We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christian Saber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christian below.
Christian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?
I believe that success is achieved when you have a dream and you go for it. You are constantly making sure that you are not motivated by greed or pride or fame, but rather passion and a desire to do something really well. Success is enjoyed when you are able to prioritize what matters most in your life and take care of your family and community in the process.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was born and raised in argentina and the raised soaking in the smell of the Argentine bbq. I learned the art of asado from family before studying to be a professional chef at the renowned Gato Dumas institute. My passion grew for creating dishes that bring out the flavors of the natural ingredients.
In 2006, I met my wife, a Colorado native, while working seasonally in several restaurants in Breckenridge, CO. We lived Buenos Aires for several years. I continued to cook, while my wife soaked in as much of the culture and flavors as possible. With the arrival of our first son, we settled in Boulder, CO and the dream of Rincon Argentino began. After working many odd jobs and cooking for friends, we found the perfect “rinconcito” (little corner) to bring the culture and culinary traditions of Buenos Aires to the base of the foothills. Rincon Argentino was born on the corner of Folsom and Arapahoe on October 13th, 2012, shortly after the birth of their 2nd son.
Rincon was a labor of love from the first day. We woke early each morning to make each empanada by hand and stayed to clean the last table. The first few months were exhausting and exciting all at once. Customers lined up out the door on our first day. Since then, Rincon has become somewhat of a gem in Boulder. It is a place where people can gather and sip a mate with a view of the flatirons, listen to music from argentina, watch a futbol match, and enjoy delicious and authentic food. It is a place you keep coming back to over and over again. We love watching our customers fall in love, get married, change jobs, find new hobbies, and have children while making our empanadas a part of their story.
In Argentina, when you invite someone into your home, you are inviting them into a friendship of trust and care. That is how you will feel at Rincon Argentino where the food is prepared with great care, flavor and love.
Buen Provecho!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When we opened our doors we had two small children and had sold our townhome to start the restaurant. We had exactly $14 left in our account. We had no idea how we were going to pay the rent or the next food order. Miraculously people had watched our sign go up and were lined outside the door when we opened. We sold out of everything. We worked all night to replenish for the next day, but our account was also replenished. We got busier and busier every day. We worked day and night until there was enough of a cushion to hire a full staff. We took our first day off after two months and we couldn’t believe we made it happen.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
It is known that the turnover in the restaurant industry is high. It is hard work. I think the industry average is 90 days. Our turnover average is 2 years and half our staff has been with us over 5 years. We care about the people we work with and we work with them, side by side.
Contact Info:
- Website: rinconargentinoboulder.com
- Instagram: rinconargentinoboulder
- Facebook: rinconargentinoboulder