Meet Yolexi Gaitan

We were lucky to catch up with Yolexi Gaitan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Yolexi with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Even as a child, I could tell that their wasn’t many opportunities for immigrants. My mother worked jobs at grocery stores while my father found odd jobs around the community from picking cotton, painting houses and selling fish. During that time, I was used to my parents getting home late and would take initiative to improve my English. After our father left, I was inspired by Mom taking on up to three jobs at a time to provide a future for my sister and I. When I chose to pursue a career in culinary, the thought of the male dominated industry didn’t intimidate me. I took the barrier as a challenge where I knew that I would work harder then anyone else in the room.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

During my decade of effort inside the Culinary industry, I had been sitting on this idea of making pastries under my own name. After spending any spare time developing my plan and consolidating my ideas, I knew that I should just go for it.

While developing the brand, I felt I needed a name that was a part of me, not just my product. I thought of one of the toughest moments in my life, when I lost my unborn child due to a bad pregnancy and the name that I was never able to bestow them. Hecho Por Penelope keeps their memory alive and reinforces the ideals that we will hold fast.

Our Brands core paradigm is in making a fusion of the classical baking styles I have practiced while incorporating flavors and techniques of my heritage. I believe everyone should have quality baked goods and that they should be more then just a luxury.

You can find me selling at various markets around the Greater Austin area, and we have also just launched a new delivery service on bigger orders on our website! Everything you need to find me is on our Instagram @hechoporpenelope.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Adaptability since the landscape can change every moment from the micro and the macro. Not only should you never go all in, but to have the forethought to pivot and shuffle what your goals and products are to meet the ever changing demands.

Objectivity in order to keep yourself grounded and not burn yourself out. Everyone’s journey is different and to compare yourself to someone else’s success or failures directly will only blind you to what you really need to do. Acquire data and knowledge but find how to apply it to yourself meaningfully.

And what I value most is persistence. Sometimes, things just won’t go your way. Other times, it might feel like you’ve hit a road block or your not gaining any traction. It’s going to happen one way or another so you need to take these delays with a bit of tenacity and work your way around them. I held on to this idea for the longest time and finally chose not due some inspiring event but because I wanted to make it mine.

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?

While I would still pursue advancing and expanding Hecho Por Penelope, I would dedicate a greater amount of my time to traveling. Their are so many cuisines and cultures that I haven’t had the opportunity to experience to expand my palate and culinary knowledge. Ultimately, being able to create new flavor combinations is the inspiration that started me on this path and it will be the goal I strive for.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hechoporpenelope.com
• Instagram: @hechoporpenelope