American Express and F1 ACADEMY Team Up to Support Local Small Business Caja Caliente During Miami Race Week
American Express has teamed up with all-female racing series F1 ACADEMY in a new global partnership, which will kick off during Miami Race Week. As part of the partnership, American Express will support local communities and shed a spotlight on small business in cities that host F1 ACADEMY™ races throughout the season, beginning with local Miami restaurant Caja Caliente.
Caja Caliente’s business logo will appear on a custom livery, driven by British F1 ACADEMY driver Jessica Edgar. It is the first small business that will be featured on the Amex livery and a new local business will be spotlighted during each of the remaining five races in the 2024 season.
As announced by F1 ACADEMY™ in March, the 2024 season will be broadcasted in over 160 territories and will be streamed live globally, giving these small businesses a platform that helps expand their reach and exposure.
Located in Coral Gables, Florida, Caja Caliente opened in 2019 as a way for Owner and Chef Monica “Mika” Leon to share dishes inspired by her travels through the Mediterranean and family recipes passed down for generations. Mika has spent the better part of the decade working in kitchens across South Florida, with her journey beginning humbly with Mika Bites, a wholesale desserts company she launched out of her mother’s garage just after college. Read more about the business and how this opportunity will help Caja Caliente and Chef Mika Leon.
As a local small business, how do events like the F1 ACADEMY race help the community?
ML: These events help the community in so many ways. It brings a lot of new people to our city that in my case now get the opportunity to come to my restaurant. It promotes growth in our city and helps build and add to our community.
What does it mean to you as a women-owned small business to see the female talent representing your business?
ML: This means a lot to me. Especially given the fact that I own a restaurant and small business in a male-dominated industry. It is important for me to be a role model and inspire younger women that want to get into the restaurant world or be a chef. To see my business represented by fellow female talent makes me very proud.
What do you hope the community at the F1 ACADEMY™ race will remember about Caja Caliente?
ML: I hope they remember many things, but the most important thing is that you can do anything you set your mind to. I started this business at a young age, and everyone told me how tough it is and the failure rate of restaurants. I went against the odds and did it anyways and because of that Caja Caliente is what it is today.
How has your passion for food and entrepreneurship led you to this moment?
ML: I believe that all those tough years getting my business started and going were crucial to getting me here today – and to a place where I run a successful business being represented by fellow female talent. I hope my business helps others to start their own journey and pursue whatever it is they want to do. It is my passion that drove me to keep pushing, and still does today.
Open for five years now, what has been the restaurant’s secret to success?
ML: The secret to Caja Caliente’s success is community and hard work. Since day one it has been about the community and growing with them. The ever-growing community here in Miami inspires me to constantly evolve as an entrepreneur and chef. Along with that comes a lot of hard work and dedication. Being a business owner takes a lot of sleepless nights and long days, but in the end, it always pays off.
This global partnership with F1 ACADEMY builds on the multi-year partnership that Amex and Formula 1® announced in October 2023, declaring American Express as the Official Payments Partner of F1® in the Americas.
Source: American Express
