Today we’d like to introduce you to Matilde Riva.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I decided to take the leap as a pastry chef after my dad passed away. He was my inspiration to everything. He would make everything at home, from his own sausage to ricotta cheese. My dad is the reason why I am passionate about food period. My dad was Argentinian/ Italian. My Mom is Mexican. My youth was split from Mexico to Argentina yearly. Not only did my parents and ethnic background play such a big role in my passion for food and culture but that’s only the start. Where I learned about technique, hard work, ethics, passion and beyond, the best execution of flavor, I have to give that to my mentors and people who I truly love and look up to, Ori Manashe and Genevieve Gergis, chefs and owners of Bestia & Bavel. Working for them truly taught me about the culinary world.
From the first time the whole kitchen sang me happy birthday to the day I left, it was such an amazing lesson. I learned what it truly means to be a chef from them, everything that I know about multiple levels of flavors, refining my palette, the use of ingredients properly, etc. Chef Ori & Genevieve have gifted that to me.
Growing up in Los Angeles, culture and food is everywhere, everyday. The smells in the streets, the lady on the corner of Olympic and Soto making freshly squeezed orange juice for the early birds is my life!- The smell of carne asada at 12 am! I started making my own gelato inspired by LA and The Latino culture. So I started doing Pop-ups all around LA. I noticed the lack of attention to detail event coordinators had. I noticed simple things like a restroom or a sink for food vendors to clean their utensils would not be available and despite that still charging high prices for a space at an event. Also, long waiting list to participate in Large sponsored Pop-ups, High ridiculous fee’s. Also, the favoritism of “who you know” was annoying me.
SO! I started Cafe y Cultura. Being passionate about my culture and a proud Angelino I wanted to represent all aspects of the Latin culture in a sophisticated, contemporary and clean way. I know that there is so much more to Mexico, or El Salvador, or Argentina than just tacos, pupusas, Frida, or Empanadas. I wanted to remind people how vast and beautiful and deep our roots are here in LA. But by also providing a space where people who take the risk of putting their business out there! To have a great platform and a community of like-minded individuals where we can all grow, learn and inspire each other.
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?
LOL! NO! Not at all- In the process of starting Miel, I got fired from a job, I lost My place to live twice! I was basically homeless but yet still continued to do the event and Miel. So, yea the struggle is real.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Cafe is a platform for entrepreneurs to sell their products. I provide a space where they can have a monthly staple location without the initial high cost of starting a business. A place they can cultivate a following and have the basic necessities all pop-ups should have. Each month cafe highlights a Latin icon that has made an impact in our culture. Everything from musicians to artist to actors One of my favorites that we did one month was Desi Arnaz Cuban Comedian actor/ Singer- Mostly known for his role as ” Ricky Ricardo” in I Love Lucy. Fun fact! Desi was the first EVER! Latino To own a production company in Hollywood Known as Desilu. (word to Alex the Cuban!)
What am I most proud of?? I am proud of the community we are building and how much we have grown. We are continuing to grow with the help of everyone.
What were you like growing up?
Fat Kid, lol. I loved food, I remember every Sunday my dad would get donuts from around the corner from our house. I would run out get a donut, get a blanket put on nickelodeon or MTV and enjoy every second of that glazed little pastry. Then! I would get ready.. lounge for a bit drink coffee with my dad. Yes! At like 14, I started drinking coffee– My dad was funny and my mom has a smart mouth, Ive always been this weird eccentric kid, who wasn’t really sure what size of clothing to wear and what was male and female-oriented clothing… I always wanted to go to thrift stores, buy old sweaters and shirts from like the 80’s or wear my dad’s work clothing. Music was always playing, my dad always cooked every weekend, huge gatherings,.. for some strange reason we always had a ton of people from Argentina at the house, friends of my dads and cousins who would come and visit and friends of my brothers– Always Argentinian BBQ, chimichurri, Fernet con soda, choripan, you name it, and my moms famous 4 hour flan. Music, food and art for me are the trifecta to life.
I was a very silly and corny skater kid who liked Selena and Carlos Gardel all at the same time. It was weird for me in elementary school, I remember kids would make fun of me because I spoke Spanish in a funny way, I would get called frog eyes, I was bullied a lot, also Being the tallest one in class didn’t help. I would come home and cry and get in fights in school because of how I spoke Spanish, or broken English, I wanted to not have an accent so bad!
My dad would always correct me and say “Voz, Nunca vas a decir Mande! no sos una esclava” My mom would say “se dice mande cuando alguien te llama, –” My dad was like super opposed to it and would say “Sos Argentina, ensenale a la maestra donde esta Argentina en el mapa” Say things like that to me. My dad was very proud of where he came from. My mom was too! Absolutely but I feel like my mom always wanted my dad to feel at home and make his environment how it was in Argentina for him, I was brought up to everything South American, From the newspaper, The food, the soccer teams, to television shows. After sabado gigante was Susana Jimenez.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Vortex
2341 E Olympic blvd
Los Angeles CA 90021 - Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: IG @Cafe_yCultura
- Facebook: @Cafeyculturapopup
Image Credit:
Me: Araceli Almanza @soylacheli Food & Vendors: @coffee.always Maria Nova @Novaphotolabs
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