Mi Cocina Owner Ray Washburne Appointed to President Trump’s ‘Economic Revival’ Task Force

Mi Cocina co-founder Ray Washburne has been tapped to assist president Donald Trump in developing a recovery plan for the country’s restaurants that have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump announced that Washburne would join his Great American Economic Revival Industry Group for the food and beverage industry last week, per a press release from the White House. Washburne, whose M Crowd Restaurant Group also owns Taco Diner, is joined by vaunted chefs like Thomas Keller, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and executives from major food companies like PepsiCo, Starbucks, Waffle House, and Yum Brands.

According to the White House, Washburne and the dozens of other business leaders who’ve joined Trump’s Economic Revival Industry Groups will “work together to chart the path forward toward a future of unparalleled American prosperity.” Other groups, for industries like agriculture, banking,

This isn’t Washburne’s first Trump appointment, either. In 2017, Washburne was chosen to lead the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and in 2019, appointed to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. Before the election, Washburne was a major fundraiser for Trump, sparking protests in 2016 when he hosted a fundraising dinner for the then-candidate.

• Mi Cocina’s Ray Washburne Will Join the Trump Administration [EDFW]