We were lucky to catch up with Sandra Gomez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

To prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career, we need to support their individual skill sets and talents. As a former math teacher, I saw countless students struggle with abstract concepts and motivation to succeed in a topic that didn’t interest them. The education system will label these kids as at risk, and a certain stigma is tied. But the truth is, these students have gifts in other subjects or skills that aren’t being nourished. I believe students should take tests at the end of elementary school that will identify possible career paths that fit their way of thinking and interests. From there, much like college, students will begin a path of classes that prepare them for their future career options. Students will be more engaged and enriched with a purpose instead of being forced to take classes that do not relate to their future or align with their way of thinking. For example, my test showed I have a logic based brain and math would be a good path for me. However, some of my fellow teachers tested as more skilled with liberal arts. Of course those teachers taught English and theatre. Three years ago I had a student who wanted to be a mechanic. Of course math is needed for that career, but there is no need for this student to study multiplying and dividing rational expressions. I did everything I could to make mastering this skill an attainable goal, but he was never going to see the purpose in learning it. If you talk to him now, he will tell you I made class fun and supported him in his learning, but he is not using the skills included in the curriculum.
When I started my chip and salsa business, I began to integrate it into my lessons about linear functions and exponential functions. It was fun sharing this new part of my life with them. However this could not be done with the entire curriculum.
I hope some day the education system will be changed in a way that will nourish and matures the student’s gifts and passions.

Sandra, 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?

I am a former teacher, wife and mother to two sons. My family of four is originally from El Paso, Texas. We made the decision to leave home in pursuit of high school math teacher positions, ultimately landing in New Braunfels and we love it! I got into the food product sales industry on a whim. Many friends and coworkers insisted that my homemade tortilla chips and salsa were amazing and encouraged me to begin to sell them. When my neighborhood decided to have a market day, my husband jumped at the idea. And that’s when La Casa Gomez was born. Over a year later, we have more than tripled the number of items we sell and quadrupled our sales.
What sets us apart is the relationships that we build and the way that we listen to our customers. Because our product is consumable and people want their regular supply of a tasty snack, we have a lot of regulars that we see each month. It is great to welcome back customers and get to call them a friend. Some of our more popular salsas like creamy avocado and mango habanero salsa were inspired by customer’s inquiries. My response to the question of whether I can make a certain salsa is always, “not yet, but I got this!”
I would have to say what prides my family the most is that we have something that is completely ours, something that we put our heart into. That heart goes into everything we make and we love when customers love our products. Richard is the Golden Chip King and I am the Salsa Queen!
We pride ourselves in being a family business. As we expand into the mobile food industry, our boys are included in the growth of this company. Our hard work and long hours are dedicated to them to ensure a stable future. With that being said, what we would love for our clientele to know is that as much as we care about our children we care about them, their families and future generations. That is one of the many reasons our food truck will use compostable products and continue our jar return program.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

As most of my customers may have seen on our facebook or instagram, the 2022-2023 school year was my last year of an 11 year career as a math educator. Everything truly started with my good friend’s housewarming party. I took my homemade chips and the mild red salsa my godmother taught me to make. Many people at her party kept asking her where she bought them from. When people continued to find me in the party and encourage me to sell the items, it sparked a flame. The first market day in our neighborhood was a hit and we knew we had something special. We hit the ground running making new salsas and filling our schedules with market days. Now, a year and a half later, we sell 11 different salsas in varied heat levels, bite size chips and original size chips. As our selection grew, so did our popularity and volume of goods sold. Teaching is already a demanding job, and I was trying to balance the heavy workload with the workload of a growing business. As most handmade items are, making chips and salsa is very time consuming. Finally, I had to admit I could not work two full time jobs teaching and running a business. Leaving education is one of the hardest transitions I have ever faced. I feel like I am leaving behind a part of me and redefining myself. But, now my family of four faces this new adventure as food trailer owners. Our food trailer will officially be open for business selling nachos made with our perfectly crunchy chips and flavor packed salsa July of 2023!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

This is a question I have asked my customers. Ultimately, THE CHIPS! The Golden Chip King makes chips that are, of course, perfectly golden, and the crunch is incomparable. Customers say they are addicted. And because we sell them in bite size or original size, there is something to offer for the snackers and the nacho enthusiasts. They will also tell you my salsas are flavor packed with some unique options. In fact, my creamy avocado salsa came from a customer who said she was having a hard time finding a creamy salsa she liked and asked that I take a shot at it. Now Creamy Avocado Salsa is one of our best sellers and comes in a spicy version with serranos! A very similar story sits behind our mango salsas. Some customers will tell you it’s the people that keep them coming back and spreading the word. As a teacher, I built relationships and loved my students, making the classroom a safe and happy place to learn, a place they wanted to come back to each day. When I made the decision to leave education, I feared failing. Fellow teachers and students insisted that if I was myself with my customers, we would do great. That is exactly what Richard and I do. We are ourselves. Our slogan is “Let us share a piece of our casa with you,” because we feel like we are opening the doors to the Gomez home and sharing a piece of ourselves with our friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lacasagomez.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lacasagomezchips
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/gomeztortillachips