Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricardo Cano and Elena Gonzalez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ricardo and Elena. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I grew up loving my mother’s Mexican cuisine because she always made us traditional meals from Guadalajara. As I grew up, I began to love the gastronomic idea of one day sharing the flavors and colors of what represents Guadalajara.
My mother grew up helping my grandmother in her restaurant in Guadalajara, where she gained her culinary experience. A few a years ago, my family and I were going through a rough financial patch, and thats when I came up with the idea of starting a catering business, where we can offer authentic Mexican food from Guadalajara, and combine the beautiful art of Mexicos culture.
In 2014, I mentioned to my good friend, Jason Martin Castillo about the catering business I was working on, and he invited us to cater to his Music Festival he was working on called Arcovert LA. At first, I was a bit hesitant about doing it, but I remembered that one must take a risk in order to reach success, so we catered Jason’s event. During the intermission of the event, people came out to buy food, and we sold everything on the menu.
Everyone who attended the event complimented us on the taste of the food and how beautiful our set up is. During Jason’s event, we met Elizabeth Dennehy who loved our catering service so much, she helped us promote it and from that point on we started catering in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Hollywood Hills, Studio City, and West Los Angeles. Thats how La Morenita launched off into the catering business.
Great, 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?
In the beginning, it was not easy because we struggled to find clients to hire us, but after Jason’s event, it became a lot smoother for us.
Please tell us about La Morenita (Mexican Catering).
The most proud thing about our business is that we were able to share our homemade guisados (Mexican Stews), that represent my mothers home state, Guadalajara.
To be specific, we’re known for our, Tinga de Pollo, Pollo con Mole, Carne en Su Jugo, Picadillo, and our vegetarian options such as Poblano Peppers with Sweet Corn and Creme, and our hand made tortillas on the spot!
What sets us apart from others, is the way we set up our tables. We use different types of Mexican handcrafted clay pots, that are really colorful, and try to make a classy, and elegant presentation.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would have to say, having family reunions and enjoying each others company and of course, sharing food.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 3237439622
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @lamorenita_la
Image Credit:
Caroline Reza
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