WHATS COOKING WITH COMO - Ep #010 - Téa Ivanovic and Peter Schechter (Co-Owners of Immigrant Food)

For this episode of “What’s Cooking With Como” co-founders of 'Immigrant 'Food Téa Ivanovic and Peter Schechter join Erin Como in her home kitchen with some delicious bites from the menu. They discuss the community they are building that began with their first location near the White House, their expansion, and how they use the business they created as a platform for cultural celebration and impact.

Born in Rome, Italy, Peter speaks six languages and is a shaking pot of immigrant mixes. Until the age of six, he spoke only Italian at home in Rome with his parents who immigrated to the United States from Austria and Germany. He then moved to Latin America for almost a decade. Peter is Immigrant Food’s intellectual author; the idea is an homage to his parents and particularly his mom, who was a chain immigrant to the United States.

Téa started as the hyper-talented head of communications for Immigrant Food, but as the pandemic took its toll, it became clear that she had to become Jack of all Trades. So she took on management. And then took on operations. And then took on financial responsibility. So, she became the COO. Born in Belgium to parents from the former Yugoslavia and recruited to the United States by Virginia Tech’s Division 1 Varsity tennis team, Téa calls herself an immigrant squared. In 2022, Téa was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 List (Food & Beverage), Washington Business Journal’s 25 Women Who Mean Business, FSR’s 40 Restaurant Stars on the Rise, and DC Fray’s 8 Trailblazing Women in Hospitality.