Meet Alfredo Gonzalez of Mac n Cheese Rebel in Highland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfredo Gonzalez.

Alfredo, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all really started in my country of birth, Paraguay. I remember I was around six or seven years old. My parents used to take me with them shopping at the central market. We went about once a week to shop for groceries. They not only sold food there but most everything from household items to nick nacks, books, electronics, you name it. The place was huge and full of sellers. I had saved up a little money my parents would give me. It wasn’t much but I found a Swiss Army knife I could afford so I bought it. I haggled for a lower price and I got it for less than advertised. Almost every afternoon I got together with some friends to play soccer in a field. On this particular afternoon, I took my brand new Swiss Army knife to show my friends.

One of my friends was quite taken with it. So I said to him “hey I’m selling it, would you like to buy it?” He said “yes I would very much” so I sold it to him for a profit. From that day, I understood that I could probably do that with anything and that selling a pocket knife was probably no different than selling a house. The concept is always the same. Sell for more than what you paid for it. Everything in our economy follows the same simple concept. There are things in this world that are valued on various factors; how scarce is it? How difficult to produce? How difficult to transport from one place to another? and on and on. My friend however, wasn’t thinking like that. He just loved it. There is an audience for everything and everyone but it’s difficult to find them, they pretty much have to find you.

Once they do, then your business has the potential for growth. I got to where I am today by loving what I do and listening to what the audience wants from me. Sometimes you have to let that little pocket knife go because you’ll make someone very happy and also turn a profit…that’s a bonus. Some of us search for warmth and comfort from the foods we eat. Some of us want to feel like we’re doing something good for our bodies. Some of us feel like we want something bad or calorically dense for our bodies. Everybody is different. We give you honest food at a price you determine. We give you choices. Healthy ones, not healthy ones, vegan, vegetarian, and non veg because we are here for you. We’re not here to make choices for you. The choices are yours. We’re just here to give them to you.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
If anybody ever says it’s been a smooth road they are lying to you. Life is filled with struggle and challenges. The unfortunate truth about any business venture is that you need capital to get started. A great idea won’t make you any money unless you can find a way to execute it. In most cases, you need money to get started. Most people don’t have extra money laying around in case they want to start a business and I’m no exception. People usually carry debt, that’s the norm. The one thing that did me in though, and probably will do most people in is fear. When you operate with fear you are asking for major trouble. Before my first kid was born, my wife and myself lived a somewhat carefree bohemian type of life. We never cared too much about material goods.

Once the kid was on his way however, I started feeling like maybe this type of life isn’t the best for a child. It felt irresponsible to not have savings, or a bigger house and things of that nature. I was freaking out really. I needed to figure a way to make real money. I invested in the wrong things and operated out of fear. Fear of not being a good provider for my family. Fear of not being good enough for my kid. I screwed up. I screwed up big and got into more debt. A business should be started out of passion, a love for something, and an understanding for a common need or want and fear shouldn’t even be in the same galaxy as your business. We struggled but we overcame. Most importantly I learned that my kids don’t care if I have a successful business. They just want me to love them. I guess a carefree bohemian type of a life might still be the way to go.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Mac n Cheese Rebel – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We are Mac N Cheese Rebel. We are a food truck that specializes in Mac and cheese with an array of toppings. We are mainly known for our vegan mac. It is a work of art. I’m mostly proud that we’re able to provide our fans with an awesome product and that I’m able to provide a living for my employees. What sets us apart from others is that we’re not afraid to get crazy. It’s pure insanity to base your whole concept on what most people would consider a side dish and make it shine. It’s ludicrous that our concept is mac and cheese and it’s even more ludicrous that the most popular mac and cheese we sell is not even real cheese. This is what happens when you operate without fear. You are free to be crazy creative. The process of doing something out of the ordinary is reward enough, and connecting with an audience and turning a profit is icing on the cake.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plan for the future is to move into the retail world. We are currently searching for the right co-packer so we can mass produce the vegan cheese along with two more similar products. A brick and mortar is not out of the question. We’re looking. Let’s see what happens.

Pricing:

• Vegan mac or regular mac $8.75 (and you will be full)
• Toppings: vegan and non veg starting at $1.50

Contact Info:

• Address: 5031 York Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90042
• Phone: 323-627-1499
• Email: macncheeserebel@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macncheeserebel
• Facebook: facebook.com/macncheesrebel
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/macncheeserebel
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mac-n-cheese-rebel-los-angeles-2

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