Smithfield Partners With James Beard Award Winner and ‘Iron Chef’ Jose Garces to Launch “La Vida Comida” Webseries

New Webseries to Inspire At-Home Cooks to Get Creative in the Kitchen and Bring Restaurant Quality Meals to the Table

SMITHFIELD, Va., April 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfield and Garces Group are proud to announce the launch of “La Vida Comida,” a new webseries hosted by award-winning chef and restaurateur Jose Garces to encourage at-home cooks of any skill level to get creative in the kitchen. Each of the four episodes in the series will feature a different Latin-inspired dish highlighting the quality and versatility of Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork, an all-natural, premium line of hand-trimmed fresh pork.

SMITHFIELD PARTNERS WITH AWARD-WINNING CHEFS TO CELEBRATE PRIME ALL NATURAL PREMIUM FRESH PORK COLLECTION

“La Vida Comida, meaning ‘food life,’ is my way of helping everyone get inspired to cook and experiment with new flavors and ingredients, even on the busiest of weeknights,” said Chef Jose Garces. "My passion for food is what really inspired this series, but I also wanted to share my insights and techniques with a broader audience – from selecting fresh, high-quality ingredients, to flavor building and plating."

Available in both English and Spanish versions on Smithfield.com and GarcesGroup.com, “La Vida Comida” shows viewers how to achieve fresh, wholesome meals that are perfect for any occasion with Chef Garces’ innovative, flavorful twists on the rich traditions of Latin-American cuisine. The recipes include:

• Lomo Saltado – a classic Peruvian stir-fry dish with robust flavors featuring Smithfield Prime Boneless Fresh Pork Loin
• Pozole Rojo – a hearty, comforting Mexican pork and hominy stew featuring Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork Shoulder Roast
• Spanish Ribs – a slow-cooked, Basque-inspired recipe prepared in cazuelas featuring Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork Back Ribs
• Boliche – a traditional Cuban roast perfect for holiday gatherings featuring Smithfield Prime Boneless Fresh Pork Loin

“We’re so excited to join forces with Chef Garces once again to help at-home cooks bring delicious, restaurant-quality meals to the dinner table,” said Kelsy Olson, associate brand manager of fresh pork marketing for Smithfield Foods. “We hope that home cooks of all skill levels will get inspired by this series and see how easy it is to create mouthwatering recipes with the quality and flavor of Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork.”

Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork is a collection of all-natural fresh pork with exceptional color, increased marbling, and enhanced flavor, and is available in a wide variety of cuts including boneless loins, chops, ribs, tenderloins, shoulder roasts and more. Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork is hand-trimmed and sourced from America’s most trusted farms, made from a sire line of Duroc hogs and some of the most stringent quality standards in the industry, making it 20 percent more tender than other leading brands of all-natural fresh pork.

For additional information on the Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork collection and to view the “La Vida Comida” webseries, please visit www.Smithfield.com and www.GarcesGroup.com.

About Jose Garces
Renowned Latin-American chef Jose Garces translates his rich cultural traditions and culinary vision into personal dining experiences through Garces, the eponymous Philadelphia-based hospitality group.  Garces operates more than a dozen restaurants, including Amada, Distrito, Tinto, Village Whiskey, Garces Trading Company, JG Domestic, Volvér, The Olde Bar, Buena Onda, 24 Wood Fired Fare, Olón, Okatshe, and Ortzi. Garces also operates Garces Events, a full-service catering and event division; the Garces Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to Philadelphia’s underserved immigrant community; Garces & Sons Coffee, where Chef Garces works with his father who roasts all of the coffee; and Luna Farm, Chef Garces’ 40-acre farm in Bucks County, PA. Garces was the 2009 recipient of the James Beard Foundation “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” award, as well as the winner of Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef” in 2009. Chef Garces is the author of The Latin Road Home (Lake Isle Press, October 2012), a culinary and cultural tour of Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Cuba and Peru, and his debut cookbook, Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, Fall 2008). For more information, please visit www.GarcesGroup.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

About Smithfield
A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the “Ham Capital of the World.” From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfield’s products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods.

About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield^®, Eckrich^®, Nathan's Famous^®, Farmland^®, Armour^®, Farmer John^®, Kretschmar^®, John Morrell^®, Cook's^®, Gwaltney^®, Carando^®, Margherita^®, Curly's^®, Healthy Ones^®, Morliny^®, Krakus^®, and Berlinki^®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.SmithfieldFoods.com.

Media Contacts:

Hunter PR for Smithfield Tiffany Daggett tdaggett@hunterpr.com (212) 679-6600

Baltz & Co. for Jose Garces Chloe Mata Crane cmcrane@baltzco.com (212) 300-7102