Diversity in the Hospitality and Media Industries
When we think of diversity, we think of many people coming together for a common goal. You’ll find it in schools, the workplace, at the grassroots level in communities…where individuals and groups featuring various socioeconomic backgrounds and physical abilities communicate in different languages from countries all around the world. No matter what your age, gender, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, America is a place that fosters diversity, and nowhere is that more evident than in its food and culture industries.
From a very young age, Chef Ron Duprat dreamed of coming to this country from his native Haiti to experience a true blending of diversity. He had that dream, but perhaps he never knew just how much he would impact the world of diversity when it came to the hospitality and media industries. Since his arrival, he’s risen up the ranks from dishwasher to the assistant chef to master chef at several prestigious restaurants. He even appeared on Top Chef, sat in on The View, and has been named Culinary Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. All of that exposure has helped shape his career, to be sure. But it has also shaped his contribution to diversity within the hospitality and media industries.
Shaping Different Cultures
Diversity offers up untold benefits to the industries as a whole as well as those they affect. It’s not just about equal opportunity employment, it’s about overcoming deep-rooted stereotypical concepts that can contribute vitally to the advancement of how the hospitality and media industries are viewed. Multiculturalism is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but at its core, it’s all about encouraging greater creativity, more effective problem solving unique takes on the standard model, and greater awareness of how different cultures shape the way we eat and entertain.
Embracing diversity allows people to understand and sample new cultural experiences they may not otherwise be exposed to. That’s why Chef Ron is such a huge proponent of diverse food culture, sharing his love of fresh, flavorful, diverse foods through the many community outreach programs he is a part of. Exposing others to new cuisines, new cultures, and new ways of looking at things promotes leadership by a diverse range of professionals.
Nurturing Ideas and Embracing Change
Diversity in the hospitality and media industries begins and ends with encouraging and nurturing ideas and concepts from people of all nationalities to lead to enhanced productivity, inclusion, and exposure to cultures from all over the world. Chef Ron embraces his past in Haiti, creating unique fusion dishes of French Caribbean cuisine made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. He brings his passion for those cultural blendings to every interaction he has in the hospitality and media industries, whether he’s making a guest appearance on Bar Rescue or volunteering his time with Black Culinary Alliance, No Kid Hungry, or Hollywood Unites for Haiti. He, along with others, lends his expertise, experience, and time to ensuring diversity is embraced and fostered.
Nurturing diversity in the hospitality and media industries helps everyone gain an appreciation for what’s outside their door. Chef Ron breaks down those doors and invites everyone in to enjoy what he loves: making friends over a good meal.
