Iliana P. Mustelier, south Florida businesswoman and philanthropist celebrated her birthday at Wasska Lounge owned by renowned Chef Juan Chipoco on August 23, 2012.

Guests included:
Consul General of Peru in Miami, Ambassador Bustamante and his wife Maricarmen Bustamante.
Carla Ligia Erraez, Television Journalist for Telemundo/Univision;
Willie Panama, Singer/Composer;
Berndhard Seifert, Actor;
CJ McCann, Publisher/Editor for Mujer Revista;
Fher Troncoso, Photographer/Journalist;
Diana Lozzi, Journalist;
and Miami’s social entourage of Chamber Directors from different countries, photographers, promoters, fashion designers, make up artists, models and close friends.
Iliana Patty’s brother Henry Melgarejo sang a beautiful Peruvian waltz. Jose Mustelier (husband) and her sons Danny & Andy were also present.

(Photographs supplied by Iliana Patty Mustelier and are copyright their original owner)

Iliana Patty Mustelier was born on August 23rd, 1964 in the picturesque Valley of Mantaro, located in the beautiful City of Huancayo, Peru. Iliana Patty was raised in the bosom of a family of entrepreneurs. She spent her early years of life behind the counters of her parents’ jewelry stores in Huancayo, Lima and subsequently New York and Miami. She moved to the United States with her family when she was only 8 years old.

Iliana Patty grew up with business in her blood. Her mom Eva Guerra was a remarkable business woman who believed, “there are no impossibilities in life. Just opportunities”. Iliana Patty followed her family’s foot steps and eventually began working in the family business. As a teenager her passion for justice motivated her to study law, obtaining her Associate of Arts degree in Legal Studies. While working at her family’s business, she also began her Paralegal career in 1995 but she didn’t settle with working at a Law Firm. In her family roots it’s unheard to work just one job. She decided to invest in real estate and obtained her Real Estate Brokers license in 1998. In 2000, she opened her new business venture, Real Estate Investment Group, LLC. which shortly became a very successful real estate investment company with an investment portfolio of real estate properties in the USA, Central America and Peru.

However, with the real estate crisis in 2008, Real Estate Investment company was financially devastated but Iliana Patty did not let these difficulties destroy her. She made the decision of restructuring her investments portfolio and change her investment path. The question was… in what?

After countless trips to her hometown, which she is proud of due to her affection for its tradition , human warmth, revitalizing weather and, specially, delicious food. In 2009 during one of her visits to Huancayo, while she enjoyed the traditional food at Ingenio, she realized she had to share her culinary experiences with the best restaurants of Miami. That was it! She had found her new investment path: importing rainbow trout to USA. Iliana Patty founded Andes Seafood Distributors an import company in 2009. However, neither the rainbow trout nor the new companies were known in Miami, but this was yet another opportunity in this problem and established a new promotion company, ASE Events.

ASE Events’ main goal is satisfying the need of promoting Peruvian culture and products, as well as events, expos, festivals and more. ASE Events immediately surged due to Iliana Patty’s vision and her husband’s, Jose Andres Mustelier, contacts in the restaurant and hospitality industry. They approached international restaurants in Miami and offered to host tasting events in which restaurants could promote their premises and Andes Seafood had the opportunity to promote the new Andes Rainbow Trout. They also invited the local pisco distributors, their friends and the local press and ASE Events began hosting networking events. With this initiative Andes Seafood Distributors served rainbow trout and pisco at Tasting Events throughout South Florida. This marked a huge difference regarding the established model of selling Peruvian products; that is, they didn’t take a Peruvian product to the Peruvian public, they introduced it to the international consumer directly.

Attracted by Iliana Patty’s innovative vision, Chefs, restaurant owners, non-profit organizations and important personalities such as the Mayor of various cities in South Florida, the Consul of Perú in Miami, the Commercial Trade Commissioner of Peru in Miami and representatives of the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida attended the networking events hosted by Andes Seafood Distributors and promoted by ASE Events. Iliana Patty was introduced to many organization leaders and invited to join many chambers of commerce. She immediately became a member of the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida because she shared their vision in the need to promote Peruvian gastronomic industry. The Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce had successfully organized their First Gastronomic Festival in Miami: Taste of Perú 2010 and Andes Seafood were invited to participate. Iliana Patty was soon nominated in 2011 as Executive Director of the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida and joined wholeheartedly in organizing the most important Mega event in the United States: Taste of Perú 2011.

Her popularity and recognition in Miami’s social spheres, made up of businesspeople and politicians, is not only thanks to her business success; Iliana Patty has also earned her friends, colleagues and the public’s respect due to her noble heart, which expresses in the way she supports whoever needs her however she can, specially nonprofit organizations, through events which help collect funds for children and their families. Her magnetic personality, love for her birth country, Peru and social work are three of her most outstanding aspects. Thanks to all of this, she won the Socialite of the Month Award in August, 2011 in Miami and is a very popular and loved personality in Miami.

Iliana Patty Mustelier’s multifaceted positions include but are not limited to President of Andes Seafood and ASE Events, Event Coordinator of the most important Gastronomical Festival in the United States, “Taste of Peru 2012”, Co-Owner of Luxure Realty Company, Executive Director of the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida, Independent Consultant of Nikken, and an honorary member of many Non-Profit Organizations that she continues to help. Her business success is complemented by a very close family unit, her husband and her three sons which are true blessings from God.