Community Involvement

Chef Marco Zapien helps youth from 4-18 grow into confident, responsible and self-sufficient adults through his mentorship. Chef MZ has donated his time to read to kindergartners, talk with middle school and high school-aged students about their career and college choices, and work with aspiring chefs to help them understand more about a career in the hospitality industry. 

Chef Marco Zapien and The Salsa Grill have helped raise awareness and money for charities by hosting drives, including toy drives, canned food drives, blanket and clothing drives and more. Chef MZ has offered enticing incentives to patrons for getting involved and supporting various charity drives over the years. Every holiday season, Chef MZ and The Salsa Grill collect hundreds of toys for local charities and churches to be distributed to less fortunate families. 

Through community fundraising, Chef Marco Zapien and The Salsa Grill rally community members, neighbors and friends to support youth sports, schools, clubs, unified causes and more. The Salsa Grill’s “Twenty-Five” Fundraiser allows each cause to receive 25% of total event sales. Through this type of fundraising, The Salsa Grill has hosted hundreds of events and helped local organizations raise thousands of dollars.  

With a cooking demo with Chef Marco Zapien, organizations have raised funds through attendee ticket sales for in-person and virtual demonstrations. Chef MZ has helped organizations, large and small, such as the local Pico Rivera Chamber of Commerce, Covenant House and the Illumination Foundation, raise money for their cause. The time and effort Chef MZ and his support staff at The Salsa Grill put in to make these events a success are invaluable and essential in helping others.