Story & Lesson Highlights with Sami Marquez of Willamette Valley

Sami Marquez shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Sami, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
While Intelligence and Energy are wildly important, without a doubt, Integrity takes the cake here for me. Since I was a young girl, I have for whatever reason, innately shown up unapologetically authentic. One who speaks my truth and encourages others to do the same. When one acts or speaks from a place of honesty, it becomes empowering. Empowering to your inner guide but to those who might be afraid to be honest.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hola! I’m Sami Marquez, a lifelong creative, former athlete, and a ‘lifer’ of the hospitality industry. You can find me in the outdoors, creating experiences, and indulging in food & beverage. These are the components that formed me into who I am. Professionally, I have been an entrepreneur for two decades, and I approach each day with genuine passion.

I discovered the hospitality industry at the young age of 14 when I began my journey as a hostess at a French café. Although I was unaware at the time, I immediately developed a love for being part of a guest’s experience. Since that moment, I have remained in the industry, and I am now 40 years old.

I am not one to embrace monotony, so I sought opportunities to engage in various aspects of the industry that allowed me to refine my innate skills, including communication, bringing visions to fruition, and crafting exceptional guest experiences. I advanced quickly and relocated to Las Vegas at the age of 21, knowing no one but possessing a grand vision to immerse myself in experiences, which ultimately led to the establishment of my first business, The Daydream Agency, a marketing and promotions firm focused on food, beverage, and entertainment. To this day, I continue to operate it, holding a few accolades, even though it has evolved.

My most recent endeavor is a private chef business, Vino Trece & Co. After 25 years in the food and beverage industry, collaborating with exceptionally talented chefs at various renowned cities on the West Coast, developing experiences, designing menus, and building hospitality programs,
I decided to push my passion for cooking to the forefront. In 2019, I took that step. In 2020, the pandemic catapulted and transformed this venture into my current focus as a chef specializing in live-fire cooking, offering an elevated coastal meets Latin BBQ experience and providing chef experiences. I’m sort of infusing Fine Dining with Barbeque, with a core value of supporting Local Farms. It allows me to cook with the seasons and offer what our agricultural bounty naturally offers, and turn it into a luxury experience.

I am grateful to have carved out a distinctive niche that combines my award-winning expertise in hospitality design, marketing, and branding with my passion for cooking and entertaining.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Easily, it was sports. I was a competitive fastpitch softball player on a travel team that showcased my strength. The training I underwent was quite intense, and I continued it into adulthood until an injury sidelined me. I often describe myself as petite yet powerful, both then and now. I felt strong, because I was, both physically and mentally. My strong intuition effectively connected my physical abilities with my mental game. These are two aspects I still attribute my success to today!

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
A handful of times! Over the span of 20 years, I’ve experienced burnout twice. After my first burnout, I was aware of what to anticipate, and despite my efforts to be proactive, I kept running into obstacles. I have a motto that I live by: “Do it with passion or not at all”. I mentioned how I live authentically, well, at one point it felt like I was living someone else’s truth. I had fallen out of love with my work.
This was primarily a result of the pandemic disrupting the hospitality sector, transforming it into something vastly different and more challenging, even for seasoned professionals like myself.

I was done, mentally. I tried to pivot and answer to a different calling, but quickly I was pulled back, and I discovered a new passion on the same path. That being the private chef business I didn’t know I needed.
Once again, I found ways to navigate the very industry I had been part of for over 20 years. I didn’t want to leave hospitality; I simply needed to show up differently. It saved me in a way.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
My public persona embodies exactly who I am — authentic. I’ve been in the media and in the limelight since roughly 17 years old, and even longer if you count the athlete who competed in front of national crowds. Many folks meet me for the first time and feel as if they already know me because I’m just as genuine off the camera as I am on the camera. In this superficial digital age, that authenticity means the world to me!

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
The powerful notion that we create our own realities with our thoughts. This is an area of philosophy called the ‘law of attraction’, where you can shift/reorganize your own consciousness and neural pathways to work with you, rather than against you, for manifestation and abundance.
It’s a form of self-help philosophy that I have found immensely effective consistently since discovering this interconnectedness in my teenage years.
I largely credit my success professionally and personally to this way of thinking. I wish more people understood the power of their own thoughts. It might be pseudoscience, but it’s real.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
3 Little Birds Photography; The Daydream Agency

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