We were lucky to catch up with Ella Schmidt recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ella, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I always knew that I wanted to have my own restaurant.

I started cooking at a very young age, starting around age 7, when I was tasked with taking care of my younger siblings. My mother was always cooking for us, but when she wasn’t home, it was up to me to prepare meals for myself, my younger brother and sister. I never felt it was a chore, but rather a way to show my love for my siblings, the way my mother showed me love through her simple, yet delicious dishes. I grew up in Victoria Caldas, in the remote mountains of Colombia. It was a small little town, plagued with daily violence from the domestic wars and a place with little to no opportunity. We had very little in terms of means, but my mother always made sure we had roof over our heads, even if the floor was made of dirt. As a child growing up, it was normal for us to go to the river banks and play with frogs and steal avocados from neighbors’ trees, but equally normal to see dead bodies on the sides of roads. We grew up in a war torn country and even our remote mountain town was not immune to the deadly violence. It was a very scary place to be at times, especially witnessing such violence and destruction at such a young age, but to us, it was the way of life. We didn’t know anything else. It was at home where my mother would create a little haven, making us feel safe and showing us love through her delicious food.

At the age of 15, I was sent to Miami to visit my father for a week, but was never sent back to Victoria. I was devastated, scared and felt very alone. I didn’t speak any English then and was thousands of miles away from my mother. It was a very challenging and confusing time for me, so I began cooking to once again feel safe and feel close and connected to my mother and my hometown.

After high school, I moved to NY and began working in various kitchens throughout NYC. The work was hard and often grueling with long hours and little pay, but I fell further in love with cooking, despite the challenges. For me, cooking has always been more about love and connection, than anything else. I have had the privilege to learn from some of the most talented chefs in some of the most renowned kitchens in NYC, but I always knew that my goal was to have a place of my own where I could showcase food from my country and creations of my own imagination. So, after 15 plus years of working for other people, I committed to opening a restaurant of my own with my wife. We saved up as much money as we could and essentially boot strapped the operation, doing everything ourselves. We never had the safety net of any investors, so we knew that we had to make it work. We worked really hard for 8 months non stop, to get our place open, doing a lot of the buildout and all the design ourselves and refurbishing things like our bathroom door from the trash. But, the end result is that you can feel the love in the space. Everything that is there, every piece of art, photograph, piece of furniture has a back story of where we got it. And, fortunately, because I speak Spanish, many longtime locals in the neighborhood were willing to help. Bushwick has been a very welcoming neighborhood for us and I couldn’t imagine Maite, our restaurant, being anywhere else. Although its changing, the neighborhood is a predominantly Latin neighborhood and also very gay/queer with lots of young artists/creatives.

Being able to create food that is heavily influenced by my culture and flavors that I grew up with and then having it resonate with guests is one of my greatest accomplishments.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I grew up in a small mountain town of Colombia, Victoria Caldas. I began cooking for my siblings at the young age of 7, as often times my mom had to be away from home. While it was at times challenging to take on such responsibilities at a young age, I truly believe it was these obstacles that I faced that has shaped my work ethic and appreciation for every opportunity that I have. I loved caring for my siblings and I showed my love for them through food, much the same way that my mother did for me. I got into cooking and turned it into my profession because its a reminder to me of the love and safety that my mother provided to me during a violent war torn upbringing, given what was going on in Colombia at the time. I have always equated cooking and food with love and to this day, its my greatest joy to cook for others, especially those that I love and care for.

I can’t say that I solve any problems for people, but I do try to create dishes that bring people joy. I feel so lucky to be able to introduce people to dishes and flavors that are native to my home country of Colombia.

I am most proud of my ability to persevere and overcome challenges that come my way. When I was young living in Victoria, I would never have imagined that I would end up in NY, with a restaurant. But, I feel that through hard work, determination to never give up and of course some luck, it has come together. I feel so much love and appreciation for my hometown and for Colombia for shaping and influencing me.

I also feel very proud that Maite is a women, minority, queer/gay owned establishment. I feel proud that our restaurant is a place for all people to gather, eat delicious food/drink and feel safe while doing so.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

We are a very small restaurant, located off the beaten path in Bushwick, Brooklyn. When we first opened our doors, we didn’t have a budget for PR. We really had to grow the business organically and most of our guests came in through word of mouth. I’ve always believed in trusting my instincts and doing things because I want to, not out of obligation or to please others. My dishes aren’t always crowd pleasers or familiar for people, but I always stay true to what I believe makes sense. By always being authentic and trusting myself, I have more confidence that I’m doing the right thing, which translates into getting things right more times that not, in my cooking and in my business. Authenticity and confidence are extremely important and I think having that outlook translates into success and attracts people and guests.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

The Covid pandemic nearly killed our business. We have been so fortunate to have made it through the worst, as many other restaurants closed their doors. But, 2020/2021 were two of our most challenging years since opening our doors in 2015. Because we were forced to shut down for various periods of time, we had to be creative and think of other ways to bring in revenue. With the help of great and generous staff and friends , we pivoted our restaurant into a retail operation, selling pre made foods like pasta sauce and pre batched cocktails. We also began making tie dye T shirts and hats with our logo, and received orders from all over the US. It was really heart warming to see all the support people were giving us, in our community and beyond. Without all the help and support that we received, its likely we would have gone under during that time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maitebushwick.com
• Instagram: maitebushwick
• Facebook: Maite Bushwick

Image Credits
Mackenzie Smith