Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolina Gomez.
Hi Carolina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a first generation Colombian- American. My parents are Colombian-born Immigrant small business owners. I was born and raised in Washington DC and have worked in the restaurant industry in DC for 16 years. I began my career at Restaurant Nora, America’s first certified organic restaurant, I then moved on to working at other restaurants that supported the farm to table movement in DC and New York City.
After graduating from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York I came back to DC and opened my first meat curing facility and delicatessen. Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen was a unique business on Georgia Avenue in Washington DC where we cured and aged local farm-raised meats. Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen was a beloved neighborhood deli that also focused on wholesale distribution, catering and special event sales, and taught specialized butchery and culinary classes.
I owned and operated Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen for six years and sold the concept in July of 2017.
I then became Executive Chef of MK Catering Inc. one of the largest corporate catering companies in Washington DC, where I managed events for Congress, Large Corporations, and catered special events for many exclusive clients including the first lady of the United States.
I then became a Corporate Chef Consultant for recipe development and innovation at Gourmet Kitchen Inc. – the largest hors oeuvre manufacturing and distribution company in the Country but was furloughed because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
I continue to work with those companies and am now a consultant for multiple businesses in the food and hospitality industry including the DCSBDC at Howard University and the business program at The Carlos Rosario Public Charter School.
I started FoodBizMentor.com six years ago with a dream to be a support system for business owners. Being a small business owner is hard enough, and on top of that- the restaurant industry is one of the most difficult industries. The rate of failure is astoundingly high, and I want every business owner to know that they are never alone. There are free resources for every small business owner in the United States. There are government funded programs to help support the entrepreneur. I work to connect restaurant owners with those resources. I also work to provide affordable prices for the resources and support that business owners need to pay for. This provides a better price for the business owner, and a side hustle for the talented chef that is seeking an opportunity to work from home or take on an extra project that will help expand their portfolio.
The logo for FoodBizMentor.com is a Phoenix. Because every chef and every business owner needs to have the ability to rise from the ashes. There are many difficult times, but there is always the ability to get yourself back up as long as you have the fire and the drive to work for your goal. You will need mentors to coach you through, and hopefully, you will choose Foodbizmentor.com to make that lasting connection.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. I have had the blessing of being provided with opportunities that I have needed to identify and work to achieve. It has been hard work, and I have had to stay motivated through many difficult life challenges along the way.
The biggest challenges for me have been emotional. I opened Straw Stick & Brick Delicatessen when I was only 20 years old. I had the business education background, and I had a lot of experience- but I really took a big leap at a very young age out of ignorance. I have always been a dreamer and I have always had the tendency to bite off more than I could chew. That has definitely paid off for me in business. I was the operations manager at Straw Stick & Brick delicatessen, and my partner was responsible for food operations. It was a tumultuous partnership that caused a lot of struggle as I developed the business.
On top of that, my father had a heart collapse my second year into that business, and then a heart transplant. So I had to learn to delegate effectively very quickly as we grew the business at an astounding rate.
All those challenges made me feel alone. That loneliness made me turn to podcasts, mentors, and professors from my past who would fill that void for me because they took the time to help give me their professional advice. Because they had been through it and they wanted to help me navigate those extremely challenging situations as I grew my business.
Eventually, I had faced enough challenges that I felt that I could navigate any situation that was thrown my way. I also learned an extremely important lesson: you do not know what you do not know. No one is successful on their own. You need to have good people around you with aligning values that will help you reach your goals.
We’ve been impressed with FoodBizMentor.com, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
AT FOODBIZMENTOR.COM OUR GOAL IS TO HELP YOUR FOOD BUSINESS GROW.
In business, sometimes it’s hard to go at it alone. Think of FoodBizMentor.com as a business resource for developing food companies.
I created this company as a resource for food business owners and chefs to access the support they need on an as-needed basis. I am born and raised in Washington DC and a first generation Colombian- American. It is important to me to provide resources and opportunities to all business owners- in English and in Spanish, so that they gain a well-rounded understanding of important food business concepts.
Business owners work hard every day to meet their customers’ needs and anticipate what they’ll want in the future. They learn to listen carefully, attend to their market, and watch their cash flow. They give their employees the best training that inspires loyalty. So, what’s next?
Food Biz Mentor is a provider of organizational problem-solving.
I help business owners think about their business as a chef and development mentor. A delicious menu and great customer service need to make financial sense. My objective is to build on the considerable strengths of each business to ensure they are successful and have the ongoing business support they will need.
How do you think about luck?
This is a complex question that I have never been able to answer clearly. I believe in opportunity. I have had the blessing of being able to identify opportunities. I am a glass half full outlook kind of person. My natural defense mechanism is to twist negative situations into a positive perspective. Some people call this “faith” or the believing that everything happens for a reason. My mother always taught me: “Dios escribe recto con lineas torcidas” this translates to- “God writes straight with crooked lines”. This means that your personal story is perfect no matter how difficult it gets. This is a Colombian saying, and it’s reflective of the tumultuous conditions in which she grew up. I have met amazing people in my life that had every single resource at their disposal that they could use to build an amazing life, but I have seen them squander opportunities and resources. Luck is nonexistent in my vocabulary. I guess what some people call luck, I call “a blessing”.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.FoodBizMentor.com
- Instagram: @foodbizmentor
- Facebook: @foodbizmentor
