This past week, the Pueblo Foodacutes got the chance to meet some very special business owners and experience what it is like to be a part of starting a business in the food industry. We started the day by visiting Musso’s, a family-owned restaurant that serves authentic and might I add, delicious, Italian food. The Musso’s explained to us that running a business is like being in a second marriage. It takes up a very large portion of your day, and a normal day can begin at 4 in the morning and last until 9 at night. They also told us that they have a true passion to pursue the restaurant business, and that they had chances to take other paths in life but they felt that continuing the restaurant was the right thing to do. Angel, a member of the Pueblo Foodacutes stated that his biggest takeaway from the trip was that “They were very passionate about what they do and they turned down some of the biggest opportunities to get where they are now. For example, the Musso’s restaurant owner was offered an acting job, but turned it down due to her busy schedule in the business.”
After we ate a delicious meal at Musso’s, the Pueblo Foodacutes traveled to JoJo’s Siracha company, a self-made business that took almost 10 years to grow. Jojo explained that she had started small, and worked her way up to becoming the entrepreneur she is today. She showed us how she washed her vegetables and explained the fermentation process. Then, we headed to the kitchen and saw how the siracha was blended. It is done in a very careful manner, and the employees make sure that every batch is blended to perfection. We were then invited to taste the final product, and it was delicious! It was very eye opening to see how exactly the food that we eat is made. It is rarely discussed, so it was very refreshing to see the process behind the food we consume. After touring the kitchen, we were able to see how the company hand labels their jars, and we got the chance to label a few jars ourselves!
Overall, the trip was a very educating and enlightening experience that showed us how important the food we consume is to our daily lives, and to the lives of those who provide the food for us. I highly recommend that if you are interested in learning more about how food gets from the farm to your table, that you should research it!
- by Libbie Eborn