Ciji Castro, the founder of Domestic Gourmet, joins us on the Walk-In Talk Podcast to explore the profound significance of culinary heritage and its impact on contemporary cuisine. This episode centers around her exquisite dish, Bistec Empanizado, which embodies not only the flavors of her cultural roots but also the essence of family legacy and connection. Ciji passionately discusses her mission to preserve Latin food traditions and share them with a broader audience, emphasizing the importance of family recipes passed down through generations. She elaborates on the creative fusion of flavors she employs, including a unique Cuban-Chinese twist, which further exemplifies the rich tapestry of cultural influences in her cooking. Our conversation delves into the role of food as a bridge between tradition and modernity, demonstrating how culinary practices can unite diverse communities and foster a deeper understanding of heritage.

Thanks to Crab Island Seafood and Del Encanto Foods for supplying and supporting our show!

Link to our article from Executive Tradeshow Magazine:

Podcast Generating Buzz for Restaurant Events’ Shows

Takeaways:

• Ciji Castro emphasizes the importance of preserving Latin food traditions through her culinary endeavors.
• The dish Bistec Empanizado represents a fusion of family recipes and innovative flavors, showcasing cultural heritage.
• In the podcast, Ciji discusses how her upbringing influences her commitment to sharing authentic recipes with new audiences.
• Cultural representation in food is vital, as it fosters connections and understanding across diverse communities.
• Ciji's black bean recipe, a cherished family legacy, has gained recognition as a leading Spanish language result on Google.
• The conversation highlights how food and music serve as powerful unifying forces in bridging cultural gaps.

Crab Island Seafood Company | Seafood Spreads

Del Encanto Foods

Mentioned in this episode:

RAK Porcelain USA -Tableware

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Aussie Select - Fully cooked, premium Australian lamb

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Metro Foodservice Solutions

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Citrus America

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You've just stepped inside the Walk and Talk podcast, number one in the nation for food lovers, chefs, and storytellers. I'm Carl Fiadini, your host, shining a light on the flavor, the hustle, and the heart of the industry.

We're the official podcast for the New York, California, and Florida restaurant shows, the Pizza Tomorrow Summit, the US Culinary Open at nafemm, and the North American media platform for the Burnt Chef project, recorded at Ibis Images Studios, where food photography comes alive and I get the first bite.

Find out more info@the walkandtalk.com today on the Walk and Talk podcast, we welcome back CG Castro, founder of Domestic Gourmet, recently featured in Forbes. CG is on a mission to keep Latin food traditions alive while sharing them with new audiences.

She's cooking up the steak empanizado with black beans, rice, and maduros and a Cuban Chinese fusion tostone topped with sofrito, mayo, ketchup, and a crab rangoon dip. From family rooted recipes to bold new flavors, CG reminds us that food is culture, connection, and legacy. Cg, welcome to the program.

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

I don't know what to do right now. I am. I've never been so content and full, and I want to go to sleep right now. I am. I'm in a good state of mind.

That's family meal.

I probably shouldn't drive. Yeah. No. True story. I shouldn't get in the car and drive right now, but I have to tell you. Wow.

Thank you.

Yes. The bistega. Oh, my gosh.

Yeah. It's a favorite.

No, listen to me. Oh, my gosh. It was so good. The rice, the beans. Oh, my. Everything. Thank you. Okay. All right. Let me not get ahead of myself.

First things first, we used a couple of vendor partner products. We used Chef Nelson Millan's Del Encanto Foods product. It's the frozen sofrito, which was fantastic. We got to actually use it in house.

First time Chef's kiss like that. Tom and Chef Carl over at Crab Island Seafood used that product as well, the crab rangoon. And I am going to let CG jump into what we did today.

What she did today, we were just blessed to be here for. Man, you are awesome. Take it away.

Thank you.

I was really excited to use Chef Milan Sofrito because we follow each other on Instagram and as one, Latin foods, you know, CPG brands, you know, knowing another, it's important for me to support one another, and it looks like a great product. So I've been Dying to try it. And today I used it in both of my dishes, and it was awesome. And then, wait, though.

You're not going to get on the hook like that. Talk about the dish.

Sorry. So I made the vite empanizado with black beans. White rice, which is ripe plantains, is a breaded and fried very thin cut steak.

And I paired it with a salad that was just simply tomatoes, avocados, red onions, lime juice, salt, and annatto oil. I think that's it for the first time.

Yes, Obviously, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month here at Walk and Talk Media and how glorious it is. Dish two.

Dish two is so much fun. I love being inspired to just be creative and play in the kitchen.

And I was inspired by a visit to a restaurant in Bryant Park, New York City, called Gaia Dao, which is a Chinese Cuban restaurant. And so when I looked at Crab Island Seafoods, Crab rangoon dip, I knew that that's the one I wanted to play with.

And so I prepared it very simply, keeping it the star on top of tostones, which are unripened plantains, which are a saltier version of the cooked banana. They're not sweet at all. I topped it with my own version of a mayo gachu, which is mayo and ketchup, a very popular condiment in Latin America.

And I added some of Chef Milan's sofrito to that, some garlic, annatto oil, and just a lot of love, and it was awesome. So we topped that with the crab rangoon dip and some lime zest, because they also have lime in their recipe as well. So I wanted to highlight that.

And a beautiful little sprinkle of sazon and cilantro. Now, the sazon is mine, and. And that's part of some more fun stuff coming up for Domestic Gourmet.

All right, so listen, that the. The crab rangoon with the tostoni muy fuego. Wow. Fire. You know what? What? A lot of people don't know. I'm sure. I'm certain of it, because I didn't know.

I mean, my in laws are Cuban, and I hear a lot of stories, and they're terrific stories. There's a giant Chinese population in Cuba, has always been. It's been there for a long time. You did some research on that.

This is stuff you've known that you grew up knowing this stuff.

I did. You know, I was always surrounded by that. I have some cousins that are half Chinese, but. And, you know, but I never thought about it.

And it wasn't until that visit to that Chinese Cuban restaurant a few years ago that I learned.

But, you know, growing up, like, every Nocha Buena, which is Christmas Eve, you know, we roast a whole pig in what's called a kajachina, which is a Chinese box, and you can rent them. And it's like you put coal on the bottom and you put the pig inside.

And, you know, so there are so many parallels between the Chinese culture and the Cuban culture, and it was just second, like, language. And you never. I never stopped to think, why is that? Until I went to that restaurant.

And today, like, that dish that we created is totally going on the website. Like, I'm going to serve that again and again and again because it was incredible.

I'll connect you with Chef Carl and Tom over there, and you guys just, you know, be friends, hit it off. And, yeah, definitely do beautiful things together.

Yeah, they really do. Like, I mean, we were eating it just by the spoonful, just by itself, which.

But I think it's important because, you know, when you hear crab dip, there's so many of them, and some of them can be a little fishy, or some of them can fall a little flat, but this was just so clean, vibrant, and flavorful that, like, I want to see all the different ways I can play with it. Really, truly.

Be careful what you say on this program. My doctor might be listening, and I'm not supposed to be eating all this stuff. Okay, Wink, wink, nod. You know what I'm saying? I know.

You know what I'm saying.

Before we go further, and we have all sorts of good storytelling to do with you today, I want to thank Matty Riley over at the trade show Executive Magazine for covering Walk and Talk Media and Restaurant Events llc. That is the focus, folks who put on the New York Restaurant Show, Florida Restaurant Show, California Restaurant show, and the Pizza Tomorrow Summit.

Yeah, we had an article in this very prestigious. It really is. It's a real magazine. It's a terrific piece. I'm going to link that into in our description for this particular episode.

Go check it out, share it. Like, it. All that kind of good stuff. Speaking of magazines, Forbes, cg. Yeah, bro. Like, come on, you were in Forbes, man, that's. Congratulations.

That's pretty amazing.

Thank you. When I saw that, to tell you that, it broke me. It is an understatement.

It was one of those moments that I dreamt about and I never ever thought would happen for me. When I saw that, it was just validation that everything I've worked so hard for is what people want, it's what people show up for.

And I'm doing important work that I think is important, you know, because a lot of what I share are recipes that are passed down orally.

And, you know, it's important for me as a first generation Cuban, Puerto Rican American to preserve these because my children are growing up further from the culture than I was. Where I grew up, a lot of my family didn't speak English and they're growing up where a lot of people don't speak Spanish.

And it's important for me that they know where they come from and they can make the foods that they grew up eating, because when I came of age, I didn't know how to make them. You know, being in Forbes was just that validation and it was incredible.

National credibility is huge. Right.

Because yeah, you're, you've, you've gotten yourself to a point where you, you're an executive chef and you started your company, you're an entrepreneur, you're a founder, you're all these, like, you're all these tag words, you know, that are, that are very hot.

Yeah.

Right. That is amazing. And you should be, you know, super proud of yourself.

Thank you.

Especially in the onset of this Hispanic Heritage Month. I think that's a terrific dart right in the dead center.

Absolutely. You know, it was an article for Father's Day and it was an article on how to celebrate Father's Day for that for dads that have wanderlust.

And, you know, it was a piece on Puerto Rico and they incorporated my annatto oil.

And as the first person to bring organic, high quality annatto oil to market, to say that was an honor and a privilege would just be an understatement.

We've talked about this a bunch. I know you're busy typically, and you're super busy now. Your schedule's packed. How do you decide which events to say yes to?

The next event that I'm doing is called the Onimos Festival, and it's with the folks over at the stageworks Theater. It's their inaugural festival for Hispanic heritage.

And, you know, the reason why I made a choice to join them on that is because, you know, you're married to a Cuban woman. So you know that within our own Latin cultures, there are. I don't know how to say it. Like. So I'm Cuban in Puerto Rican. My husband's Puerto Rican.

And we pick on each other for things, right? We can be divided amongst ourselves.

And so what I really love about this festival is the unimos is about, you know, uniting all the Latin cultures and to come together for that purpose. And that is a cause I can get behind, especially because now, like, you know, I don't.

We don't like, rag on each other anymore because we've got kids and they're listening, and I want them to be proud of both of their sides.

I mean, look, the truth is, you know, I'm from Miami. I grew up with all, like, the whole spectrum of Latins around, and I know from being friends with all of these different people, man, it gets rough.

It does. It can get heated.

Yeah. Cubans against Dominicans and Dominicans against Puerto Ricans and Puerto Ricans against, you know, Venezuelans and Mexicans against. This one's.

Oh, my God. I've never seen anything like that in my life.

I used to get in the middle of all that stuff, you know, as a kid, teenager growing up, and it's like you learn. You learn that this one and that one, they get along, but not really. But then they do.

But then we're all married to each other. Like, we can't resist each other.

And then we all leave each other's food and it's wonderful.

Yes. Yeah, absolutely.

The great uniter is always the food.

The food and the music, you know, and so that's why it was important for me to hop on that Unimus festival that's on September 25th at Stageworks Theater in downtown Tampa.

And then the, you know, there's lots of little things I'm doing, you know, throughout the month, but I am ending the month with a huge, huge, maybe a little too huge of a bang with La Bomba y La Plena festival. So for those of you who don't know what bomba is, this is a Puerto Rican festival, and there it will be about 8 to 10,000 people in attendance.

So to say that I have a lot of work to prepare for would again be another understatement. So bomba is one of the island's oldest art forms. It derives from the African slaves. It's a call and response dance and music.

So it's really cool because the dancers dance and then the drums and the percussion try. Try to keep up and keep the rhythm going. So they follow. Instead of like the dancer following the music, the music is following the dancer.

And it's just a gorgeous. I don't know, it's just something really gorgeous to witness. I love it. And then La plana is actually again, very percussion.

And that was the sung newspaper. So that is, you know, those are stories that are being told through music. And it's still incredibly popular.

You know, Badaboni brought a whole bomba and plana to his residency. And, you know, so that's. With this festival, there's going to be music, there's going to be food, and there's going to be domestic gourmet.

You know, when I go on the road and I become a Latin singer, I'm going to take on the name bad bomba. That's where I'm going.

So the reason why, you know, I'm getting so involved this Hispanic Heritage Month is because cultural representation is important to me and I want to not only connect more with my community, but I think it's important for my own kids to walk away with their bellies full and, you know, of good food and their hearts full of good music. And it just brings people together. Music and food brings people together. It doesn't matter what culture you are.

I feel like that's the one thing that can unite us all.

I am with you on that 100 and all day.

That was our day. That was our day today. We had the music going all day. We had the food going all day.

How was the music today too, right?

It was awesome.

We were vibing today.

Yeah. John picked a killer playlist.

He did.

He did.

He doesn't talk. He doesn't say two words. But he.

No, but he knows how to dj. I was very happy at this event.

What are your duties? What are you doing at the event?

I'm a vendor. So one of the really cool things that that is happening for domestic gourmet is we're expanding by two SKUs.

So as you saw today, I have the adobo and the sazon, and that is something that I will be debuting as well as some holiday gift boxing.

The beste ebenezado, black beans and the maduros. That dish, that's something personal to you?

It is 100%.

Why?

Gosh, it incorporates all the people that I love and it is my favorite food. It's my comfort food. The black beans is really where I started. You know, my great aunt taught me that recipe and I have not altered it. It is a gift.

You Know, it's special to me because, you know, she was the one person who would teach me when no one else would. And so, you know, I am very proud of that.

And I wanted to share that today with you guys, especially because, you know, it's Hispanic heritage, and it's like, this is my heritage. This is a part of me. This is where I come from. And when I go home, you know, to Miami to see my family, like, this is my meal.

This is what I choose to order and what I love to eat.

The dish itself, rack, plate, warehouse. You know, the way John, you know, puts these, puts the set together for photography. You were cooking. It was gorgeous. It really was beautiful.

But let me tell you, today we actually got a chance to sit down and do sort of family meal. There was a lot of food that CG cooked. We ate it on paper plates, and that was really nice. It's special.

It is special.

And it's comfort food.

It is. And this is how I show people that I care about them. Like, you know, I care about you guys. I love being here and I love sharing where I come from.

And I love nothing more than family dinner. It is sacred to me, and it is one that I will be home in time for with my kids being around the table and just stopping. How busy are we?

Like, at what time did you start packing up the car with all your gear? Because I know I started at 6 o' clock this morning and I didn't stop till 11 o' clock last night. We go, go, go.

And one thing that is sacred and will always be sacred is the one hour that I can sit around a table, have, you know, a good conversation and a delicious meal.

Well, John will tell you, I'll confirm because, you know, we'd have the same sort of pregame to all of this production. I'm doing stuff. I've probably got five hours into the pregame before production starts, before you show up.

I have five hours in on different from different days prior. Then, of course, there's. There's packing, loading, unpacking, setting up. You know, it's an hour and a half job just for that.

Then, of course, we're gonna spend five hours doing what we're doing here. But we're doing a lot. Six today. But we're doing a lot of content creation. Right? There's absolutely two videos, two tons of photos, tons of photos.

Storytelling the podcast.

It's the dancing, the snapping. Well, yeah, I mean, the joking around.

That's not work. That's fun, you know. Well, it's all fun, really. It's.

Honestly, this is, this is a terrific platform to be expressive and creative and to enjoy, really get to enjoy the fruits of the labor, 100%.

You know, you guys are great teammates, and I feel like we all have, you know, a shared common passion for what we do, and it really, when we come together, magic happens. Truly. And I don't say that lightly.

I have been in this business, or in show business or whatever you want to call it, for five years and it has never been so smooth, so professional, and just so much fun. I have so much fun. It's a lot of work coming. It's a lot of work preparing.

Anytime I film, I don't care where it is, it is so much prep that goes into this because you're squeezing it into your regular, you know, work life and, and for me, you know, mom life.

But every time I come, I'm so thankful that I make the sacrifice to be here because magic happens and, and I can't wait to, to see what you guys create. And then that turns around and inspires me to create more from it.

Mic drop. We're done. We're out of here. This is a wrap.

All done. Goodbye.

That's it. Thank you for saying that.

I mean it.

And, well, sincerely, no, thank you. We're blessed. That's all I can say. So another interesting occurrence for you.

You've said your black bean recipe is now the number one Spanish language result on Google, which I think is incredible. How does that milestone tie back to family legacy and the lessons from your great aunt?

You know, it is a full circle moment. You know, it's taken a lot of work to fully translate my entire website, which I have done it myself.

And so the fact that Google is not only registered that, but that it's resonating with a brand new audience. So now if you Google Frijole Negro Cubano, it is my tia's recipe as number one to come up.

And, you know, I hope when she, you know, hears this, she is so proud because it's a killer recipe. And, you know, so funny story how this all happened.

I was dating Miguel and so when I first met Miguel, I don't really know how to cook because my mom was OCD clean, didn't let me in the kitchen. So, you know, but my grandmother was a really good cook and all the women in my family could cook except, you know, me. I didn't know.

I didn't know the Cuban recipes right, and. But nobody would teach me. My grandmother did not want to teach me.

And so, you know, Miguel was like, listen, he's like, you learn how to make black beans. And he's like, I'll put a ring on your finger. I kid you not. I had a little red bug convertible.

I hopped in that car and I took off for a week, and I went to my Thea's house, and I said, thea, you have to teach me how to make black beans, because I'm going to get married to Miguel. I'm not joking. I swear I'm not joking. Like, if I could have been a walking emoji. The heart eyes. Oh, I was so smitten. And I still am.

So anyway, so I go to Miami, and she spends a day teaching me how to make her black beans. And I'm taking the video and I'm learning, and. And then, you know, the next day, she teaches me how to make, like.

And she's talking about the foundation of our food. Like, what is the Cuban sofrito? Which is different from the Puerto Rican sofrito. Right. You know, Cubans use cumin. Puerto Ricans don't.

You know, And I'll never forget, like, you know, it was like a crash course in my house. And I drove back, and that night, I made him. I don't know what else I made with the black beans and rice.

It could have been B10 Panisado, I don't know. But I know that I saw him take that bite, and I looked him in the eyes, and I wiggled my finger in his face and I said, size seven.

So, you know, this dish is, like, it's. You know, it has so many amazing, amazing memories attached to it. And then also, you know, like, this. This is her legacy.

You know, she passed it down to me. I've passed it down to my kids. Like, this is one of those. First of all, my kids are so fortunate to have their great great aunt. Think about that.

Like, how many of us have a great great aunt? You know, they have her in their lives. They're tasting her food and.

And how many people can say that, you know, their recipe is going to live on for generations to come and forget generations to come. Her recipe is global. Like, I have seen people from all over the world look at this site and scroll through this page and make her black beans.

From Africa to India to London. I'm. When I tell you, all over the world. That's incredible.

It's beautiful. And, you know, so is the CG Castro culinary love story of how you got married.

Yeah.

You roped him.

I did well, he was gonna marry me anyway.

But you know what?

It's the food that helps.

It's always. There's other important things in there too. But honestly, like, you know, if, if the men are doing what they're supposed to do, it's the food.

The food brings you in, you know, all the other stuff and all the other things important, but the food keeps them there, keeps them in.

You know, those, My, my, my. Thea taught me those lessons too when I was at her house. She's like, men only need three things. Food, bleep and sleep. Okay?

And don't forget to wear colonia and perfume to bed every night. And that's been the secret to our success almost 20 years later.

This is where I would say food as a cultural ambassador is a big theme for you. How do you see domestic gourmet bridging the gap between tradition and modern American audiences?

By aligning myself with like minded individuals like you guys, like Walk and Talk media. You know, I am passionate about sharing, you know, oral history and I become this storyteller.

I just, I've always loved to write and tell stories and by, you know, partnering with guys like you, you allow me to do that on a broader scale. And so now what we're doing is we're preserving this history that was once oral digitally and making it live on.

And that's how, you know, we bridge that gap.

What you're also doing is you're connecting heritage to other cultures, meaning your Latin heritage to others that are here in the States and beyond.

You know, there's a lot of similarities between us. You know, even me being Cuban and Puerto Rican, there's differences, but there's similarities in the way that we cook.

And some of the ingredients I use sound completely foreign to people. So, like annatto oil, right?

I've, you know, here in, you know, the mainland, in the States, people, a lot of people that aren't Puerto Rican or Dominican are like, what is that? But yet on Tick Tock, I see everyone using Sasson and oil. Like you, you use olive oil, avocado oil, doesn't matter what kind of oil you use to cook.

But literally, this is an all in one. You know, it's just educating and letting people know, like, hey, you know, I have made this convenient for you. It's fresh, it's ready to go.

And, you know, that is one of the ways that I, I bridge the gap between, you know, even Latin cultures. So, you know, what I wanted to kind of go back to was our last episode where we Made pastelis. Right. Okay. It's not.

It is such an ancestral, rustic dish that, you know, might not appeal to a lot of people, but what we created here and John's images, I mean, way to go, right? It. By creating the work that we do, it'll make people maybe stop in their tracks and be like, what is that? And now you've just opened up a dialogue.

You know, what's in it? What does it taste like? You know, you've piqued a curiosity that makes people want to know more.

Just like it happened to me when I went to that restaurant and had Chinese and Cuban food.

You know, by telling the stories and showing the imagery that you guys create, you know, that's also another way that we are preserving and bridging these gaps is, you know, through food. I mean, unfortunately, it didn't happen today with my mayo cacho, you know, which is absolutely delicious.

But there is someone in studio who refuses to try anything with mayonnaise, no matter how gorgeous it is.

And we know that that is the John Hernandez. And by the way, my okay, chew is ketchup and mayo.

Yeah, it's a very popular condiment in Latin America.

It's popular here, too. We dip our French fries in it. You know, except for this guy over here. But, you know, whatever. We can't judge. This is a judgment free zone.

We can't judge. But also a little.

I mean. Oh, no, there's definitely, like, behind the scenes, major judging on this guy. Major.

Just taste it. Just. Just a little bit.

Just because you can't pronounce it properly doesn't mean that it isn't delicious. That's what people who aren't accustomed to Latin food should take away from this episode. It might be hard to say.

You may not know what it is, but that doesn't mean it. You just wouldn't eat the hell out of it. Explore. And this is the time to do it. With your new spice line and the Queen of Noche Buena gift boxes.

How are you balancing authenticity and innovation?

Well, in regards to being innovative, you know, I have worked on this spice packaging for over a year. You know, sustainability is like a hot topic keyword here, but it's a way of life in other countries.

You know, it's not something that people choose to do. You know, here you have a choice.

You can be sustainable or you could be wasteful, you know, but in other countries, you have no choice but to be sustainable. You know, I've spent a lot of time in Puerto Rico this year, and there's thought behind everything, there's no.

You don't just turn on the water in the shower and wait for it to get hot. Water is a precious resource. You, you know, you have ingredients you have to figure out, you know, how many different ways can you use them.

And so, you know, this is something that has just been instilled in me. My grandparents were like that. My mother is, you know, the queen of figuring out how to reuse something.

She is, like, one of the most sustainable people I know. And so in developing a spice line, my first thought was, all the waste. You know, what am I going to put my packaging in?

Think about how often you buy maybe something like garlic powder or Italian seasoning for you, right? And it's like, okay, well, I don't want to add more plastic to the ocean.

And, okay, people like glass, but glass is still going to take up space somewhere, right? So I had the thought of figuring out a way that I could make something that could be biodegradable.

Can't reuse it, but what if you can compost it at home or recycle the whole thing? If you don't compost or just throw it in your yard, and eventually it will, you know, go back to the earth the way it came.

And, you know, it took a lot of research and finding. First of all, if such a thing was even possible. And it turns out with the right people, anything is possible.

So I found a paper tube company out of Chicago and I called them, and all they did was, like, paper tubes, right? Tubes used for, like, teas or coffee or, you know, dog treats even.

And I'm like, okay, I want one for spices, but it also has to be, like, moisture resistant, right? Is there a way to do that? And it turns out there is.

It's called glassine liner, and it's made out of birchwood, you know, And I'm like, okay, that sounds fantastic, but I don't think I would buy, you know, a gourmet spice blend if I can't see it, right? I put a lot of time and effort into carefully dehydrating onions and garlic. And onions turn a beautiful light pink, right?

When you get them from the store, they're white, right? But that's not natural. Naturally, they turn. First they turn hot pink, which at first was really interesting.

But there's all these beautiful colors in my spices, and I wanted people to see that. So I'm like, hey, can we add a window? Like, is that possible?

You know, like, and then also make it so that, you know, it's still moisture proof, you know, and of course, the window is plastic, and you just peel it off and chuck it in your recycling. But, you know, with the right team behind me, this thing that I had in my mind that I wasn't even sure was possible was indeed possible.

This is why Miguel calls me the pit bull. Because when I get something in my mind, I cannot let it go until I have failed every which way. And then I'm like, okay, yeah, it doesn't work.

Dali, right? Yeah. So I'm looking at it like this. First of all, it's a brilliant idea, you know, and it's nice. I think it. It fits. Fits into the culture today.

So great vision on that. And then actually executing is terrific.

Thank you.

I mean, seeing that show up at my house and holding, because I just got the delivery last week, so I've got 3,000 tubes sitting in my dining room waiting to go to the kitchen.

Entrepreneurship is so hard.

It is.

It hurts, it stings, it's a struggle. It's like, wow, if I opened a drawer of my entrepreneurial moment now.

It.

Would be a horror story. But on the other side of it, there's so many amazing things that sprout, that grow and blossom, and I, you know, it's funny. Or is it funny?

I don't even know. You hear everybody who's made it, and they always say, it's the ride. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy getting there, the journey.

I don't know that I. I don't know that I believe that. I think you can only appreciate the journey, like, if you make it, really make it.

You know, that's when you can look back and go, yeah, I enjoyed the journey. Because if not, you're just getting all it is.

Being an entrepreneur is getting kicked in the belly, getting punched in the face, kicked in the belly, and then punched in the face again. That's what it is.

I think it depends on how you look at it. I am. I'm an optimist. And so for me, I don't know if I'll, you know, it's hard for me to fathom that I'll ever feel like I made it. Right.

Because I have always been extremely goal oriented. So when I achieve a goal, there's always one that will be born from achieving that goal. Right. So there's always something to work towards.

But when I have a goal and I'm motivated, I'm excited by it, and I do enjoy the ride. But that doesn't mean that, you know, there aren't days that I mean, in full transparency. Just yesterday I was crying and stressed out.

You know, I've got a sick kid at home. You know, I've got 3,000 tubes that need to be filled and I've got this huge festival with 10,000 people that I need to prepare for.

And unlike, like a little bit more than a month, like maybe five weeks, like, listen, I can be stretched thin. But then you know what?

I go to bed and I wake up and I'm like, okay, well, I didn't do everything on my to do list because I spent half the day the pediatrician's office, but I did enough to make it here today. And I will go to bed early and I will wake up and I will tackle it again tomorrow.

And I feel like that is what you have to do to do when you believe in yourself and forget believing in yourself. When you have invested in yourself, whether it's financially or publicly or however.

Like, if you want to make it on your own, that is what it's going to have to take. It's going to have to take grit. It's okay to cry, it's okay to break down. It's okay to question whether you even made the right choice.

Have your pity party, pull up your big girl panties and go to bed early and then wake up the next day and be like, okay, I'm going to try this again. And you keep doing that until you get to the next level.

You've mentioned that the Bad Bunny residency inspired restaurants to embrace ancestral foods. Other than us dancing all over the kitchen today, how do you see food and music working together to drive cultural shifts?

You know, I'm so glad that you asked this question because I've talked about it on some other episodes that I've been on. There is a generation that it was brought up with. I forget her name. Jenny Ortega.

She had done some movie and, you know, she was asked, I think it was a Spanish interview and she doesn't speak Spanish. And then there was this whole like no sabo kid thing came out.

And so we were talking about it because there is a generation here, they're first generation Americans, maybe they're second generation Americans and the culture is being lost.

Or maybe like me growing up, you know, my mother immigrated from Cuba at a young age and they experienced racism and hardships and my mom didn't want that for us. And so in our house, you know, we were raised to assimilate. You speak English and you're an American. And you know, and that's where I was pushed.

But on the same token, I was surrounded by my culture, and I wanted to know more. I wanted more of that. And so, you know, for me, I took it upon myself to.

To take Spanish in school, and I took it for six years, and I'm perfectly comfortable around, like, my friends and my family, but you put a camera in my face and I'm stuttering, and I sound like a year two Spanish student. And it's cringe. It is so cringe.

But I still take those interviews because at the end of the day, you know, my message, I want as many people to hear it, you know, and that's that you can pretty much do whatever you set your mind to.

But what I feel like Bad Bunny has done is he's taken maybe a little bit away that stigma of the no sabo kid and maybe kids who don't even speak Spanish. Maybe this album, which. The latest album was Demeteramas photos, which means I should have taken. I should have taken more photos, right?

We should always, like, maybe be more mindful, be more in the moment, you know, especially with your loved ones, you know, that was. It's a very, you know, emotional song. But, you know, maybe this was their first Spanish album they ever listened to.

I have seen so many tiktoks of people that were inspired to at least translate the album so that they understand what it was he was singing about, you know, to create a movement where people are moving back to the island in droves to reconnect with their ancestral lands and their culture and also kind of removing that stigma of, you know, okay, your Spanish isn't great.

But instead of, like, making fun of it, you know, embracing the fact that they're trying, because, you know, for me, I go to Miami and, like, my family will totally rag on my Spanish, you know, and, you know, but at the end of the day, like, they want me to speak Spanish. They want me, you know, and. And same for my kids. So, you know, that is something that I have seen and it is.

And being there for that, oh, my gosh, what's an incredible, incredible experience. And same to me, you know, it motivated me, you know, to come back.

And we are in the very beginning stages of figuring out how we can, you know, open some manufacturing over in Puerto Rico and.

And maybe even, you know, take our family there for, you know, parts of the year, maybe the summer, whatever, so that our kids can grow up around their culture. So that's one thing I think, you know, Bed Bunny has done has taken people back to wanting to explore their roots and Embrace where they come from.

So then what's your process for scaling your message and your food? You're going to be at an event that has 8,000 attendees and you're going to have your space there. How do you deal with that?

One of the things that I feel like is most important and pivotal to my success thus far, far has been my time management. I am very meticulous in, you know, what I choose to be a part of and where I put my time.

The ROI has to be there and it doesn't always have to be monetarily, although as a startup, that's always great too.

But, you know, strategic planning and, you know, making my calendar so that I am ready, I will schedule everything down to when I go grocery shopping, you know, so I know where I'm at, what I'm doing and if I can even get it done. And so, you know, by planning like that, I always seem to pull it off.

And also another thing that, you know, part of the meticulousness, it's not just time management, it's leveraging. You know, my Omni Channel, you know, Media friends, right? So here, right now, we're on Spotify, we're on Apple, we're on the radio waves, right?

We did our videos today and now I'm on tv, right? So I, I make sure that I'm everywhere. My message is getting out on tv, on radio, on, you know, I. On my social media.

I get about half a million views every month right now. So with a global audience, you just. I'm just leveraging. Not to mention the thousands that visit my website.

So, you know, I write about it there and then, you know, I send out the newsletter. My newsletter tells people where they can find me next. It's really just using every method of communication to really amplify the message.

So it's a monthly newsletter, right? So we just put one out for August. It got 17,000 impressions in a week, week and a half, something like that. It's crazy. 41% open rate. Unbelievable.

I'm shocked. I really am shocked because I think I was talking with you, John. Who reads anything anymore? I don't know.

Like, that was my thought, that was my opinion. Who the hell reads anything anymore, right? You're in that death scroll on your socials.

Who's stopping to pause to read anything anyway, it's shocking. So hats off to you on what you have going on. Half a million views a month is amazing.

But that's social media. It's exactly what you're talking about, the death scroll. You know, the fact of the matter is, is when you put it out everywhere, you will get.

I am that person that will wake up and will read through my email. You know, there are people that still read those newsletters and you know, I think you have forgotten.

Carl, let me remind you that you are the number one food podcast on Apple podcasts. Why would it be surprising to you that people would sign up for your. For your newsletter?

Like, and also why would you be surprised with 17,000 when you've get. We got millions of hits on your podcast? Like that's just. 17,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to your listeners.

I don't know. I don't know. I look at that and say, for me, I don't even know what to say to that. Yeah, cool. Thumbs up.

And also the LinkedIn audience likes to read.

I look at myself, right? And sometimes. So it's good. Sometimes you're your own barometer. You can really get a lot done with self awareness. Right.

But it's also a hindrance because I look at myself when it comes to stuff like that. I don't want to read another email. I am inundated with emails. I won't. Unless that, that headline, that subject box is screaming at me.

I'm not opening it unless I know I'm expecting it. Forget about it. It's like people who call and you don't know the number. I'm not answering that phone call. You're out of your mind.

Why are you calling me?

Because your car warranty expired.

Seriously, that is my point. And I feel like every email is the car warranty email. Right.

So when you're talking about like a newsletter to me, I thought it was going to be a garbage can, to be honest with you. And I saw quickly that it was. It wasn't it. It took on fairly quickly and I'm impressed. Not, not with John or me or whatever.

I'm not talking about that. I'm just, I'm shocked that it works, you know. Yeah. Because it isn't a digital creation per se. Right.

It is though. It's a form of it.

It is, but it's not. It's not to me. It's not to me. And maybe I'm going to.

Oh, hey, listen, by the way, this whole Podcast thing a few people years ago, said, hey, you should do a podcast. And I looked at him, I said, why would I want to do that? I'm doing videos. Why do I want to do a podcast for? That's stupid. I'm stupid. I didn't know.

I really didn't know. I started looking into it a little bit, and it's like, it was then three years ago, it was a $2 billion industry. And I'm like, wait a minute.

Let's pause.

Let's revisit that conversation.

Yeah, let's see what it is, right? So, you know, listen. You know, you might make good decisions here and there, but then you got to take your spoonful of humble pie, right?

So anyway, for me, it was kind of cool. I'm just. I'm happy that it worked out. Looking ahead, what's the legacy you want domestic gourmet to leave? Is it about flavor? Cultural preservation?

Entrepreneurship? All of the above.

All of the above and then some. You know, first of all, you know, domestic gourmet is rooted in family.

My very first logo is me, baby, wearing my youngest with, you know, my two girls on each side of me in the kitchen. That's how domestic gourmet started. That is still how domestic gourmet goes. So, you know, it is rooted in family.

And also, think about it like calling my tia and reaching out to family members, you know, to learn how to cook and put these flavors together. You know, that's the legacy. Reach out to your ancestors.

You know, if you have a grandmother or an aunt that makes a recipe that you really love, reach out to them and tell them you want that recipe. Because, you know, what? If you never do and they pass away, so does your favorite recipe. And then also, you know, entrepreneurship.

You know, I am a mom with three kids. This is my second career. I started late in life. And if I can do this, you know, you can do it too.

And it's literally figuring out what you don't know and then figuring out where you can learn what you need to know.

That was beautiful. Today was really beautiful.

Was I agree.

Done. Can I get a head shake? Right? Thumbs up, Head. Yeah. Okay. All right. There's two hands, right? Oh, man. You listen, we're gonna do this again real soon.

I don't know how soon. John or Carl. We're booked out, you and I. Yeah.

True story, but still soon, soon in our world.

All right.

How do people find you?

Domestic gourmet everywhere. I'm trademarked.

Sounds serious.

It is.

All right.

Trademark your stuff.

Trademark always trademark your stuff, John. I can't wait. I think we're gonna do the mistake image for the episode today. I think that's where we're gonna be.

I thought it was both beautiful, but I think that's the one. All right, listen, everybody. Follow along with all of the journeys that are going on here at Walk and Talk Media.

And let me just tell you this, we are out.