Meet Maria Alavarado | Cook
We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Alavarado and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Maria, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
My name is Maria Alvarado, I’m from Luis Moya, Zacatecas but grew up in a small neighborhood called “El Charco de la Gallina”. Back in the 60s-70s there were no more than 10 houses and no electricity or water in the neighborhood. I am the oldest of 6 siblings, and as the oldest, I helped my parents with whatever I could. I learned to cook at a very young age and by the age of 7 I knew how to cook an entire meal from scratch.
I learned to turn on firewood and use a metate by watching my Mom, Margarita.
My dad was a farmer, and most of my childhood was spent helping my parents in the fields. There I learned how to make food like chilaquiles, nopalitos, toasted corn, beans since I would be the one to make the food for everyone.
My dad passed away when I was 12, and we moved to El Coecillo where my mom and I started selling tamales, gorditas, enchiladas, tacos dorados, and other foods.
Thanks to her, and all the people I met along the way, I am now able to share these Traditional Mexican dishes with you all.
The recipes that have been passed down from generations, from my great grandparents, and my parents are the inspiration behind what I do. I’m blessed to be able to share my love for cooking and the love I have for the food I grew up with.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I cook the way I was taught, people always tell me how the flavor is so much like the foods their grandparents made and life in Mexico. I make everything from scratch and to this day I still cook outdoors.
Getting to where I am now wasn’t easy, I was working full-time as a housekeeper for 25 years, I would make time to cook for friends and family after work.
I would sell food at work. If I could sell food, I did. It wasn’t until 2018 that I had a work injury and was let go.
and that’s when I started selling from my car.
I spent all of my time cooking and selling food and did deliveries as well. Eventually my kids started helping as my business grew. We then started selling food at Charreadas, small concert venues and pop up events in the DFW area.
One thing I learned along the way is that, it’s ok if you don’t sell the first day, you might sell double the next, be relentless and don’t let mistakes along the way stop you from what you want. You can’t do it all by yourself, but there is always someone out there willing to lend a hand.
What I want people to know is that if you have dreams and goals, don’t wait until tomorrow, start now.
We are a home based business and you can find our contact information, daily menus & upcoming event dates on our instagram account @ _cocinalamargarita__
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank my family for believing in me, for working with me and making time to help me with my business. To all the people that have supported me throughout the years, and all the people I have met in this journey. I am very blessed to be able to call many of you my friends.
Instagram: _cocinalamargarita__
Other: Cocinalamargarita@gmail.com
Image Credits
J.Verdin
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