We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anisa Mejia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Anisa , thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

You never really know how to start, you just have to start. Trust it will work out. Nana’s was a created from a place with a lot of faith, love and vision. Just a FYI Nanas is a family owned (Nana-daughter & Pops-father) grab n go restaurant (with seating in the backyard).

There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that when into putting this place together. My dad and I + a few beautiful people put their hands & time & energy into Nana’s. From painting, planting, building, etc. Most times I/we didn’t know what we were doing LOL but I promise you I tried my best and saw all the How to YouTube videos.
Truly, it took a year to get paperwork & remodeling done. Mainly because we were learning what needed to be done with little to no guidance/direction just trust.

I was doing meal prep as my way of making income & creating time to be at the restaurant building, while also being a mother and driving back and forth an hour each way. My dad was busy on tour (production manager) flying in when he had breaks to build while also funding. It was a lot of pressure for my dad and myself but we got it done and are still learning- always a student

We took the risk because my dad and I both saw a vision and wanted to build a foundation for our family. We operate to serve community Delicious and Healthy Nourishment, with Whole Foods, and lots to love and healing intentions. With an aim to have a safe space, where people can enjoy each other company, coexist and have a great time/feel the love (:
I am elated we took this risk and I feel purposed to be able to nourish community in all ways, especially the youth!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Anisa Mejia, I am of Dominican Descent, born in NYC, moved to FL in the 6th grade and haven’t left since. I have been cooking since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved it. I grew up watching my Dominican grandmas cook all the time. They would make everything from scratch and a lot of the recipes were things that were passed down. I also grew up in NY & NJ (Washington Heights & Edgewater) where there’s a large variety of food from different cultures because it’s truly a melting pot. So I would always try new restaurants with my family. I genuinely love food!

Growing up I would always make food for myself and family. My favorite thing to make was Italian food like pasta and lasagna. And in high school I would bring homemade lunch for all my friends and my bestfriend Ashely would bring the tablecloths & plates LOL

I didn’t take it serious til I got into college. I started by doing my first pop up at this spot in downtown Miami/ brickell selling loaded nachos and tacos. Through networking I met my good friend Chef Ari who introduced me to Chef Nardia. Nardia had her own private Chef company and within a few weeks I was hired as her assistant/ sous chef. And although I went to a culinary school, I went for business management. So this was like my college course/ learning. Forever grateful and thankful for the experiences with a Lovely Roots Gourmet.

I did meal prep in Miami, Ocala, Tampa and eventually Pennsylvania where I actually opened up my first restaurant with another partner. Pandemic hit and my dad insisted on opening up in Tampa (since our family was there). We found 1601 (Ybor Location)by luck, saw potential in the space and got to work. It took a little while to finish with remodeling and getting licensed/ inspected but we got it done.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

So my kitchen is a food truck that’s in the back of the restaurant. This was recent… I was burned by a grease fire & worked for 3 days thinking I was good when really I had to get surgery for my burns and sit in the hospital for a week while my dad and his girlfriend held down the fort. I was so nervous because I’m normally the one who does all the cooking but Jenny held it down and did such a great job with the food while my dad ran the register and smoothies. I’m so proud of them and grateful for them & Kim (shift leader) for keeping my business running while I was in the hospital. I got out Saturday (the day I got my staples removed) & went back to work that same day.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I would always create little video on insight of health benefits from foods, to herbs, to books. I would get on live and record myself making food and always post food online. I also did a lot of networking when I was doing markets and events selling food so I met a lot of people and got to nourish a lot of people as well.       

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @anisa.goods / @nanas_ybor
• Facebook: Nana’s Restaurant and Juice Bar
• Yelp: Nanas Restaurant and Juice Bar

Image Credits
@_jensentaylor @tbwdiscoverycenter