We were lucky to catch up with Patricia Arredondo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Patricia, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My mom has taught me so many things that I have applied to my growth as an independent consultant. The most important, things I use on a DAILY, are to work hard, stay strong, speak up and never forget where we come from. She has had to sacrifice so much to get us all where we are now, it’s beyond humbling. She learned that from her mother and the stories of our ancestors carry us during hard times. Family is everything to us. There is a sense of pride that comes from watching your family work so hard all their lives.

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

Growing up on the S. Texas Border, as the first generation removed from migrant farm work, I became obsessed with food at a very young age. I poured over food mags and recipes and wondered why “our food” wasn’t as sophisticated as some of those fancy recipes. I would imagine what it must feel like to share my part of the world through food and service, head held high, with pride. While my sister and cousins would pretend play “school” or “music video” I would play “restaurant.” Needless to say, my fantasy game of pretending to wait tables and preparing mock meals they had never heard of rarely got chosen by the others! I eventually got hired to wait tables at the very young age of 13 and the rest is history. I have been on the floor, service side for about 30 years. In those many years of serving I honed my skills as an intuitive people person, table-side best friend, chef whisperer, dis-armer of “difficult” guests, and tour guide into the world of food, community and culture.

After decades of serving in Austin. Texas, I was suddenly presented with the opportunity to help train a team of 70+ locals at a boutique hotel in Todos Santos, Mexico. I was a senior trainer at an institution of a restaurant that served regional Mexican food and so I figured that the crossover would be a natural one, easy even. The first week I was there I would lay in bed at night wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. I had officially become a hospitality consultant.

The lessons I learned at that hotel in the middle of the Baja desert helped carry me into many more partnerships back in Texas and beyond. Helping people execute visions, tell their story, form communities and educate through food has become a reality of mine. Sometimes it’s as simple as creating a brunch service for a craft cocktail bar, as harrowing as helping re-structure a kitchen left in shambles, developing a brand for a nationally recognized chef or teaching teams how to mindfully sip tequila. It’s all part of what I do and what inspires me to stay passionate in my industry.
Nothing is too simple or too out there for me, at this point, I have seen it all!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is as simple and as complicated as this: I help people tell their truth though food. Helping set the table for curators, chefs and communities to share, enjoy, nourish and learn.

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

The simple fact that I have been in this industry for 3 decades is an illustration of my resilience.
I’ve always said that every person should be required to work in a restaurant for at least one year out of their lives. The sheer test of will and dignity, at the hands of others, is something everyone should witness and learn from. Our world might just turn out to be a kinder place.

Much like the theater saying implies, “The show must go on!” it also holds true in the restaurant biz. The landscape is changing in a more progressive way, sure, but the tenacity and moxy it takes to carve out a living for oneself in this industry will forever be a testament of survival.
Whether you are a server, line cook, manager or owner of a food truck, you have to be able to think on your feet and pivot when necessary, or else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paticocina.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavilymexicated/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/patricia-arredondo-796b08182

Image Credits
None applicable.