We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Thomas Perez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Thomas, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I grew up during a civil war in my home country El Salvador. At the age of 13 I decided I had to escape in order to have a chance at a better life. With my parents blessing, that was the year I decided to leave home and travel to Monterrey, California to see what I could accomplish in America. Experiencing a civil war and moving to another country solo without knowing the language at such a young age brought many hardships and through this upbringing I was forced to learn many things fast, including how to be resilient.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a wine maker, oenologist, sommelier and restaurateur. Currently I am co-founder of Plane & Level Restaurant Group. My business partner, Brian Culwell and I opened Plane & Level in 2021 (a Spanish tapas and wine bar) and will be opening our second concept, a Mediterranean place, this summer. Most recently, we brought on Chef Orlando Amaro as our Culinary Director and with his expertise we have plans to open an Italian restaurant, French wine bar and family-friendly barbecue spot.
This will be the largest project I’ve taken on thus far in my career and I couldn’t be more excited to bring these dining concepts to Old Town Spring, located approximately 30 minutes north of Houston, Texas.
I have been passionate about food and wine my whole career working in the finest restaurants and hotels, including Relais & Chateaux properties in addition to making wine in California. I truly enjoy broadening guests palates through unique food and wine pairings coupled with world-class service. Going out to eat should be nothing less than a wonderful culinary experience and I strive to create that environment for all our guests.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Determination, passion and resourcefulness. You spend your entire life providing for yourself and your family. It’s a long time to spend doing something you’re not passionate about. I encourage everyone to find something they love, that challenges and engages them.
In order to make achieve this, you’ll need the determination to make it happen and paving your own way for success.
Be resourceful. You never know how you’re going to meet and what you can learn from them.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Like everyone in hospitality, cost of goods and staffing. As we all know the pandemic hit the food and beverage industry the hardest. So many people lost jobs, business owners had to close their doors permanently, the world shut down. As restrictions began to lift and people started going back to work, many decided to not return to the food and beverage industry in fear of the instability the pandemic had brought on to them and their families. This has made it extremely difficult to find staff that is genuinely passionate about the industry.
Inflation has also hit hard, everywhere. Everyone is trying to make up for lost time, everything is on backorder and ultimately the way we do business has changed therefore we’re forced to raise menu prices at an all-time high. It’s been a hard adjustment for diners, especially right after a long period where a lot of people were unemployed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://planeandlevel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planeandlevel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/planeandlevel
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TperezWine
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/plane-and-level-spring
Image Credits
Katie Park
