Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Gonzalez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Limone Mediterranean started with 3 coworkers who worked together in luxury hospitality. We knew there was a lot of Mediterranean offerings on the market but we wanted to bring a more elevated, refined product to a new wave of “modern” Mediterranean food. Using Chef Luis’ 15+ years experience in fine dining and luxury hospitality specialized in Mediterranean food, we set out to create a modern take on Mediterranean food using chef-curated spice blends, high quality products, and above all, our labor of love. Everything we make at Limone is fresh from scratch, most importantly, and the star of our whole kitchen is our made to order laffa bread, which is a 2 day process of making the dough from scratch, proofing it overnight, then grilling it fresh to order with a brush of our confit garlic oil and house-made za’atar spice.
At Limone, we cook the kind of food that feels both fresh and comforting. Think bright California produce, chef-curated spice blends full of flavor, and flame-fired proteins. Every dish is made to be vibrant, layered, and craveable — from smoky harissa steak and tender chicken shawarma to crispy za’atar fries and crisp, herb-packed greens.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not, we have had many struggles escpially being our first time in business but what holds us together is our communication with each other and our desire to be better, every single day for ourselves and our employees. We’ve hit many roadblocks along the way and lost a lot, but we always find the silver lining in those experiences and aim to get better and learn from them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Luis has been a chef for over 15 years working in ultra-luxury and has been part of the opening crew for many new properties in different cities. His love of cooking stemmed from his childhood when he would make meals for his sister and then grew into a whole career. His experience, insight and personality make him the face of Limone (in addition to his amazing food, of course). He specializes in taking every day ingredients and turning them into a special product that most people could never think to do. For example, our famous “Limone gravy” that goes on top of our half chicken and fries dish is made entirely by him by dehydrating his own onions, garlic, ginger & turmeric. What sets him apart is literally the way his brain works and how he figures things out that no one else could.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
For any business owner opening a new business is always a risk. Besides the significant pay cut, working longer hours and sacrificing family, friends and yourself at times, opening a business is a straight up mental challenge that not a lot of people can handle. Having to juggle employees, your store, your reputation, your responsibilities and families is part of a huge risk that may or may not pay off. But through our partnership, our mutual understanding of each other and our situations, we made it work and it blossomed into something beautiful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://limonemediterranean.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/limonemediterranean
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/limonemediterranean
