Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dani Solis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dani, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I find inspiration all around and in me. This business is as much as an intellectual project as it is a creative endeavor that nourishes my spirit! When I first started my food business, I was really committed to creating recipes exactly as they had been done in family. Giving myself the permission to adjust those recipes, and even create new ones, has been really rewarding. It’s especially exciting when someone has an “aha!”moment with my food. One example was at one of my most recent pop ups at Understory Oakland, where I debuted a new flan with nance, or sour cherry. In Panama, nance is usually served with a porridge called “pesada”. It has a very potent cheesy flavor and is definitely an acquired taste. I wanted to introduce the flavor with a dessert that folks are familiar with. Flan was the perfect vehicle! A person who tried the flan later posted on their instagram story that the flavor made them reminisce of the fruits of their mothers’ homeland! A couple of folks later told me that it was the best flan they’ve ever tasted. Those were incredible moments for me and affirmed the work I do.
When I’m able to offer someone a delicious hearty meal, I feel connected to myself, my family, and my community. Music has always been an important part to my creative process, even outside of cooking. When I am preparing Panamanian food, I love listening to Panamanian salsa music or musica típica, or Panamanian cumbia. I envision and can relate all the aspects of the music to the ingredients and techniques of my food. Sometimes, I wish I could hook up my mind to a projector and show what is going on in my head when I’m in the creative zone!
Through this business I’m honored to be able to learn about my family’s traditional foodways and history.The story doesn’t start with me, It goes back for generations, and I’m just the story so far! I consider it my duty to bring as much creativity and lovingness to this process as possible.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I launched Sin tu Cariño Cocina Panameña in 2022 as part of Oakland Bloom’s Open Test Kitchen incubator program, which gives working class immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC chefs training to launch their food businesses in the East Bay area.
The main reason I started my business is because of the lack of Panamanian food in the Bay Area! I want to bring visibility to this cuisine, which has so many unique and interesting flavors that folks are currently missing out on. I would love to expand my community’s understanding of Latin American cuisine and encourage people to explore and be curious about what foods are out there.
One food that I’m particularly excited about sharing is the Panamanian tamale. It is about twice the size of a Mexican corn husk tamal, and is made with a special orange hominy corn called maíz pilado. We fill it with braised achiote-garlic chicken, plums, olives, and root vegetables, and steam it to perfection in a banana leaf. I’m interested in selling my tamales at grocery stores or other restaurants in the Bay Area!
“Sin tu Cariño” is the name of a song by a Panamanian salsa artist Ruben Blades, and is part of a recurring lyric throughout the song: “sin tu Cariño, no hay nada más” / ‘without your love and care, there is nothing left”. This is the message that I want people to understand when they try my food for the first time-that none of this would be possible without the people who loved me into being what I am today!
I’m still very much at the beginning stages of my business, but my goal would be to eventually have a small storefront that can also serve as a community space.
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?
Persistence
Mindfulness
Rest
All three of these skills have been extremely important in my journey and they also interact with each other to help keep me focused on my goals and gain intuition.
Persistence keeps me coming back to a challenge or obstacle that I’ve been avoiding and encourages me to approach a problem from different angles.
Mindfulness helps me be more presence with activities and processes. It helps me stay focused on a greater goal.
Rest gives my brain and body a break and is a key piece of my creative process. When I’m resting, I allow other activities to inspire me. When I’m rested, I’m in a better mood and am able to be a better community member.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Yes! I’m absolutely interested in collaborating with folks, especially those who are interested in developing a business alongside me. I’m committed to learning about all aspects of owning a small business, and it would be great to work with someone who is more excited about the financial side of developing a business.
I’m also interested in learning more about cooperatives and offering my food in a cooperative restaurant setting.
If you want to connect, you can swing by one my pop ups at Understory Oakland on Saturday nights, or message me on instagram @sin_tu_carino to get in touch.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sin_tu_carino
