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Frontera Food’s specialty food products feature the gamut of robust and spirited regional flavors that represent the very soul of Mexican cuisine.

In many respects, Frontera Foods originated when Chef Rick Bayless began his travels through Mexico almost thirty years ago. Bayless dreamt of bringing the robust regional flavors of Mexico into everyday contemporary American kitchens. He went to work spreading the word about the cuisine’s enormous potential.

In the late 1980’s, Rick and his wife Deann opened the highly-acclaimed Frontera Grill and Topolobampo restaurants in Chicago. In 1987, they authored the now-classic cookbook “Authentic Mexican,” and in 1995, Rick’s cooking gained him the title of National Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

In 1996, Manuel Valdes, formerly a marketing manager at Kraft Foods and consultant with Arthur Andersen & Co. joined Rick to establish Frontera Foods, Inc. to produce and market a line of regional Mexican food products using all natural ingredients and time-honored cooking methods. Partners JeanMarie Brownson and Greg Keller joined the Frontera Foods team as Culinary Director and National Sales Director, respectively.

All Frontera products are made in small batches from fresh, classic ingredients including Frontera’s authentic, chile-infused salsas. Each bold, complex salsa celebrates the flavor of a different chile.

Frontera salsas, stone-ground corn tortilla chips, gourmet soups, cooking sauces, enchilada sauces, chili mix, guacamole mix, hot sauces, barbecue & grill sauces and gourmet Mexican frozen pizzas are available nationally through gourmet and specialty food stores, natural food groceries and selected department stores, cookware shops and epicurean catalogs. The salsas are showcased with Chef Rick Bayless’s award-winning cookbooks. Salpica Salsas are also created by Frontera Foods.

In 2006, the Frontera Foods team partnered with Macy’s to launch the first Frontera Fresco, a quick-service restaurant specializing in fresh, all natural gourmet Mexican food. In 2007, Time Out Chicago selected Frontera Fresco, as the Best New Mexican Restaurant at the first annual Eat Out Chicago Awards.

Today, there are three Frontera Fresco locations within Macy’s and more than 65 products in the Frontera Food’s line.