News
“Date with a Dish“: Culinary Entrepreneurs - 57M CEO Peter Morales featured in Ebony Magazine
03/01/05
by Charlotte Lyons
This month we are profiling several extraordinary Black food and wine entrepreneurs who have made great strides and accomplishments in the culinary profession. They have worked very hard to create and build successful companies.
Peter Morales is president and founder of 57 Main Street Imports, the exclusive U.S. importer and marketer of KWV International, a leading producer of wines and spirits in South Africa. After a very successful career in consumer products, Morales parlayed his vision for a successful wine and spirits company and his love for cooking into a food and wine career. He sought an opportunity to connect with South Africa just after the U.S. lifted sanctions against the country. However, he was met with the challenge of introducing South African wines into the U.S. food industry, which previously didn’t view South Africa as a wine-producing region. Morales has been successful in building a multicultural company and has gotten his products into such markets as Walt Disney World and prestigious celebrity restaurants, including those owned by Sean (P. Diddy) Combs.
A graduate of Lehigh University, Morales has more than 18 years of consumer product management with Fortune 500 companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Metz Metallurgical Corporation. He also has worked for beverage industry leaders Heublein Inc./Grand Metropolitan PLC, currently known as Diageo and Peerless Importers.
A specialist in market analysis, strategic planning, and field execution for the global wine and spirits industry, in 1998, Morales founded Peter Andrew LLC, a full-service marketing and consulting firm that is retained by leading consumer products companies.
Morales is also a recipient of numerous industry awards of excellence. He is actively involved in community and national organizations, including the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, Fresh Air Fund NYC and North Hampton County Big Brother’s Association. He is also involved in the United Negro College Fund. International involvement includes the KWV wine trust Empowerment initiative to assist previously disenfranchised South Africans.
The following is a group of recipes from some of the entrepreneurs featured on these pages:
Imoya Madiba (From Peter Morales. “Madiba” is the revered name by which Nelson Mandela is called in South Africa.)
¼ cup crushed ice 1 ounce Imoya V.S.O.P cape Alambic Brandy ½ ounce grenadine Fill with lemon lime soda
Combine all ingredients. Serve in glass.
Yield 1 serving
Imoya Tusk Cocktail (Peter Morales)
¼ cup crushed ice 1 ounce Imoya V.S.O.P cape Alambic brandy ½ ounce Crème de Cacao 2 ounces milk
Combine all ingredients. Blend, shake and strain. Serve in a brandy snifter.
Yield 1 serving