Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vanessa Medina. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Vanessa , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience is a product of setting high goals for myself seeking support from family and friends, learning from my parents’ experiences as farmers. discovering my passion for serving others, believing that my Faith in God is the catalyst that keeps me going, practicing gratitude, and adopting a positive attitude.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Apart from being a mother, I own a small restaurant that specializes in Guatemala-El Salvador-Mexico Cuisine. We bring authentic, fresh homemade Latin meals to communities in the Andover area and cater to social and corporate events. What brings both joy and pride to my heart is watching our guests enjoy our meals, gathering together and sharing conversations, celebrating life events and milestones, hosting events in support of non-profit organizations, and giving back to our community.
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?
Before becoming a restaurant owner, I enjoyed gaining a depth of industry experience across various roles, growing from an alley coordinator to an assistant restaurant manager over a 19-year span. This progression in the role has provided a great foundation for managing a restaurant, as an area of knowledge.
Moreoever, growing up in latin America provides a cultural aspect that was key to establishing my business. As an immigrant from Guatemala, I brought my recipes to life to share my culture with the community. Having knowledge in this area allows me to make decisions pertaining to my menu selection and enables me to customize my offerings per the feedback loop I have established with my guests.
Lastly, being a servant leader has been my favorable skill. My passion for serving others comes from years spent as a mom, a Faith practitioner, a hospitality worker, and a social advocate. I get my energy from leaving a positive print on others mentally, socially, and emotionally. It’s a priority of mine and I ensure it’s accounted often when juggling different engagements and responsibilities.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I love this quote from the Nigeran Igbo community that says “It takes a village to raise a child.” The same goes for entrepreneurs such as myself. Many people helped me become who I am today, as a person and a business owner.
My lead backbone is my friend and neighbor ‘Ana Ortiz’ who has encouraged and supported me in both my Faith and my career. Ana has been there for me on the good days and the rainy ones.
My pastors ‘Luis Rivera’ and ‘Zaira Rivera’ from R.A.V Church have always been encouraging to my journey through words of faith.
The ‘Ambassadors in Business’ group, in Andover, has also provided mentorship in leadership skills, in addition to spreading the word about our restaurant. Many of our guests and catering events were referred to us by the group.
The ‘Female Faith Founders’ group, in Andover/Coon Rapids area, is a group of Female entrepreneurs who support each other by growing in faith together and providing business advice as needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mrstacomn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrs.tacoofandover_mn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mrs.tacoofAndover
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mrs-taco/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF3po3TdM-w
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mrs-taco-andover
Image Credits
photo credits: Lara Photography
