DES MOINES, IOWA – The National Pork Board has partnered with celebrity and television host Ana Patricia Gámez and three influential Latina foodies as part of the organization’s Menú Urbano campaign.

Menú Urbano is a multicultural effort that highlights pork-centered dishes through the lens of street food culture. Gámez and other influencers will introduce Hispanic consumers to the street food cultures of Miami, Los Angeles, El Paso, Texas, and Tijuana, Mexico, and will also re-imagine classic street food dishes for home cooks.

“I am a firm believer that food can act as a bridge to understanding cultures and each other, and for this reason, I’m really excited to join the National Pork Board and share some of my favorite street food recipes — some of which I enjoyed as a kid in Mexico,” Gámez said. “As a mom and wife, it’s important to keep traditions alive through cooking, and pork’s authentic flavors allow me to keep our Latino heritage alive at home.”

National Pork Board research found that US Hispanics are more likely to eat pork than non-Hispanics (67% versus 62%, respectively). Additionally, the North American Industry Classification System Report found that street food is a $3.6 billion industry with an annual growth of 6.5% from 2014-2019 making it one of the fastest-growing industries within the larger hospitality sector.

Street food represents cultures worldwide, with 41% of street food products originating from Central and South America, Asia or from mixed ethnicities. The street food business is expected to reach $3.9 billion over the next five years.

“Menú Urbano showcases how pork connects all cultures, regardless of what corner of the world we are from,” said Jose de Jesus, senior director of multicultural marketing at the National Pork Board. “We may cook it differently and use different ingredients, but pork is a food we have in common. What better way to bring that to life than by shining a spotlight on some of our communities’ cultural crusaders: street food vendors?”

The Menú Urbano campaign is part of NPB’s larger master-brand strategy called Real Pork which debuted in September with Pork as a Passport, a celebration of pork’s position as a culturally relevant protein around the world.