Latina Leader Spotlight: Chef Cariño Cortez
As a young girl in Texas, my second home was San Antonio. My dads side of the family still primarily lives there, and it holds such fond memories for me. One place that I would never miss visiting, no matter how many times I’d go, was Mi Tierra! The pan dulce choices alone will get you coming back, but it really is a fully immersive experience to step into the colorful doors - taking in the smells and sights, you know you’re home right away.
So, when I came across a tiny girl standing in front of a pan dulce case on my Instagram I immediately paused to take in the cuteness. Only to realize, I’d followed a descendent of the Mi Tierra legacy Chef Cariño Cortez and the tiny child was her daughter.
Of course I quickly asked to interview her and am happy to present you with our Q&A - enjoy the read and let us know your experiences at Mi Tierra!
Q: Tell us the basics, what is Mi Tierra and what is your role?
A: My Grandfather, Pedro Cortez and my grandmother Cruz opened up Mi Tierra in 1941. My grandfather was an immigrant from Guadalajara, Jalisco, and he was working for his aunt and uncle's butcher shop. One day, he went to deliver meat to a little tiny restaurant in Market Square, and the owner was fed up with the business, he asked my grandfather if he wanted to buy the place for $150. My grandfather got a loan from his aunt and uncle and purchased the small restaurant, at the time it was a counter and three small tables, my grandmother cooked traditional Mexican food and used recipes passed down to her from her grandmother. Today, it has grown to seat over 500 people at a time and we have over a million guests a year.
I have a degree in accounting as well as a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America. My role is ever evolving, I worked in fine dining kitchens at the start of my career in NYC and Chicago, then migrated down to Texas and started consulting with various food and beverage businesses. I opened up Viva Villa, our taqueria in Market Square, I did some not as exciting projects like work on integrating our recipes into a complex accounting and inventory system, my newest project for the last few years has been working on the Mi Tierra food line for grocery stores, currently we have 3 products throughout the state of TX at HEB and on our website www.lafamiliacortez.com. We have a lot of products at various stages of development and are strategizing their debut.
Q: What is your youngest memory at Mi Tierra?
A: I remember us spending plenty of family dinners and Sunday lunches there, my sister and I ran around like it was our second home, and we always picked a small cookie with the pink sugar from the bakery. My dad always made sure to tell us how important it was to know everyone who worked there and to ask them about their family and to be there for them.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a Latina leader?
A: It's very important for me to be a Latina leader and help other step up along the way. The more diversity that is driving conversations, and making decisions, the more representation and inclusion we will have in all spaces.
Q: Who are your Latina inspirations?
A: I have a few, Major General Angie Salinas, she was the first hispanic woman to become a general in the Marines, and is now the CEO of Girl Scouts of SW Texas, her leadership led me to become active as a board member for Girl Scouts because of their strong investment in the West Side of San Antonio, one of the poorest districts in the entire city. Girl Scouts build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. They have demonstrated their commitment to investing in girls' leadership programs and over 50% of their chapter have some sort of scholarship so that anyone who wants to be a girl scout can be one.
My grandmother, Cruz Cortez, would also be a Latina inspiration to me. She recently passed away at the age of 98. She raised a restaurant out of the great depression, and raised 5 children into the business. She always had high standards and would tell it like it is.
Q: If you HAD to choose - top dish and pan dulce to try?
A: My absolute favorite plate is the Chilaquiles Famosos with Red Chile Pork. They are Tex Mex Style Chilaquiles with scrambled eggs and melted cheese, the red chile pork is a slow simmered stew made with chile cascabel, a flavorful, mild red chile.
Favorite pan dulce - Pan Fino Conchitas, they are so soft and have cinnamon sugar, the best!
Q: What do you want the Mi Tierra legacy to be?
We always say that Mi Tierra is more than a place to eat, we have 3 pillars, Comida, Cultura, Familia.
Comida because our recipes, we hold near and dear, we make so much of our food from scratch, we have our own butcher area, our own spice room, our own panaderia (bakery). We value our family recipes and honor the history from where they come from.
Cultura, you'll see when you walk around Mi Tierra, that we love our culture! My dad would always say, Everyone wants to be like us! We have bright lights, colorful piñatas, murals, altars, music, it's all a part of who we are and the restaurant gives such incredible context to Mexican culture.
Familia, every one of our 500 team members are like Familia to us, we have had several team members that have been with us for over a decade, our corporate executive chef has been with us for over 50 years, Its a special atmosphere to work in. We are also a family owned business, where only 12% of businesses make it to the third generation and only 3% make it to the fourth generation, we want to be sure that we take care of the legacy that is being passed down generation to generation and preserve our values.
Q: What advice do you have for Latinas who want to do what you do?
A: My advice is to pursue your passion, stay humble, and learn from everyone. Always keep up with what's going on in your industry and never be afraid to reach out to someone for advice and to help someone that is reaching out to you.
