The influence of Asian culture on the United States has been felt for a very long time, and in recent years that influence has become larger and more nuanced. As immigrants and subsequent generations born in America become a larger segment of the population, they have worked hard to become part of the melting pot while also holding onto the aspects of their cultural heritage they hold dear. That has been the experience of P.J. Quesada and his family as they have worked to make Ramar Foods the leader in providing the taste of the Philippines to a broadening market in the United States. 

The California-based company was founded in 1969 by Ramon and Maria Quesada, who started out importing and distributing Filipino food to a small base of customers on the West Coast. Later, their son Primo worked hard to expand the company’s scope to include manufacturing, and today the company is one of the leading manufacturers of Filipino foods in the United States. P.J. Quesada represents the third generation of family leadership for the company, and he says Ramar Foods works hard to live up to the values his grandparents instilled in their family and their company. He says the company is proud to have grown into what it is today, but “what’s equally important is who we are.” 

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As a child born in Egypt and later growing up in Europe, Ahmass Fakahany was fascinated with food, restaurants and the hospitality business. When, as a young man, the time came for him to further his education and choose a college, his initial instinct was to pursue a future in the industry he long admired.

Fakahany’s first choice of college was the Lausanne Hospitality Management School in Switzerland; however, the prestigious school’s admission requirement of fluency in four languages made it inaccessible to him at the time. Instead, he went to the United States to attend the Boston University Questrom School of Business and later the Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

Fakahany proved to be highly successful in the business world. After initially working for Exxon Corp. in various capacities, he would go on to work for financial giant Merrill Lynch. His 20-year path through that company led him to the very top – as president and COO, Fakahany would oversee Merrill Lynch’s more than 63,000 employees in 40 different countries.

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