Chonita Foods

Management Team

Carlotta Flores
A partner in Chonita Foods, Carlotta is the 3rd Generation Owner/Chef of El Charro Café. She is an ACF Certified Chef and 3 time published author. Carlotta has won many local and National awards including Hispanic Woman of The Year and Mother of the Year for Tucson. She is a passionate member of the Tucson Community serving on many non-profit boards and is proud to be married for 41 years to her husband and business partner, Ray Flores Sr.

Scott Butler
Partner in Chonita Foods, Scott is a 35 year-plus food service veteran. Scott’s background includes restaurant, production, and broad-line distribution experience as well as leadership roles with such successful firms as City Meat Provisions, US Foods, and Merit Foods of Tucson, AZ. Scott is a true “meat man” from his days at City Meat, but is truly a pro at seafood sourcing and purchasing.

Raymon Flores (Ray Jr.)
Ray Jr. is the current CEO of El Charro Café and co-owner of Chonita Foods. A local restaurateur and entrepreneur, Ray Jr. has authored a book on Tequila and Margaritas, opened up over a half dozen restaurant concepts, owns one of Arizona’s most successful advertising agencies and is also a licensed professional of the Arizona Department of Gaming. Ray Jr. is a proud member of several community efforts, including board presidency of the El Rio Foundation (www.elrio.org). During his role as CEO of El Charro, the company has been listed for 3 consecutive years in Hispanic Magazine’s “Top 500 Hispanic Companies in the U.S.”

Edward Basha III
Partner in Chonita Foods. Senior Vice President Legal and Financial Affairs for Bashas’ Inc. Bashas’ Family Brand of Grocery Stores is one of Arizona’s true long-term success stories with over 150 stores employing nearly 14,000 people all under the brands of Bashas’, Food City, AJ’s, and Ike’s Market. Chonita manufactures food for Bashas’ companies under the Dos Ranchitos brand.

Leonard Levine
Controller. A veteran of nearly 30 years in a variety of production industries and accounting services, Leonard likes to also talk shop about his sales background… But we like to keep him behind the scenes crunching numbers as his youthful days in New York as a taxi driver left him with a bit of a snarl.

Alba Cabrerra Blackburn
Plant Supervisor. A 25 year industry veteran, Alba has experience at all levels of Food Service. A certified HACCP and food science professional, Alba oversees daily plant operations and USDA operations for Chonita Foods. Alba has helped refine many of our delicious recipes to fit the demands of mass production.