We recently connected with Ivan Torres and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ivan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

The idea floated around in peak COVID, while being furloughed at the time and not knowing what was to come. I thought to myself, “what am I going to do when this passes?” After roughly 4 years working professional kitchens, I surely thought it was time to venture into my own. With the idea set into place, came the concept of the truck. My affinity for Asian cuisine and my cultural background, what better way to put the two together. Now after came the financial aspect of it, “how am I going to afford this?” After spending the last of my savings and a small loan, Mai O Mai was a done deal. My biggest struggle with opening was surely obtaining permits and inspections. With all set into place, my goal was to open ASAP, from start to finish my business was up and running in 6 months.

Ivan , 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?

After high school I quickly enrolled in the culinary program at St. Philips College here in San Antonio. I wasn’t sure it was a profession I wanted to pursue, but I thought it would make school fun. Two years later, after the basics of learning how to use a knife to knowing how to temper chocolate, came the externship part of the curriculum. I received a scholarship to study abroad in Paris, France. It was quite an overwhelming experience for a 19 year old, but what I brought back with me in knowledge, and memories is something I will forever be grateful for. After graduating I applied at the best kitchens in San Antonio. Eventually I received a call back from Chef Geronimo at Botika, my first chef. Chef Geronimo has my upmost respect, he gave me a chance and I took it. I worked at Botika for about 3 years, from prep cook, line cook, sushi chef, to eventually becoming Sous Chef at 22. Definitely one of my personal achievements that I feel most proud of. I made my way into various kitchens after that venture, Italian, Sushi, even giving the “hotel” life a shot and now owning a food truck.

Being a chef and in the food service industry is a profession that is over looked in my opinion. It’s very difficult to excel in it if you are not committed, and determined to learn. It’s the combination of low pay, late hours, physical labor, and not having a personal life at all. You have to be willing to give it your all and still be creative as a chef.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It is the day and age of social media, now it’s how most if not all businesses thrive from. I knew before going into the food truck business that social media was going to be our main source of advertising/exposure. In my opinion it comes down to having a unique concept and standing out to the rest. Having a visually aesthetic social media is key, that means professional photos/media. With my training I hold those standards of a restaurant still. I use reusable plates/bowls for customers dining in. Not only can I get creative with plating, but visually my food looks much more attractive.

Now a days we have what are called “foodies” it’s a great way to get exposed in your city. They have thousands of followers and they make content of your food to post on their platforms. Surely it comes at a high price at times, but some of these “foodies” have the ability to make you very successful.

Any advice for managing a team?

I’ve never owned of business in my life, I had no one to tell me the do’s and don’ts. It is the most difficult task I’ve ever done. You have to put your team first always, they depend on you. Even if you haven’t paid yourself in weeks, keep doing what you do and hold that facade that everything will be okay at the end. This is not an easy job but we love to do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mai-o-mai.square.site/
• Instagram: @maifoodtruck
• Facebook: Mai O Mai
• Yelp: Mai O Mai

Image Credits
Chris Perez @txtroublemaker – Instagram