Hidden Gems: Meet Joaquin Flores of Másaya

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joaquin Flores.

Hi Joaquin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Oh gee, let’s see. I fell in love with the kitchen and cooking as a youngster. I am the 5th of 6 siblings, and being at the bottom, I needed to find my way to contribute, to barter, and ultimately make meaningful use of my time. My Mother was such a hustler; a single mother raising six kids. She had multiple jobs and worked long and hard. Through all the struggles of being a powerful, undocumented woman of color, my fondest memories of my childhood were always seeing my mom dance and sing in the kitchen. Her spice and joy were always translated into the food, along with her sadness and strife, so even the same meal on a different day was totally different. I wanted to follow those footsteps and learn that dance…

Fast forward to being a high school dropout and soon-to-be father at 19 years old. I had already been working in Pizza shops around town as a part-time after-school gig. When I realized I needed to transition into a full-time provider, I continued to delve into the culinary landscape. I fumbled around kitchens downtown until I found a comfortable space in Hollywood where I learned a lot. The head chef was a larger than life transgender Queen and the sous chef was an older Japanese gentlemen who had seen it all. My early twenties were learning a lot about the culinary industry through the lens and intersection of queer and immigrant experiences.

Fast forward again, my daughter is now entering elementary school, and so much has happened in these 5/6 years. I was a single father determined to figure out how to maximize my time with my daughter. So I was looking for a change. I was working the overnight shift, baking bread, when I decided to go back to school. I would get out of work at 6 in the morning, just in time to get my daughter ready for school. While she was at school, I would also take classes at community college. As the cliche stands, being a parent changes you. So the older my daughter was getting, the more I kept changing.

I was going through a spiritual transformation and thus began my transition into becoming vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based. While I was finishing grad school, My siblings and I started selling tacos on the street. The pop-up scene had not yet evolved and vegan taqueros were still few and far between. At that time, being vegan was synonymous to being white, or a hipster, or just plain weird for folks in Latinx communities. Not only did we know we had bomb tacos, but it was also an opportunity to share our stories with the community. We wanted to be a part of that growing movement within POC communities that valued health, compassion, and alternative healing that was culturally relevant, critically composed, and spiritually driven.

As the family business continued to evolve, the siblings took turns being more and less involved in the production and events. I graduated the year Covid hit, and the pandemic forced me to focus my creative juices into creating Másaya, a plant-based fusion of LA classics; serving tacos, nachos, burritos, and smokey carrot hot doggs. Through my experiences, I continue to marvel in the many aspects of food that allow us to connect, remember, and heal.

From the beginning until now, my Family has been the backbone of my process. They hold me together, keep me secure, safe, and able. I am only able to be here because of them, and anything good that comes out of me was learned or shaped through them.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth, but on the other hand, It has been all smooth. Because things are not smooth, and we have gone through many challenges, we are learning how to navigate rocky roads, not smooth ones. And therefore learning to transform struggles, and redefine them.

In the beginning, we faced the disrespect of city mandates that criminalize street vendors. We have had our products thrown out and have been threatened. We didn’t know how to begin, so in our attempt to get off the ground, we had to figure out a lot of things the hard way.

The struggles are real:

– In starting a small business, you question everything you’re doing. If the information is correct. What is really necessary, what applies to you and what does not. And right now street vending is going through a reformation, so the niche of being a mobile food vendor is so difficult to navigate and LA is infamous for being ‘extra’ when it comes to regulations

– The struggle to balance work, family, and personal life is real. I left having a nine-to-five only to pick up a 24hr shift. Learning when it’s time to clock out becomes critical because I am doing something I love, and sometimes that can overshadow the reason why I’m doing it. – my daughter is in high school now, and I won’t be able to get this time back as she continues to develop her independence and autonomy.

– And of course, the financial struggle is real. Everything is self-funded. I started this project with a limited savings account and the only bank that would give me a credit card. And while there are many more gains than losses, sustaining within the limited financial profit is a consistent struggle. But within this process of refinement and growth, learning this financial literacy game is not easy at all, and I am definitely late in the game, but this is just the beginning. Siguimos adelante – we continue forward.

As you know, we’re big fans of Másaya. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Masaya is a plant-based take on LA street foods; tacos and hot doggs. The name comes from a multifaceted play on words. Using words and sounds that give cross-cultural connections and references that are Latin-centered but also representative of the Los Angeles diaspora. Right now our menu consists of traditional Mexican flavors, but in the future, we hope to incorporate more cross-cultural styles that have made their way into the L.A cannon. Our ‘Karnes’ (meats) for tacos, nachos, and burritos reflect the neighborhood favorites I remembered when I was young. Our Karne asada is a soy-based protein that is made in-house. The taste and texture are a magical resemblance to steak, and because of its familiarity, it is our most popular item. No joke, we have done weddings where the bride and groom don’t want to advertise that it’s vegan, and their carnivore uncle who hates vegans has no problem devouring 2 rounds of taco plates. We also do a jackfruit al pastor that shares in the nostalgia with its slightly sweet and spicy marinade and an interesting shredded meat texture. Our third taco is a battered and fried mushroom that has a crispy outside and chewy center. We coined it a shrimpy taco, that is our camaron champinion, that is an ode to those Baja shrimp tacos everyone loves. Our Tacos come fully loaded with scratch-made salsas and a pinch of cabbage and cilantro. All that on top a fresh pressed blue and yellow corn tortilla. We combine the two types of masa to create a galactic or tie-dye effect on our tortillas. While plant-based or vegan Mexican food is not as uncommon as it was when we started out. But the fact that we are a Chicano-owned and operated plant-based company is still a margin within the Los Angeles culinary scope.

Our other specialty item is our smokey carrot hot dogg. Yes, we replace the sausage with a carrot. I first had a carrot hot dog years ago, but upon trying, I was not impressed. Still, the concept was so cool to me. Then my brother turned me onto a recipe and after some tweaking, we created something really special. What is crazy is that both vegans and non-vegans become so critical when just hearing about it. But when creating Másaya, I knew I had to have it on the menu. I had yet to see any other vegan spot consistently sell them, and after sharing it with so many others I was determined to give it a run. I always tell folks it tastes like a dogg but feels like a carrot. A most pleasant surprise. We also have three variations of the doggs; there is a chili cheese type that comes with beans, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, and potato chips. Our Elotero Doggs have peppers and mushrooms topped with grilled street corn, mayo and jalapeños. Last is our Karne Dogg that comes with Karne asada, guacamole, salsas, tomato, cabbage and cilantro mix.

While vegans and vegetarians enjoy the food, the brand was made with my family in mind. I come from a big Mexican family. Even though they have their mixed feelings about vegetarianism, all that becomes secondary when they enjoy our cooking. It was such a joy to see how little by little, our food was able to change their perspective on what vegan food is and could be. This is why we adopt the slogan, Food Without Borders. We intend to expand, redefine, and challenge the narrative and experiences of what vegan or plant-based food is or is supposed to be – and who it ‘belongs’ to, while expanding access and affordability to peoples and places where there are little to no plant-based options.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, seek advice, and start conversations with others who are doing the same dance you are. Use the social media platforms and your new clients as resources to help plug you into the new areas of development. Once I was able to get my ego out of the way to present myself as someone new in the game, learning the ins and outs, it made it more comfortable to ask all kinds of questions and accept help from others whose passions align with mine.

Contact Info:

• Website: masayala.com
• Instagram: @masaya.l.a

Image Credits
Uzuri Ray / Las Fotos Project Leah Flores/Las Fotos Project