Inspiring Conversations with Gabriela M.C. of Postres Cafe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela M.C.

Hi Gabriela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As a first-generation Mexican-American kid growing up in Baldwin Park, CA I knew that I had to get into a good university because all I heard growing up was, “you have to go to a good school so you can have a good job and not struggle like we did,” like many children of immigrant parents. I really liked school and always tried to get the best grades, but I knew I wasn’t Einstein smart. I was going to have to do something different to set me apart from the kids who had a high GPA and average SAT scores like me. I decided I would try and graduate from my high school in three years instead of four in hopes of increasing my chances of getting into a competitive school. All the hard work paid off and I was accepted to UCLA when I was 16 years old. I ended up graduating from UCLA in 3 years as well and was 19 years old with a B.A. in Sociology. Four years later, I published a memoir on my journey as a First-Gen Latina in higher education and the many experiences around identity, family, and the academic journey itself.

Shortly after, I found myself speaking in front of many high school students throughout Southern California and realized that many of them resonated with my story and in turn, they were inspired to share their own. It dawned on me that by being vulnerable and sharing the ups and downs of my experience, I was creating a safe space for others to talk about their own hardships and learn how they too could overcome them. I began to think about what I wanted to create for future generations and how fun it would be to do something with my family. I partnered up with my younger sister and dad and we began working on what would be Postres Cafe. I decided to document the journey of opening my own business and created a YouTube vlog series in which I share the different resources and tools I used along the way in hopes of inspiring others to pursue their own entrepreneurial journeys. We opened our doors June 12, 2020. Yes, in the middle of a pandemic!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I experienced many hardships during my time at UCLA; failing classes, panic attacks, family hardships, homelessness, and even a beauty pageant. Yes, haha your girl even did a beauty pageant! Even though my entire belief system was challenged in every which way while I was at school, I’m so grateful for all of those experiences because they forced me to grow in ways that have allowed me to have a greater appreciation for life. Opening Postres Cafe in the middle of a worldwide crisis is a true act of faith. I’m a first-time business owner with zero experience in the restaurant industry. I’m actually a medical social worker and no one in my family has had their own business nor do I have a business degree. I just really, really like desserts and coffee, and I decided that if I was going to have to work long hours for my own business, it better have something sweet and lots of caffeine. I had to let go of my team shortly after dine-in was banned as a result of the rising cases of COVID-19. This was such a heartbreaking moment for me. I had dreams of helping my team start their own businesses and providing them with mentorship but there was no way I could have foreseen what 2020 had in store for all of us when I started working on this project.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My family and I love to eat and we sure have a lot of fun doing it. When we set out to create the menu, we wanted to have a more inclusive range that had different dietary preferences and needs in mind. Our menu today has expanded to include delicious vegan donuts, an espresso bar that includes non-dairy and Keto options, HUGE chicken salads, scrumptious Belgian waffles (including a Keto waffle), Paninis, Wraps and our famous Lavender Lemonade! We are extremely proud of your journey as a family. We never imagined we would have the opportunity to work together with our diverse professional and academic backgrounds; I’m a social worker and public speaker, my sister is a licensed vocational nurse, my father worked in the traffic paint industry for 30 years, and my mother worked as an office clerk, but let me tell you we make a great team at the cafe!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I was very fortunate to have met my mentor when I was just ten years old. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone and I am aware that I was very fortunate. I started my own podcast, “Keeping it Real, by Gabriela M.C.” with the goal of sharing the many lessons learned from my mentor being that not everyone had access to someone like her and I believed the things she taught me were life-changing and could possibly help many others. There are great podcasts out there that can help you get ahead in many areas of your life. In addition to opening Postres Cafe, I had the goal of holding workshops for Latinas interested in entrepreneurship at the cafe in hopes of creating a network for mentorship. Going through this process of opening my own business as a young Latina made me see how there is a huge need for mentorship in entrepreneurship. The mentorship network I started is called “Empresaria” which translates to: female entrepreneurs. Plans for Empresaria include providing one-on-one mentorship coupled with events themed around different entrepreneurial topics to help other Latinas meet and collaborate in their respective industries. I think your network will take you very far in life and in order for us to grow together, it’s important that we share our stories with each other as well as the different tools that helped us achieve our goals.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.postrescafe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielamcee
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqL6KSfxaeLvdtJcehysbg
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/gd6OGbyz2bb
• Other: www.gabrielamc.com