We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ulisses Souza. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ulisses below.

Ulisses , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Hard work, is the main key for you to be successful. In my area of the restaurant business, in order for you to have success, you will need to be better than your competition. There are many businesses around, so you have to be good at what you do, be persistent, and be willing to always learning.

Ulisses , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Ulisses Souza and I’m the head chef and partner of El Balcon De Las Americas. I have been in the restaurant business since I was 15 and still in high school. I worked in a Latin restaurant where my passion for the food business began. I started working as a dishwasher, and since the line cooks would spend more time outside of the kitchen smoking than making the orders, they decided to teach me how to cook.
At the same time my passion for the whole restaurant business began, I started as a bus boy and later as a server when I didn’t have to work in the kitchen. When I was 17 I knew how to do pretty much anything you could imagine in the restaurant business, including washing dishes to serving tables, to doing the food cost for plates.
As my passion grew, I knew that I wanted to continue working in the food business in the future. I worked at the same restaurant for 8 years and the owner, who taught me a lot, decided to open a new place and make it a franchise. I was promised a 20% partnership once we had the first Restaurant opened, but sadly things didn’t go well and due to the huge crises of 2008, the restaurant closed down.
The new restaurant closed down and I went back to work at the same restaurant I used to work at. In 2011, this place closed down as well.

I now had to look for a new job. Fortunately, some of the servers that used to work with me told me they were working at a new place. I decided to come by and apply for a job as a server, but the owner told me he wasn’t looking for servers but that he needed a cook, and since he knew I was a Chef he said I could join his crew as a cook, and I could start the upcoming week!

A week later I was there for my first day on the job. Everything went smoothly and 8 years later I am still there, now as a partner. They gave me the opportunity to grown with them and do what I love the most, which is to live out my passion in this Wonderfull business called Restaurant!

Our restaurant has been in the market since 1997 and is considered to be the number 1 Colombian Cuisine in South Florida.
Recently, we have reached the incredible number of 50 Million empanadas sold since its opening.

I often work as a personal chef for Brazilian celebrities. I enjoy exploring the fusion of creating something that feels like home while being taken to another level is something I want everyone to experience.

Chilacos Tacos is a new project that I have being working on it.

Authentic Mexican street food focuses on value and variety. It should surprise people with its flavor profile while offering wholesomeness and unique combinations that might not seem like they go together at first glance. The combination of spices, and dish approaches creates intriguing bites that make everyone want to return for another.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source is by word of mouth because when a customer leaves happy he/she will definitely come back, and they will talk good about the experience they had with us. We have being using social media lately as a source for new customers as well, for example on instagram: we have a team in charge of all our posts/pictures/local ads.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Dishwasher is an entry level position and I had the opportunity to start in the restaurant business in this way . I was 15 when I started washing dishes. I would wake up at 6:15 am to get ready for high school, and then I would get home around 3:45 and at 4:30 I would be at the restaurant until closing.
I started working as a dishwasher, and worked my way up to become a chef/restaurant owner .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ulissessouza.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef_ubs
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ulisses-souza-168b0692/
• Other: https://elbalcondelasamericas.com https://chilacostacos.com

Image Credits
all photos Roger Silva