“I’m 20, and I make the empanadas, breakfasts, and lunches; I also help out with the cleaning and general kitchen upkeep. I started working here a couple of months back and I’ve learned a ton of things that I didn’t know before, and learn about a cuisine that I didn’t know anything about, either. Working through the pandemic has taught me a lot, it’s been a big shift, but we’re managing.

My mentor was a woman called Carmen, she was the one who taught me how to make the empanadas and create the bases for all the dishes that we make, it’s thanks to her that the food I cook here has such a unique flavor!

Its been hard for me to follow a leader, but I’m glad I have the kitchen, it’s a space that makes you naturally want to learn, it’s not about egos here or who knows the most, it’s about being better with each passing day, as a team!”

Photo by @vill237

Reporting in from kitchens in Barquisimeto Lara, Venezuela!