Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Esteban Gutierrez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Esteban, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I was born to Elizabeth Naylor & Tomas Gutierrez in Harlem NYC in 1986. My mother was a librarian and an educator in the NYC public school system. My father came to this country from Mexico at age 16 and had many jobs until he bought his own business in 1994. They met in The Bowery NYC where they both worked in a restaurant in 1975. My work ethic comes directly from my parents. My mother was serious about our education and pushed me to write and re-write my school essays. My father was at work most days and nights and I spent every possible moment with him running his deli in Queens. My father and I recently shared a laugh about how we would sleep at the deli Saturday nights on cardboard box’s because we would close at 1 am then have to be back at work at 6 am to put together the Sunday papers. My father did whatever was necessary to be successful and provide for his family. Years later my father sold the deli and bought a Pizzeria which we worked together for many years. When I graduated college with my BSW and was discouraged by the job offers I took over the pizzeria and found my happiness serving slices and making pizza while practicing my social work over the counter with my customers. Fastforward to March 17, 2022 and I opened Esco’s Pizza in LA and once again I am able to live my dream serving slices and making pizza while spreading love and encouragement throughout my community.
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?
When this LA journey began for me in September 2021 I was hired as the head chef for the previous pizzeria in this location and the business failed in 3 months. This left me jobless in LA and I did not want to retreat to NYC. I met Everett Smith and John Zap of Presidential Cannabis in the midst of the business failure, and they agreed to partner with me to help me take over the existing pizzeria and create what is now Esco’s Pizza. This is not just a pizzeria, it would seem I have been training for this my entire life, it is a perfect platform for me to not only feed the world but also create a community full of compassion and encouragement. We are all on the mission of life together if we realize it or not and sharing meals together, I believe is the first step to lifting each other up. We are serving authentic New York pizza here, by the slice or full pies in addition to familiar favorites like garlic knots and zeppolies. Pasta is back on the menu and every Tuesday and Friday come on in for the homemade meatballs! We are learning and growing, come share a meal with us.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As I look back at my journey, I believe that finding the joy in even the toughest times is what gets me through. That was a skill I had to learn, I had some wonderful teachers in my life, and it still took me learning the hard way for it to stick. With the help and encouragement from my family I was able to develop my work ethic, and this is without a doubt the skill that has carried me the farthest. My advice to anyone in this journey is to keep taking swings, keep moving and pick up all that you can on the way. I have had so many jobs in my life and now I realize that they were all necessary to get me to this point.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Esco’s Pizza has been open for 18 months and our biggest challenge is getting our brand out there to the world. We are creating waves in our immediate community however we would love to collaborate with other brands, businesses and people to further our reach. We have an amazing space we have art installations and also a back patio as well as a private dining room. The space is ideal for large gatherings and I would love to collaborate with artists and companies looking for a place to share meals and celebrate their brands. There is a model NYC 4 Subway train installation which doubles as an art gallery and I would love to have regularly booked art shows at the pizzeria.
Contact Info:
- Website: escos.co
- Instagram: escospizzala
- Yelp: Esco’s Pizza
Image Credits
@mpvinny300
