Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriela Camargo-Shirley.
Hi Gabriela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a young entrepreneur with some crazy ideas and a passion for Food! I have a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition, and I also went to culinary school, but I dropped out after falling asleep in my beurre blanc class (I was running a restaurant, opening another one, and trying to have a life in the middle of Covid). I’ve taken courses and learned everywhere from fine dining restaurants to street markets and people’s houses from small towns, different cultures. I’m a nerd for science and did a year internship in a bromatology and microbiology lab where I learned an interesting side of food. I’ve won cooking contests and also casted for Hell’s Kitchen. Isn’t that fun? Cooking is my gift, and my salsa is my legacy.
My work experience started at 12 years old when I was a volunteer at one of the teenager programs at UNICEF and I also was the PR at a chapter of the World Health Organization in my hometown when I was 17. I have successfully opened 7 businesses in 2 different countries in the past 6 years and provided corporate consulting to multi-million-dollar companies. I was one of the founders of a non-profit that provided assistance to people in need and volunteered for the earthquake in Mexico City in 2017.
I was born a leader and I always knew I was meant to be an entrepreneur. (I hope my teachers don’t see this and if they do, this is not a confession haha…) I started selling homeworks during high school to make extra money. Sometimes I baked cookies and sold them around the hallways, to my older sister’s college friends, and sometimes even at the park. I made good money out of it, and I liked it.
I got my first ”formal job” as a hostess in a fine dining restaurant in my hometown. I loved it! But the more I learned the more I wanted, and I decided after a year and a half to pursue a bigger dream and do something on my own. Did it work? It didn’t have the turnout I expected but ask me if I learned, I did a lot. And I knew it was too soon to give up, so I kept trying.
It was tough trying to balance everything going on at the time. I was in college, around the 5th semester of nutrition, training for dance and aerial arts competitions and trying to start a business plus finding time to spend with my family and wanting to do the things any 21-year-old girl wants to do such as enjoying college life and go to the club with my friends every weekend. I honestly don’t know how I made it work but I kinda did. And ”sacrifice” became a very familiar word to me. I barely had time to rest let alone dating someone because it was really hard to keep up with my lifestyle.
It all paid off. I won gold in almost all my competitions, got my degree in nutrition, started my businesses, spent time with my family, and partied like a rockstar. I didn’t feel ”full” but it was all working so I couldn’t complain. Call me ambitious but I knew I wanted more, I felt it wasn’t enough,
It wasn’t until 2020 that Covid hits, and with the lockdown, I saw myself forced to shut down everything. So, I basically took a risk against what everyone recommended, and I shamelessly disregarded the ”stay at home” rule. I bought a one-way ticket to San Antonio, and little did I know my life would change.
I left the city that was my home for 24 years a day before my 25th birthday, I said goodbye to my family, and with my heart in my hands, I flew to the country that today would become my home.
Sacrifice came again. Away from home, away from my family and friends. And Covid had everyone staying at home so getting staff was way too hard. I served tables, bartended, cooked, washed dishes went shopping for supplies… I was working 14-16 hours a day to keep the restaurants going. Dresses became shorts and t-shirt, high heels become sneakers, and the hours curling your hair become putting it up in a ponytail while you’re waiting for the light to turn green. You have no choice. You’re the boss.
I lived in San Antonio but went back and forth to Houston. Why Houston? I had met someone there, AH, he became my boyfriend and my prince charming. I went head over heels for him. I had never allowed myself to develop feelings for anyone to the point of thinking I wasn’t able to until I met him. He suddenly became my everything. After almost a year, he moves to Wisconsin (where he was from) to pursue a job offer he had. I was my own boss so I could be my boss anywhere I wanted. So, a few weeks after he left, I ended up moving to Wisconsin to be with him. First days were a dream, playing housewife while he was working but after the first week, I was tired of not working.
That’s where Cheese & Salsa started. I was sitting on the living room with a bag of garlic-dill cheese curds, a notepad, and a pencil. I just knew it. Cheese & Salsa. I bought the domain, created the social media handles so no one would take that away from me, and spent hours planning. It was a slightly different concept to what Cheese & Salsa is now, but it was definitely what I wanted. It wasn’t all so easy though. I had to leave again after a few months, I needed to go to the UK for a few weeks that ended up becoming almost 2 months. I tried to lose my flight at all costs and cried as I hadn’t cried before in public. I didn’t want to be away from AH again. It was sad. I hated being in the UK. Then I went to Bahamas to quarantine for 2 weeks before being able to come back. I landed in Orlando, then went back to Wisconsin. Back to the closest place to home. But I had to travel again. I hated it. I tried so much to make it work and when things seemed to align, I had to temporarily stay in Frisco being able to go to Wisconsin for a week every 4-6 weeks. Great. The second week in Frisco he decides to break up with me. I was devastated and I felt so alone, so homesick, so homeless. I flew over to grab my things from the apartment and it all felt so weird. I do not hate him nor blame him; he had his own struggle and wasn’t ready for commitment but still hurt like hell. I had never craved a hug from my family so badly. I wanted to leave and go back to them, but I also had so much to fight for here I wasn’t ready to give up…
Time went by and I healed, kind of… I had been told many times to go online dating and meet new people. So, I download this app that has a lot of security filters, and you have to pay a subscription which made it feel a bit safer than the other more popular ones. Still very skeptical I create a profile and browsing around I saw the profiles of ”Michael, Jake, Charles, etc.” and then I came across this profile that messaged me and the name was ”ICookandClean”. OH MY GOD! I just thought ”I like this one” and his opening line was a quote from Star Wars. We talked for a few days and then I decided I’d delete the app so I asked for his name, and I told him I didn’t like the app, but I liked talking to him, and I gave him my number hoping he would text me and he did. 10 days later we met in person and got engaged. A month after we got married. ”ICookandClean” was Zachary, my husband. (Again, please do not try this at home, there’s a million ways this could’ve gone wrong, be very careful with who you meet online)
After all this crazy things going on in my life during a year, I finally got back to Cheese & Salsa. I decided to share this dream with Zachary, and together we start this project. Conducting ourselves with a strong work ethic, values, and staying true to our convictions.
My family back home is everything to me. They’re my motor and my motivation along with Zachary and the family we want to start in a few years. I miss them every single day but a way for me to feel them close is through the food, the nostalgia, and the flavors. Which is why you’ll find some menu items with my parents’, siblings’, and grandparents’ names.
We just had our Ribbon Cutting and it was CRAZY! We had 103 people that attended! I feel so blessed to be in Denton
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
NOT AT ALL!
I think I still have PTSD of spending so much time at airports. I had a week in 2021 where I was in 3 different states, 4 different airports, and 8 different cities. All nonstop flights. It’s no fun. You get burnout really quick. A lot of people always said they were jealous of me traveling so much and that it seems super fun and all that. But the truth is, as an immigrant you feel like an outsider like you don’t fully belong, you feel alone.
Missing my family for sure. I’ve cried so many times and I still do because I need their comfort, their hugs, the laughter. And it’s sad, you know? When you comment ”I wish I was there” instead of ”we all look good/it was a fun time” on the pictures they post on Facebook of that family reunion on Sunday or the Holiday celebrations that I didn’t spend with them. Definitely getting married without my family being present was hard. Thankfully my uncle and his wife were able to come from Merida and my family from San Antonio came as well. And Zachary’s parents have been loving and caring, they treat me like a daughter and that means the world to me.
Friends becoming more and more distant until the friendship is just downgraded to follow each other on social media with no interaction at all.
Grieving in silence and just pretend like everything is fine because you have a life to live here, a business to run here, responsibilities to fulfill and it’s not just you, it’s your staff that relies on you. So that’s tough sometimes.
People berating me and saying, ‘you made that choice; nobody forced you to leave’ and that is somewhat true but how would someone know it would be this hard? No one tells you this!
Sometimes I would look at where I am, what surrounds me, what I’ve accomplished and asked myself if it’s really worth all that sacrifice. And those thoughts still haunt me from time to time. Not that I have regrets but sometimes you just can’t help it. I believe I do have daughter/sister/granddaughter/cousin/niece guilt because I blame myself for not being there. And I cry a lot more than I’d like to admit.
Lonely became the word that kept me company. I thought I was strong until I found myself seeking comfort in chicken broth and that hit me really hard. And it’s not that I feel defeated or anything, I love my husband and Denton is a place that finally feels like home, it’s just part of being an immigrant I believe, just getting used to settling down after so much going on.
But I wouldn’t change a thing. (Maybe just being able to see my family)
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cheese & Salsa?
Cheese & Salsa is a food truck that offers elevated street food. I decided it was time to share my story and the best way I can do that is through my food. I want to be able to make people taste the flavors I grew up with. As a female immigrant, it means a lot to be able to share my story, my family, my culture, my journey, my struggle, and my life experiences through my food. This is my gift to the world.
Born and raised in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico with Lebanese and Cuban ascendence. Educated all around Mexico, USA, and Europe. I want to bring a new concept of Street Food, introducing ancient flavors and traditional techniques with a contemporary twist and a fusion of cultures, flavors, textures but above all things, introducing Chef Gabriela.
I love that with a food truck I can take the business anywhere and that allows me to cater events like weddings, conventions, parties and also be a part in the events in the community. It is very important for me to connect with my people. I appreciate all the support I’ve received, and I want to give back to the community. I use my business also as a way to help. I like to
support non-profits and other small businesses and I also have a program called ”Donate a Meal” where customers donate $1, and that dollar will become a meal for the homeless people. I personally make and take those meals to this people and spend some time with them. It’s been a great way to create conscience and remind them that we’re equals. Not having a place to leave does not make you less human. It breaks my heart and even though I can’t change their living situation, I can provide a meal at least.
Another thing I do, since the business is mobile, we usually work with bars that don’t serve food. I have staff meal for the staff of those businesses around me that don’t sell food. These people work so hard and buying a meal can cost them a couple of hours of labor and I don’t have a heart to take that away from them. So, in order to support them I’ve been making a ”soup of the day” and the only requirement is to bring a cup, bowl, mug or container to put it in. It’s also been a fun way to get to know them and have a few minutes of conversation. We’re all in this together and we should all support each other.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I have 3 that marked my life, you can pick your favorite hahaha sorry! I couldn’t decide.
1) Discovering my inner foodie with my Daddy. I was 5 years old and would wake up very early on weekends. I knew my Daddy would be awake as well and he’d take me to the local market to eat and buy veggies, fruit, fish, meat, and every other thing we could find. He enjoys fine dining but says there’s nothing like street food.
Along the years we’ve traveled together and eaten on the streets of the smallest towns, we’ve created so many meals together with flavors that are to die for. Daddy has been my most special mentor, my biggest fan, and also my toughest judge.
Now at 27 years old, I still call him every time I create something to ask for his opinion, he always wants to know how it went after I cater an event, open a restaurant or just make dinner at home. I miss cooking with him and going out to eat.
My dream is being able to have him do all the food tours with me, go to the markets, and have him cook at Cheese & Salsa next to me. When he’s here, you can expect a very big event where you’ll get to try his creations. At the end of the day, Daddy knows best.
2) Cooking with my grandma. This is something you will only read because I cry nonstop if I try to talk about it. Before she started cooking, she would wrap her hair in a bandana or a head scarf, get an apron and wash her hands. It was a whole ceremony watching her do it. When my older sister and I started ‘’helping’’ out she would give us something to put on like her. Those who have seen Chef Gabriela ‘’in action’’ may have noticed she ALWAYS wears a head band. If you ever wondered why there you have it, it was thanks to my grandma. I adopted a lot of her methods including her looks; she is a big inspiration to me.
3) Sleepovers with my cousins. We did it since we were kids until Covid. They still have one at least once a year and I dream of going back and having one with them.
We’re like 15 grandkids and we all love each other like siblings. We’d watch horror movies at midnight and try to stay awake all night. As we grew older, the movie nights became nights out and the sweet tea and lemonade became more interesting drinks haha. But those were good and happy times. I love my siblings and my cousins, they’re the lifelong friends I have, and my childhood wouldn’t have been as happy as it was with them.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/CheeseAndSalsa_
- Facebook: facebook.com/cheeseandsalsa
Image Credits
Brittanie Nicole Photography
Hans Film & Photo
Runningboards Marketing
Denton Chamber of Commerce
DFW Stills Photography
