Kareen "Chef Coco" Linton

Kareen is originally from Barbados and was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is the Founder and CEO of A Dash of Coco LLC. based in downtown Tampa. The company brings the worlds of food, fashion, and lifestyle together. She is also the Founder and CEO of The Coco Foundation Inc, which is also located in down­town Tampa. The organization's motto is, 'Food is our vehicle to connecting and building a greater community." Coco, which she's fondly called is also a Certified International Speaker and Author, her 1st book "Turn Your Sours into Sweets" is available on Amazon. Most recently, Chef Coco was honored with her second National American Culinary Federation, ACF Cutting Edge Award at the national convention in Phoenix, Arizona. She has also been featured in an article for the September issue of Hospitality News Magazine NY. She has also been honored the 2024 ACF Tampa Bay Member of the Year for her dedication to the industry and community. Chef Coco has been invited by the country of France and the Tourism Board of the island of St. Martin to represent the USA and her Barbadian heritage at the St, Martin Gastronomic Festival, November 11th to 22nd, 2024.

 
September 2023, Chef Coco was invited by the Disciples of Escoffier International to represent the US delegation and perform a demo presentation at the Eiffel Tower in Paris at the VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL DE LA GASTRONOMIE. In celebration of National Child Nutrition Day, October 16th, 2023, and International Chef Day, October 20th, 2023, Chef Coco kicked off a monthly series of cooking events for the youth in the downtown Tampa area. She has partnered with: Meacham Urban Farm, the ACF Tampa Chapter, Tampa Downtown Partnership, The Encore Tempo Alts District, Tampa Housing Authority, American Culinary Federation Chef to Child Foundation, which she is also it's Southeast Regional Representative. March 2023, Coco was a keynote speaker at WYN Conferences, "3rd International Women Influencers Network (WIN) and Women Leadership Congress." where she received an international speaker certification in Paris, France. March 2022 she was honored with the International Health 2.0IFood 2.0 Conference "Outstanding Leadership Award" in Dubai and was also a Keynote Speaker. She was also invited to be a keynote speaker at the Health 2.0IFood 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas April, 2022. As an International Speaker, Coco has spoken by webinar to audiences in 10 countries, including India, USA, Bangladesh, China, Philippines, South Africa, France, Denmark, and Prague and in person to audiences in Dubai, Paris, and the USA.