San Antonio chef picked to promote Texas' melon industry

03/16/2010

The Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Watermelon Association have recruited San Antonio television cooking show host, author and chef Michael Flores to be the face of a new bilingual campaign promoting the state’s watermelon producers.

The bilingual spots will air in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Austin, the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso and Waco from May to September during watermelon season. The Texas effort will also be followed by a national campaign. This will be the first GO TEXAN television campaign promoting watermelon growers. Texas ranks third in the United States in watermelon production, which generates $160 million for the state’s economy.

The Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN marketing program exists to encourage more people to buy Texas grown products. Flores has also been a spokesperson for the National Dairy Association, Best Maid Pickles, the Mexican Avocado Council and Nature Sweet Tomatoes.

“I love the Lone Star State and truly believe and understand why buying Texas is so important. I will create new recipes using Texas crops while showcasing them through various media outlets,” Flores says. “I’ve been developing new recipes, market buying, planning a watermelon media tour across the state, tying in the sweet summer fruit to various Texas festivals and taping commercials. I can’t wait for my fellow Texans to see how Texas watermelons shine.”

Flores is a native San Antonian. He graduated as a chef from the Culinary Institute of America.

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