Before starting his own hospitality ecosystem, Rafael was just a bartender with a vision to expand the region’s palate and establish a more prominent food scene to rival the likes of Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Starting with what he thought would be a small endeavor, Rafael brought the nationally recognized “Restaurant Week” to Naples Fl. Sister to Miami Spice, the Naples adaptation quickly expanded throughout SWFL and made media waves by the introduction of “First Bite,” an indoor kick-off event with 1000+ guests. SWFL Restaurant Week became the first in the U.S. to donate $1 from every meal sold to charity, setting it apart from its counterparts. 

Awarded “2016 Innovation Star of the Year ‘’ for the production of the bi-annual event, Rafael then went on to co-found the Food Idea Group, a restaurant driven marketing agency that immediately represented 30+ clients and the biggest names in the local restaurant industry.

2017, Rafael was awarded “40 under 40” by both Gulfshore Life Magazine and the Naples/Lee Herald. In 2018, Food Idea Group was recognized as “Best Marketing Company” by Newspress. During this time, Rafael continued his love for philanthropy by taking on several non-profit projects and sitting on various boards across the community including Florida Restaurant Lodging Association, BlueZones, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Advisory Board of FGCU’s highly acclaimed School of Entrepreneurship. Noticed for his charity endeavors by Gulfshore Business, he was awarded “2019 Advocate of the Year”, then recognized regionally for the “2019 Florida 40 Under 40” by Business Observer.

2020 was a pivotal year for business. The Food Idea Group expanded into what is now Main Course Hospitality, a full service consulting and development firm. While Covid-19 presented challenges the industry had never seen before and on the brink of a national hiring crisis and growing issues within workforce development, Rafael used his years of non-profit experience to launch the Think Pineapple Foundation (TPF)- a hospitality 501c3 developed to help hospitality employees during times of financial crisis. TPF is also the home to the Veterans for Hospitality Project which offers Veterans a second career with job training and job placement in the hospitality industry. 

2021, Rafael was recipient of the “Top Florida Latino Leader” by Latin Times Media and 2022 finalist for “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Florida SBDC. 

With an arsenal of projects, Rafael’s newest addition to his hospitality ecosystem is the creation of Simmer Magazine, a media powerhouse set to launch in 2023.

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Boards & Affiliations

Present

• President: Think Pineapple Foundation

• Advisory Board Member: FGCU School of Entrepreneurship

• Board Member: Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association

• Education Chair: FRLA

• Contributor: Florida Gulf Coast University 

• Contributor: Champions For Learning

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Past

• Mentor: Big Brothers Big Sisters of SWFL

• Campaign Advocate: American Cancer Society

• Advisory Board Member: Blessings in a Backpack

• Project Lead: Guadalupe Center of Immokallee 

• Committee Member: Blue Zones of SWFL

• Committee Member: March of Dimes

• Committee Member: Mercy Chefs

• Committee Chair: The Men’s Network

• Volunteer: Harry Chapin Food Bank - Fort Myers

• Volunteer: Grow Church - Naples/Bonita

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Career Highlights:

• 2022 | Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year (Finalist) - Florida SBDC

• 2021 | Faces of SWFL - Gulfshore Life Magazine

• 2021 | New Business Partner Award - Paragon Awards

• 2020 | Top Florida Latino Leader Award - Latin Times Media 

• 2019 | 40 under 40 - Business Observer

• 2019 | Business Advocate of the Year -  Florida SBDC / Gulfshore Life

• 2019 | Innovation Star of the Year Award - Paradise Coast Tourism Bureau

• 2019 | Growing Associates in Naples - Greater Naples Chamber

• 2018 | Best Marketing Company of Naples - Newspress

• 2017 | 40 Under 40 - Gulfshore Business 2017

• 2017 | 40 Under 40 - Naples & Lee Herald

• 2016 | Innovation Star of the Year Award - Paradise Coast Tourism Bureau