My Story
Cooks!
Mango Man Cooks! Story
Chef Thony Clarke aka The Mango Man set roots in Madison, WI and soon after, opened his food cart, Mango Man Latin Soul Food, in 2003.
Over the ensuing decades, he expanded his Afro-Latino, family-run, business into event vending, catering, and the Cafe Costa Rica restaurants. In 2017, he established the Mango Man Cooks! food line.
Increasingly with each of these endeavors, Thony built a strong relationship and worked closely with the larger local food movement and he has become well-known in the community.
While his goal was to grow his business, he ended up doing one better than that and, more importantly, nurtured and grew the
Mango Man Cooks! brand.
Mission
Chef Thony describes the purpose of his venture as twofold, “My primary goal is to give my family a better life, but there’s more to why this is important to me. Being involved in the local food movement, I know people facing barriers to employment can find hope and opportunities.
I want to help them find a way to be part of the positive work. I hope to be able to inspire and mentor other new entrepreneurs.
