Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month Through Food, Culture, and Tradition

Janitronics Building Services brings team members together to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrate the cultures and traditions represented across our organization.

Hispanic Heritage Month takes place each year from September 15th through October 15th, and each year Janitronics hosts a special team luncheon to celebrate Hispanic culture and heritage. In addition to a keynote presentation and a catered lunch, multiple team members brought traditional dishes from their native country.

Traditions from Argentina

Daniel Saad brought empanadas to represent his Argentine heritage. Daniel’s grandparents and aunts introduced him to various types of empanadas over his life, as each region in Argentina has its own traditional ingredients and preparation style. He has many fond memories of his whole family gathering on Sundays to share a meal. He is proud to be from Argentina and was happy to share his favorite dish with his coworkers.

Food and Family Traditions from El Salvador

Several team members shared dishes and memories connected to El Salvador.

Francisco Miranda brought popular dishes from his native El Salvador, including atol de elote, tamales, and riguas de maíz. Francisco enjoyed these special dishes growing up, and has memories of waking up every morning with a bowl of atol and riguas with fresh cream. These dishes are an important connection to his culture and his grandfather.

Jennifer Fuentes Rodriguez shared two traditional Hispanic favorites: tres leches, a light cake soaked in a creamy mixture of three types of milk, and horchata, a refreshing, sweet rice-based drink flavored with cinnamon.

Jennifer associates tres leches and horchata with family gatherings, celebrations, and special occasions, especially Christmas and New Year’s in El Salvador. They represent the importance of sharing a meal and enjoying time with family and friends.

Zulma Tejada, Jairo Rojas, Edwin Perez, decided to coordinate efforts and bring in their own take on traditional Salvadoran pupusas, tortillas filled with cheese, refried pinto beans, and pork shoulder. The dish can be accompanied with salsa and curtido (pickled cabbage slaw). The four types included queso, queso con loroco, queso con frijoles, and revueltas (with chicharrón).  

Zulma explains that every time she makes pupusas it becomes a family gathering where they share stories. When she was little, she would eat them before church on Sundays and it was always something she would look forward to. To Zulma, Hispanic Heritage Month means that Latinos can have a great impact in the U.S. while honoring their culture and traditions.

Edwin has memories of enjoying pupusas every weekend with his sibling growing up. His mother operated a small food business where pupusas were the main specialty. For Edwin, Hispanic Heritage Month holds a special significance, particularly as someone living in the United States. It serves as a meaningful reminder of the importance of honoring his roots, preserving his heritage, and recognizing the journeys of those who came before him.

For Jairo, eating pupusas was always something that brought everyone together around the table. Even after moving away from El Salvador, eating pupusas brings back those memories and gives him a feeling of home. For him, Hispanic Heritage Month is a reminder of where he came from and an opportunity to share his culture with others, while learning about different Hispanic cultures.

Connections to Honduras

Jose Pereira brought in pastelitos hondureños, which is a traditional dish from his native Honduras. Pastelitos consist of yellow corn flour, ground beef, potato, diced tomato, and green bell pepper. Jose has been eating the dish for as long as he can remember, and it reminds him of his grandmother. He is proud to be Hispanic and share his culture with the Janitronics team.

Douglas Medina Alvarenga brought in tacos flautas from his native Honduras. The popular dish reminds Douglas of growing up in Honduras. As a young boy, he helped his mom, grandma, and aunt run a busy (and delicious) food stand, where everything was prepared at home. They usually sent Douglas to the mill to grind the corn to make the tortillas for the tacos and the dough for the pastries or enchiladas. Hispanic Heritage Month reminds him of those early years and where he came from.

These stories demonstrate the importance of culture and tradition, and why Hispanic Heritage Month is so meaningful. We are honored to learn about the diverse Hispanic backgrounds represented by our team, and are grateful to everyone who shared their dishes and their stories. At Janitronics, investing in our team goes beyond just providing the tools to succeed–it’s about recognizing who they are as a person.

Sharing Our Stories

Food has a way of carrying memories from one generation and place to another. During this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month luncheon, those connections gave our team an opportunity to learn more about the cultures, traditions, families, and experiences represented across Janitronics.

We appreciate everyone who shared a dish, a memory, and part of their heritage with their colleagues, as well as everyone who helped make this year’s celebration possible.