Today we’d like to introduce you to Trinidad Gonzalez.
Trinidad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Started when I was a kid I always had a passion for cooking, my mom inside cooking and my father outside cooking I was taught the best of both worlds, as time went on I was working in California for many different restaurants, where I learned more skilled training and fell in love with Asian cuisine and the arts of plating my food. Time passed on and I worked on Ships in the maritime field my first gig was a cook on these barges where I had to cook B, L, D, for 14 dudes. I went on from that to just working outside on the deck and only cooked in my off time. I ended up back in the kitchen as a cook for 12 dudes and completely engulfed myself into self-investment. Family is what brought me to step away from my comfortable salary job, my son, in particular, would always cry when I told him daddy won’t be seeing you for a month or 2 it would just kill me knowing I would see him for such long periods at a time, so decided to step away from my job at sea after eight years and branch out into my own business, Gordo Ninos LLC.
I’ve read the C.I.A curriculum book front to back several times and practiced about 90% of the dishes in there, along with many hours of trial and error, videos, practice, I am the chef I am today because of my discipline and yes I am a self-taught chef, and unfortunately without the “credentials” some frown upon that self title. But I’m willing to go the length and put the hard work I do every day into my career. Today, I have a successful business, with 2 taco stands, a credited catering history, competitions, Lean Sauce, TV show with Slumped Sessions. The future is bright and I look forward to see my hard work and drive be fulfilled.
Great, 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?
Ups and downs for sure. Funding, time, meeting deadlines, stress with juggling home life and business life, on the road constantly, it’s not a pretty path but it’s rewarding to be closer to home around family.
Please tell us about Chef Machete.
Gordo Ninos LLC is my company, we do anything from taco cart, catering, cooking lessons, meal plans, private dinner parties. I’m known for my sauce, Lean Sauce and being Houston trillest chef! I work any and all shows but I particularly work rap shows. I’m proud that I have a good team for my company, we all work hard and eat together. I have a unique approach, I’m just myself, you can’t find that these days I’m real with everyone I come in contact with I want to see everyone grow!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Family vacations, we use to go load up in the old Winnebago and just go!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 562-607-9251
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: real_chef_machete
- Facebook: facebook.com/realchefmachete
- Twitter: Chef Machete
- Yelp: Chef Machete
- Other: Chef Machete
Image Credit:
IG: REAL_CHEF_MACHETE, IG: ODALISINWONDERLAND
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