Meet Marina Eve Martinez

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marina Eve Martinez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Marina Eve, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?
After Hurricane Maria our Puertorricans families were impacted emotionally, economic and lack of community.

That is when as a mom I started selling low rates plates to make it easy on moms that only had electric stoves and there was no light in Puerto Rico from more than 9 months.
I just couldn’t imagine how they were doing it.
THEN IN 2020 EARTHQUAKES in Guanica south of Puerto Rico where I again volunteered for more than 40 days cooking for 1,000 people a day with both of my food trucks.
And in March the Pandemia started and we came out on rescue again to fight and advocate to end hunger in undeserved communities.

As a woman owned having the kids virtual I couldn’t go back to work as I used to.
Because that us when I was required to be a full mom/ teacher due to pandemic emergency world wide.
Not having access to help because I was an entrepreneur I went thru my own crisis.
Losing my rented house, business shut down and kids with mental and emotional needs by isolation not been able to go out work make money pay bills and survive.

But while I was loosing everything I was gaining my faith, that everything will be alright, I reconciled my relationship with God started praying asking him to use me for his purpose 🙏 and here I am.
Still advocating for hunger, community kitchen and community gardens to hace a sustainable and strong community.

I have been working inside out
Being the help for orter that they didn’t provide to me when I needed the most

Becoming the best I can be not just as a woman, mom, entrepreneur but as a Puertorrican person that does not want to be displace and leave the island die yo lack of opportunity.
I am creating that path for others to get together and occupied land to grow food for thoose who don’t have.

As a chef is my social responsibility to give back donating my talent to feed thoose in need

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have been living by faith!
I been running food truck for 15 years now.
Check it out Bistro del Mar I have been on master chef, got certified by trip advisor and was a top rated on the carribean.
Also won few competitions offering local food soul food cusine.

I make everything from scratch, moving foward to a farm to table experience.

Started growing for my restaurant some fruit and vegetables Also looking foward to a circular economy by supporting local farmers and other small entrepreneurs to create more alliance to have a sustainable development in our communities.

I am now opening a new small shop at Luquillo and created an llc with the food name to keep that branding and story.

This shop is called Perla’s Brunch Bar at 102 Luquillo Puerto Rico we want ti host events, weddings and food experiences.

Only serving from the shop from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so I can serve the food and beverages industry employees since they all work on weekends everything closes thoose days i want to create a industry night, for them who give service received the same on their days off.
As a opportunity to come back after 2020 investing in this project and the community Education about food chainand food security.
I thinks is time for me to ask for volunteers to help in the social project and go back to cheffing it out as I used to.

My projects are:

Food Truck Bistro del Mar since 2009

New shop Perla’s Brunch Bar by Bistro del Mar LLC since 2021

Nonprofit Tenedor Social Inc founded in 2020 as a local chef movement to advocate for food security and community kitchen.

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?
Do what you love!! Is not working is having fun.

I love cooking and I share that same experience for thoose who can pay and for thoose who can’t with the non-profit.

Still making what I live but with a purpose to build my island with the skills and people’s own passion.

I guess that is you always do want you live you are happy.
So why not do more of what u like and make other happy.

Living in the island of Puerto Rico , a colony that is controlled by the US Government I would only say that the best revolution is to get together make community collaboration to grown our own food , preserve our seed / share the harvested and helping each other out will be the only way to survive.

With no competition, no ego, no nada of war!
Staying here after so many crisis is living by faith in reconstructing our natural resources, recycle reusing making compost will change the situation that we are in .

But for that we need this unlearn what they told us was right.

We gotta go back to basic.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Out team is looking for a collaborative project to keep educating our people and thoose who have come to the island with that tax exemption that we need to grow food and preserve put soil. In order to hace successful business
Sustainable community we gotta give back to this earth because there is no plan B.
This is the only world we got and people are consuming too much and the media has is so distracted that we no longer see our brothers and sisters need.

Looking forward to have volunteers, founding for community kitchen and garden and have some internships help us make more investigation on how not having access to food affected us mentally.
Talk about the Act of Jones and how my people need to wake up.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Marina Eve MartĂ­nez Angel Cora

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