Today we’d like to introduce you to Mollie Guerra.
Hi Mollie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have been cooking for as long as I can remember. I loved watching my mom cook while growing up, and I continued that passion in High School by participating in a three-year culinary program. The program taught me a ton about the fundamentals of cooking and different aspects of the culinary world. I went on to get my degree in Business at UTD and took an insurance job that took me away from cooking as much. I’d still cook for myself and friends, but I found myself seven years into the insurance world, unsure if it was even what I wanted to do. Then I saw an ad for the show MasterChef, open casting calls for the next day. I told myself, why not? If I go and don’t make it, it won’t make any difference. But if I do, well, it would make all the difference. Having the opportunity to compete on MasterChef completely changed things for me. It sparked my passion for food again and gave me the confidence I needed to pursue that. I came back from LA and sold my house so I could start my food business full time. It started with a healthy meal delivery service for friends and family and has blossomed into so much more. We now regularly host private and public Chef’s Tables – seasonal tasting menus, Pop-Up events and cater events all throughout DFW, and still offer a weekly rotating meal delivery service on Mondays. It’s been an honor to cook so many places for so many different people and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh definitely not haha. But every struggle, every wrong decision has been a learning experience. Most of my kitchen experience has been my own, learning through videos, reading cookbooks, and watching others, so I’ve definitely made a lot of mistakes. Gratefully I’ve now had the opportunity to work with more chefs in other kitchens, but it’s hard to get into a kitchen without experience, so I had to prove to myself and others that I could hold my own. In the beginning, it was a lot of learning on the go. I had weeks when I first started, before my house sold, where I only had 1-2 orders for the week and still had to pay the mortgage. But I knew if I went back to working full time, I wouldn’t dedicate myself the way I needed to push the business. So, I would Uber, bake custom orders, whatever I could to make it work. Because there’s always a way to make it work, and that’s how I still see every road bump – how am I going to make this work, and what am I going to learn from it for next time.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m so proud to be a Chef. I specialize in a range of cuisines but am most known for my fusion style that’s mostly Latin & Asian inspired. I absolutely love surprising people with my dishes and flavors. I love trying new ingredients and being able to share those experiences with others. There are so many different foods that might at first seem unusual to pair together, but when done in the right dish can create a whole new experience. It’s my passion to able to express my creativity and emotions through food, and sharing that with others is truly an honor.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I could probably say my perseverance, which could also just be stubbornness hah. To always keep going, even on days when I felt like quitting. It’s definitely been hard; the days are long and start to run together, it’s physically hard on your body, mistakes happen, food burns, sauces break. But I’ll never give up. The orders still have to go out and people are depending on me, and if I’m in a bad mood then I wholeheartedly believe the food will reflect that and not taste as good. So, I just remind myself how grateful I am to be able to do what I love, and get right back to it.
Something I feel that is equally important is having the drive to learn, and to do so with an open mind. You can learn from anybody and anything, and absorbing everything you can is essential to progressing your craft. I look back at dishes I made two years ago and think of all the things I would do differently now, and hope I can say the same about the dishes I make now in the future.
Contact Info:
- Email: feedme@chefmollieg.com
- Website: chefmolliegllc.com
- Instagram: @chefmollieg
- Facebook: chefmollieg
Image Credits
Chef Michael Silverstein
