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

Kyara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It all started on Father’s Day of 2021. I decided to make empanadas with a side of refried black beans and fried plantains for my dad. I’ve made them before but it was a few months before then. We were all eating at the table and my mom couldn’t stop raving about how they tasted. My parents both kept saying I needed to sell them. I was hesitant because a lot of new business owners in the food industry fail within a year. I told them I would and figured out a name for the business with my friends at that time. We came up with a name. I did the trial taste test with a few people and they loved it! There was a ton of trial and error during the planning phase. I was excited but so many things kept coming up and delayed the start up of the business. So I kept putting it off. March of 2022, I had a conversation with a long friend of mine, Ysela Craig, who owns a business as well. She told me “If you keep waiting for the right time to start, you will keep delaying it. If you really think about it, there’s never really a perfect time to start.” I took that information and she was right. She held me accountable and we came up with a opening date. I had a pop up at one of her locations in Stafford and sold out of empanadas. Overall, I am glad I took the risk.

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 started cooking at a very young age. I am Black and Hispanic (Mexican). I spent a lot of my time with my grandparents on my mom’s side (Hispanic). I learned how to cook from my grandpa, mainly by watching. When I was little, I liked to help him prep the vegetables or food. For them, it gave me something to do but in reality I enjoyed it. Since then, I would make food from leftovers or whatever we had. So when starting my business, I wanted to create food that I enjoyed and brought comfort. In Houston, there are so many Latin restaurants but not many in Missouri City. I wanted everyone to experience Puerto Rican/Domincan inspired empanadas. Plus, I wanted vegans to enjoy as well. With my brand, I have a variety of empanadas and plan to add to the menu as time goes on.

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

The best source of new clients is social media and word of mouth. Working with my parents for their plumbing business, I learned how to post recommendations or look for work. The best source is Facebook. With social media, you have to learn how to cater to your audience. With Facebook, you have a more older generation that’s ready to pay for a service. Instagram and TikTok is more of showcasing your product to gain a following. With the two platforms you can still gain a few customers, but for a local audience, Facebook is better.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to learn if people want to help, it ok for them to do so. Growing up, I let pride get in the way and wanted to do things on my own. I had to learn to do things myself. I had to pull back on that trait and let people help me when I need them to. For example, I had a pop up opening and I was swamped. I had back to back orders and things were falling behind. My aunt and mom noticed I was overwhelmed and needed help. They asked me if I needed help and of course I said no. I was convinced I could do it by myself. A few minutes go by and I still haven’t even eaten. They ask me again if they can help. This time I had to let them help because I was so tired and overwhelmed, I needed the help. I am very glad I did because I was able to get things done faster and eat! I had to unlearn being prideful and it’s ok for people to help when in need.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kyskuisine
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kys_kuisine
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kyskuisine
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kyskuisine/
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/kys_kuisine