Fernando Salazar

Co-founder and Executive Vice President of E-Spain

Fernando Salazar is co-founder and executive vice president of E-Spain, a company that specializes in the creation and organization of international culinary competitions. He created the International Tapas Competition for Culinary Students in 2009, a competition that, in 2017, evolved into the first-ever World Tapas Competition, which takes place every November in Valladolid, Spain. The group also created the International Black Truffle Competition, which takes place in Soria, Spain every two years. Fernando began his hotel career in New York City with Helmsley Hotels and in 1983 joined Westin Hotels and Resorts, where he remained for 13 years. In 1996, Fernando joined Omni Hotels & Resorts where he was vice president of food and beverage. Fernando joined Wyndham Hotels and Resorts in June 2007 as vice president of food & beverage, and vice president of operations for Latin America. In 2015, Fernando join The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) as managing director of their San Antonio campus. In March of 2018, Fernando accepted a two-year appointment as senior vice president of food & beverage for Interstate Hotels & Resorts. In his role, Fernando oversaw menu development and new food and beverage concepts across the entire portfolio of over 600 hotels in 15 countries. In 2010, Fernando received the prestigious Silver Plate Award as Hotel Operator of the Year for his contributions to the industry. (Dallas, TX)