![Featherstone and Southwest Detroit Restaurant Week founder Juan Carlos Dueweke-Pérez smiles inside El Rey de Las Arepas surrounded by delicious treats.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0ba9c0_b9a995645ace40398bbe3241f336fbe9~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_147,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/0ba9c0_b9a995645ace40398bbe3241f336fbe9~mv2.jpg)
SBOA Member Juan Carlos Dueweke-Pérez is the founder and owner of a marketing and public relations firm and the co-founder of Southwest Detroit Restaurant Week.
Dueweke-Pérez's food industry experience began when he was 11-years-old, helping his father sell cheesecakes to support their family.
Eleven-year-old Dueweke-Pérez sold the cheesecakes door-to-door and hated it. He became known around the community as El Chisquero (roughly translated to “Cheesecake Boy”).
Southwest Detroit Restaurant Week returns from September 16-25. Click here to learn more about Juan Carlos and the experiences that shaped his passion for food, diversity and culture.