Meet Gustavo Romero

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gustavo Romero a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gustavo, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

Being the only one in a room that looks like me is a great responsibility and motivator to excel. I know that how I perform in space like that, will mean that I may pave the way for others who look like to me to be invited and included in more opportunities. I’ve learned the use the nerves as a tool to stay sharp, try my best and think of the longterm.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My wife and I own and operate a tortilleria and award winning restaurant in the Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our concept focused on heirloom corn, and we pride ourselves in being on the front lines of the critical mission to preserve the biodiversity of corn and to teach more people in more places about corn that comes in colors other than yellow. This is why we also retail our tortillas to over 20 stores around the state- to spread the gospel of nixtamal. We’re passionate about Latino art, and feature amazing contemporary artists on our walls.

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

My wife says “przez ludzi, do ludzi”- she’s Polish- but it means “by people, to people”, and I have to emphasize how important community building and relationships are. In any venture, when you have a network for great collaborators, and you are passionate about building and change, including others is the best way to succeed. A lot of opportunities can also come from relationships at different times, so being open and friendly, especially when starting out, is a very basic way that can have a huge impact on your career or ventures.

Second, I’d say curiosity is king. It pushes you to learn more, try new things and it may surprise you and lead you down paths you didn’t plan for or imagine, but can lead to great growth.

Finally, you can always pivot- changes is the only constant, so don’t be afraid to specialize, it’s not boring when you remain curious and thirsty for it. There is a tendency to want to do it all, especially early in your career, but gaining a deeper understanding of a craft- nixtamal- has made me even more passionate about the culinary world as a whole.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

I work in an industry, food, that relies heavily on immigrant to sustain it. From growing it, to transporting it, to cooking it and cleaning up after, restaurants all across America rely on hardworking families who are currently under great threat because we lack a coherent immigration approach. We’re focusing on keeping our employees safe and helping guide them through the process as best we can, we’re in touch with our elected officials and most importantly, we use our microphone to keep reminding a larger audience that this is not sustainable. Broad change is slow, but we feel like a critical tipping point is approaching, so we’re keeping informed and staying engaged.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nixtampls.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nixtampls/

Image Credits

Kadi Kaelin