Roberto
"I'm originally from Panama, but it was thanks to a friend of mine who came looking for me one day saying he needed help because one of his cooks was off that I somehow found my way into the kitchen. From that day on, I have always been in the kitchen; I haven't received formal training, I only did two small courses while being here. The kitchen wasn't something I thought about working in until that day, but I fell in love straight away and wanted to learn more.
My favorite part of the kitchen is the grill and the crazy atmosphere's what drew me in, you need to be crazy to work in kitchens and I got some of that crazy going on, so it's perfect. The stress and pressure to expedite dishes is high and you need to be mentally strong.
As a Panamanian I'd love for our restaurants here to focus more on the native cuisine, you go into many places nowadays and you can't find our culture and food. We've diversified but as a result, traditions are watering down."
Jose
"You see me grilling now, but there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes before I even put one of these chorizos on the grill! From the early mornings of sourcing meat in the market, through to the history behind this spot on the main street of San Pedro!
Before me, it was my older sister who handled the business, and before her, it was my mother who ran it; which sort of makes me third-generation in this business, and I feel proud of continuing the family! I'm hoping to bring some new items to the menu and continue the family legacy of this business, while at the same time moving the business forward!"
Samuel
"The discipline and challenges of the kitchen are what first interested me. When I first began thinking of exploring the kitchen, someone told me that there's no way in hell I could survive in the kitchens. Which naturally made me want to challenge myself to try as I felt I needed to find focus and thought I could get it in the kitchen with the hard work.
Like most young people I wasn't taking the right path in life at first, but then the kitchen was the first place where someone saw value in my work, and it helped me see that I had a future! It's tough to push yourself sometimes, but when a good mentor walks in and tells you they're happy with your work, it really cheers you up and keeps you on the path!"
Claudia
"The majority of Guatemala’s gastronomy is managed by women, it’s a tradition - if you peek into any tortilleria you’ll always find the women doing the work, same thing in the homes - it’s something you grow up around if you’re from these parts of the world. Men only step into the kitchen when there aren’t women siblings or if they’re the eldest, or in the rare case that a boy’s interested in the craft; otherwise, mothers will look to daughters to teach them and the boys learn about farming and working the fields!
At the end of the day, it’s us women that carry local gastronomy, and yet not many women are interested in graduating from culinary school. In my class we were only two women; the men have always been more interested in professional gastronomy and diversifying into international techniques.
I, on the other hand, learned from my mother, and it wasn’t until 2012 that I decided to formally step into culinary school. I studied at CECAP, a non-profit organization with roots in maintaining traditional techniques while teaching young people to appreciate it, all while giving them a peek into international techniques to back it up. I learned from an amazing chef, and they showed us that there’s much more outside than what I used to eat at home growing up!
Eventually, I was asked to work here teaching the tourists. It was daunting at first because I had to do it in English, but I love being able to share my knowledge and our culinary culture.
I’m proud to be young but still speaking Mayan and being able to introduce our gastronomy and culture to the world! It’s not only about preserving the culture but about spreading its knowledge and inspiring others!"
Sonia
"I’ve been in San Pedro for the last 28 years but I’m originally from Salvador and have been making my famous Salvadorian pupusas for the last 14 years already. Street food has always been my thing, but three years ago I decided to rent a spot because I couldn’t find a place in which to store all the produce and was fed up of fighting with the rain - when it rains here, it pours - and you can’t be working out on the street.
I love the kitchen, even 14 years later I wouldn’t do anything else, I love making my pupusas and I’ve met a lot of people over the years. People really love me and I have fans - see, money changes people, but fame doesn’t, and it’s why I always say that I love fame but don’t like money.
This place's become super popular with tourism over the years, sadly, and most of the food that you find in the streets is now international. I still don't get the reason why people travel to the other side of the world to eat the same damn food they could eat at home.
I did have to accommodate my new clientele though, as most of the people who passed by were vegetarian backpackers, which is why I invited my now iconic spicy zucchini pupusa!"
Alan Cuio
"As a kid I used to listen the old man selling corn around the neighborhood, how he made them always intrigued me.
No one in my family cooks, not even my grandmother - and because of this I decided to start using the kitchen of my house and it eventually became my personal space, because I used to share rooms with my brother, it meant the kitchen was the only space I could make my own. Heck, I loved spending time in that place, experimenting with a variety of ingredients.
After highschool I went to culinary school to try and go pro, wanting to find a generic style in which to do things. Eventually though I realized that each restaurant kitchen works differently, with each having its own flow.
I got to where I am today because I fell in love with the concept of an open kitchen, and the attention to detail you needed to have. I spent months trying to convince my now Chef to give me the opportunity to become part of his team, and eventually he let me in!"
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????✍???? by @losplatossucios
Reporting from Mexico ????????
Siomara
"I'm 54 years old, and have been here for nearly 14 years now! The concept for this restaurant was developed by my in-law, a restaurant that serves cachapas, 25 years ago. He always had a vision of working with high-quality ingredients and being one of the best in the country - and to this day we still work with that philosophy, carrying on his legacy even after 12 years since I came to work here.
When we took over, people didn't think we could succeed because it wasn't our line of work or speciality, but here we are, still open! We believe that our cachapas are the best in the country because we treat each one as if we were making it for ourselves or our sons, so we do our absolute best each time. My husband is very supportive, he does much of the prep, the cleaning. My youngest son focuses on customers and my oldest daughter handles all the admin and sourcing. I get to focus entirely on cooking.
At the beginning of the pandemic, we closed for six months - and when we got to open again we had to deal with the blackouts that caused even more losses. It was very hard, we kept getting kicked down and had to get back up, now we've been open for six months, with its ups and downs and struggles but we've managed. I'm a Christian, and I truly believe it was through the lord's will that we're still open, but it was also thanks to the support of customers that we pushed to open again."
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Reporting from Venezuela @vill237 ????✍????
Pablo
"I grew up playing in punk rock bands and skateboarding in Bogota Colombia, and what I found was a lot of like-minded people that were against the grain. Little did I know that this ‘do it yourself' mentality and overall brotherhood was going to shape the way that I envisioned kitchens and how I did things for myself and my family. I’ve always taken the punk-rock approach to everything in my life, seeing things in different ways, and I think that’s helped me get to the point where I find myself comfortably using my own voice as a tool instead of being ashamed of it.
Before covid hit, I was working on building someone else's ideas, but the pandemic gave me the strength and the chance to reinvent myself and take matters into my own hands to build something for myself; I started a dumpling company from the living room of my small apartment. With the last 200 dollars I had in my wallet I decided to buy equipment and ingredients to begin cranking things out from my house, and that’s how Zitxum was born - something that I’ve dreamt about forever and finally have been able to do thanks to the support of my wife and kids.
Nowadays I’m working alongside my wife in building a restaurant from scratch, at our own pace; being able to help the people who helped us get to where we are today and hiring old staff we once had, building a team that has the same goals and mentality, and it’s something that I’m really proud of."
Jermaine
"I've been cooking for the last 35 years and I'm the owner of Fat & Skinny BBQ. My homeboy and I developed a hybrid concept where he does garage work on cars and I cook - 7 years ago we mostly served the people who came and fix their car but today more people are stopping by for my ribs! it's a starting step as I've been saving to eventually build a full BBQ restaurant.
I don’t only cook meat, I actually started cooking out of curiosity - I spent hours in my house perfecting the craft before I decided I wanted to sell food to the public. I can do great salads, habachi rice and all from scratch. I love BBQ because of its nice taste and the slow cooking on charcoal and wood and the fact that it's something everyone loves and does during most of the holidays!"
Wendy
"I’m Wendy Mejias, but many call me Mokao. I’m 24 years old and I’m Venezuelan. My passion has been passed down for generations, my great grandmother, grandmother, and mother have all dedicated their lives to the kitchen professionally and at home, which introduced me to the world of food at a very young age.
It all started 8 years ago when I took the decision to submerge myself into the gastronomy world while working in a wide array of restaurants so I could gain experience and perspective. Two years ago, I decided to take the leap into the pastry world by developing a cake-making project, Mokao Pasteleria. After hard work I finally realized it was my strong suit and the area I love the most - a love I attributed to my mother, and I’m thankful that I’m now able to bring joy to peoples’ lives through my work.
Being an entrepreneur in Venezuela is a daily challenge. Barely anyone realizes the immense challenges brought on by simply being in Venezuela; though if there’s one thing we Venezuelans are known for, it’s our ability to be fighters and perseverent."
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@vill237 ???? reporting from Venezuela!