June National

She is the Founder and CEO of A Dash of Coco LLC. based in downtown Tampa. The company brings the worlds of food, fashion, and lifestyle together. Linton is also the Founder and CEO of The Coco Foundation Inc, which is also located in downtown Tampa. The organization’s motto is, “Food is the vehicle to connect with the youth and build a greater community.” Linton is also a Certified International Speaker and author; her first book “Turn Your Sours Into Sweets” is available on Amazon. Most recently, Linton, known as Chef Coco, was specially invited as a guest chef and speaker by Alain Warth, 1st Président de 'Association des Chefs Restaurateurs de Saint-Martin, and the L'OFFICE DE TOURISME DE ST MARTIN, (Saint Martin Tourist Office). She will represent the U.S. and her Barbadian heritage at the 3rd Saint-Martin Gastronomic Festival from November 11th through 24th. Escoffier International to represent the U.S. delegation and perform a demo presentation on a stage at the Eiffel Tower at the VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL DE LA GASTRONOMIE. Page 18 I HOSPITALITY NEWS JUNE Last September, Chef Coco was invited by the Disciples of O riginally from Barbados, Chef Kareen Linton was raised in Brooklyn, NY.

In celebration of National Child Nutrition Day on October 16, 2023, and International Chef Day, October 20, 2023, Chef Coco kicked off a monthly series of cooking events for the downtown Tampa area youth. She has partnered with Meacham Urban Farm, the American Culinary Federation Chef to Child, ACF Tampa Chapter, Tampa Downtown Partnership, The Encore Tempo Arts District, Tampa Housing Authority, and HUD. Last March, Chef Coco was a keynote speaker at WYN Conferences, "3rd International Women Influencers Network (WIN) and Women Leadership Congress” where she received an international speaker

certification in Paris. The prior March she was honored with the International Health 2.0 Food 2.0 Conference “Outstanding Leadership Award” in Dubai and was also a keynote speaker. She was also invited to be a keynote speaker at the Health 2.0|Food 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas in April, 2022. As an International Speaker, Chef Coco has spoken by webinar to audiences from 10 countries, including India, the U.S., Bangladesh, China, Philippines, South Africa, France, Denmark, and Prague, and in person to audiences in Dubai, Paris, and the U.S.