Atlanta… Latin food was the center of attention Oct. 22 at the 10th annual Saborea Atlanta fundraiser.  More than 400 guests enjoyed exquisite dishes such as paella with black squid ink, smoked pork with pickled red onion and sweet plantains, empanadas and pastel tres leches. Fourteen top chefs from metro Atlanta and Puerto Rico donated their time to prepare the signature dishes, which were showcased at individual chef stations. 

 Featured chefs included Julio Delgado, Andre Gomez, Oscar Medivil, Nagib Sued, Francis Sosa, Patirica Rivera, Julio Viera, Mikiel Arnold, Michael Barraza, Jorge Izaguirre, Belen De La Cruz and Hector Santiago.

The event raised money for Ser Familia, a Kennesaw-based, nationally accredited nonprofit that provides mental health and family counseling services to Latinos in metro Atlanta. Ser Familia’s life-changing programs help families deal with issues such as anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide and domestic violence, all worsened by the pandemic.  

Ser Familia also presented awards to the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, with which it is partnering on a transformational project in the Fair Oaks community near Smyrna, to Marietta City Schools and to the construction company Brasfield & Gorrie.

“The organization has doubled its number of case managers in the last 12 months as it deals with a surge of demand for mental health services. It also started a new group therapy program, in partnership with Emory University, for teens experiencing chronic stress or trauma. Additionally, it tripled the number of parenting, couples and domestic violence program sessions,” said Belisa Urbina, the CEO and co-founder of Ser Familia.

Saborea sponsors included Gas South, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, Southern Co. Gas, Mundo Now and the Omni Atlanta Hotel at Centennial Park.