21 Jun ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO HOSTS 2016 ESSEX COUNTY PORTUGUESE HERITAGE CELEBRATION Star of Essex County Awards are Presented to Saint Barnabas Medical Center Physician Community Liaison Isabel Medeiros and Businessman and Community Advocate Antonio Seabra
Published on June 21, 2016
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. hosted the 2016 Essex County Portuguese Heritage Celebration on Tuesday, June 21st. During the program, DiVincenzo presented Star of Essex Awards to Isabel Medeiros, Physician Community Liaison at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, and Antonio Seabra, businessman and community advocate. The honorees were recognized for their many positive contributions to New Jersey – especially in Essex County. “Essex County has been shaped and developed by the various cultures and ethnicities of the people who have lived and worked here. Celebrating the heritage of our neighbors will help us understand and embrace our diversity,” DiVincenzo said. “Isabel Medeiros and Antonio Seabra have made many positive contributions to the cultural, civic and educational history in Essex,” he added. Isabel Medeiros (Costa) has been a patient navigator and community liaison with Saint Barnabas Medical Center since May 2008. Prior to joining Saint Barnabas, she served as a community advocate at Saint James Hospital, in Newark’s Ironbound, for more than 20 years. During her tenure, she was instrumental in raising $1 million in honor of the hospital’s centennial in 2000; promoted health and wellness with her TV show, “Health is Life;” and worked closely with the medical staff, emergency department and the outpatient clinics to promote access to affordable and appropriate care. To this day, Ms. Medeiros is the person to whom the community turns in times of health crisis. She is known for her middle of the night trips accompanying community members to the Emergency Room and for generously publicizing her phone number so she is always on call. At Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Ms. Medeiros is also the catalyst for the Friends of Saint Barnabas and their annual golf outing, which celebrated its 8th anniversary on June 20th at Brooklake Country Club, Florham Park. Over the years, the Friends of Saint Barnabas have raised more than $200,000 to benefit the Cancer and Breast Centers. Isabel enjoys assisting her patients and especially her grandchildren, Luis, Spencer and Tyler. “Thank you for giving me this award. I love what I do and I really enjoy helping people,” Ms. Medeiros said. “I see a lot of friends here today and I thank everyone for being so kind,” she added. Antonio Seabra arrived in Newark in 1967 when he was 12 years old, along with his mother, father, four brothers and a sister. In 1972, his parents opened a small market, where all members of the family worked, just as Antonio, his wife Dolores and their three sons do today. Seabra Group, a privately owned holding company headquartered in Newark, owns and manages a diverse range of businesses in the food and beverage industry. Now serving as the company’s president, Antonio Seabra’s mission has been servicing the diverse multicultural markets in the United States through imported products from Europe, Latin America and Asia. As a major importer and wholesaler of specialty food products from Europe and South America, Triunfo Foods Import & Export Co., imports and distributes over 5,000 specialty products throughout the United States using five warehouses in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida and California. The company’s niche in the industry is its range of perishable and shelf stable specialty foods for both the retail and foodservice segments. Seabra Groups grocery retail business consists of Seabra foods and A&J Seabra supermarkets. The supermarket chain is strategically located to service the growing ethnic markets throughout the east coast of the United States. The chain consists of 15 stores in New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Group’s Alcohol and Beverage holdings consist of Aidil Wine & Liquors, Coimbra, Foxpoint and New World, leading importer of distilled spirits, wines and malt beverages from Portugal, Spain, Chile and Brazil. Distribution centers are in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California and Florida. The company represents over 30 different suppliers and collectively nearly 400 different brands. Seabra Group also owns and manages three fine dining, full service restaurants in New Jersey. Casa Seabra in Newark specializes in authentic Portuguese and Mediterranean style cuisine. Seabra Armory in Perth Amboy overseeing the water provides and specializes in Mediterranean cuisine. Mr. Adams Steakhouse is a fine dining, full service authentic Brazilian steakhouse and sports bar in Newark. Through the Seabra family real estate holding company, Antonio Seabra has secured a strategic partnership with the largest Portuguese hotel company, Pestana Group. The construction of a new 109-room hotel in Newark is underway. The partnership marks a major milestone in developing and expanding relations between Portugal and the United States. Antonio Seabra continues his mission to promote the trading relationship between Portugal and the U.S. and disseminate the Portuguese culture. “I accept this award on behalf of my family. This is really special for me because I really consider myself to be an Essex County boy,” Mr. Seabra said. “I feel very blessed because of this and I am blessed to be in a position where I can reach out and help people,” he added. The Essex County Portuguese Heritage Month Celebration is the part of a year-long cultural series created by County Executive DiVincenzo to highlight Essex County’s diversity. Other cultural heritage celebrations include African American History Month, Irish Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Italian Heritage Month, Jewish Heritage, Latino Heritage and Pride Month to highlight the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered and Questioning community.