martinez at the International Franchise Expo in Washington, D. C.
“Viva the Chef™ is so much different than any of the other new franchises coming out today,” said Maturet, who visited the Morristown flagship store a week after the expo. “I knew immediately it will make a great splash in Pembroke Pines. I think it is the ideal fit for this community. People are already asking me when we are opening our doors.”
Every Viva the Chef™ will have a café, just steps from the culinary studios, offering signature dishes with bold flavors, including classic Cuban sandwiches, salads and freshly-made soups. There is also a shop on site with unique, kid-friendly culinary products, as well as a cappuccino bar, and a wonderful collection of cakes, muffins and Kimscotti™.
Each Viva the Chef™ will be sensitive to the nutritional needs of children today. For example, as the rates of child obesity rise across America, each franchise will offer a course called Mind, Body and Belly™, in which children learn to create healthy – and scrumptious – meals.
Martinez stressed that Viva the Chef™ is not just for children. There are a number of evening classes and parties geared toward adults. In addition, Viva the Chef™ offers a number of corporate team-building programs. In the Pembroke Pines area, she noted, there are plenty of regional businesses that could benefit from the corporate events, such as American Express, Baptist Health Systems, Bellsouth, Gannett/USA Today, Humana Medicare Plans, Sun-Sentinel, The Herald and Nova University.
“Word of Viva the Chef™ is quickly spreading,” Martinez said. “We now are licensing franchises in 40 states and expect 27 stores to open within the next nine months. A national television show, six cookbooks, numerous culinary products, toys and a licensing agreement with a national apparel company are also in development.”
Viva the Chef™ is the brainchild of Martinez, whose family left Cuba in 1960 and created Cuban-style restaurants in southern Florida. All Viva the Chef™ products, courses and services have been designed to Martinez’s specifications based on her favorite passions: food, fun and family.
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