No hay dinero, “ there is no money.” The words my mother grew up hearing from my grandmother, words that I too have grown up hearing. I was raised in a family with a powerful lady who had nothing but did everything she could with her mighty might to get through every day! She is a lady who has created a foundation for her family, a barrier for protection, and intense love despite her fear of losing it all. Every day, I gain inspiration from this beautiful lady, Gregoria Martinez, my beautiful mother. I grew up hearing stories of my mother's life in Mexico. I learned about all of her struggles and the struggles my grandmother has gone through her life while raising my mother and uncles. My mother would tell me how she wanted to become a doctor but couldn't because she did not have enough money or opportunity to go to school even after coming to the U.S. I remember feeling upset and sorry that my mother couldn’t accomplish her dreams, that I remember saying “ Mami, I want to be a doctor.” I remember her laughing at me and saying, “Ay mi amor, don't burden yourself in accomplishing my dreams; allow your heart, mind, and soul to guide you into your path. Ask the saints and your ancestors to help you find your passion”. As confused as I was about identifying “who” I was, “what” I would be, and “why” I would strive to become the person I am today, my answer would become apparent over time! I would become the first in my family to go to college; I would be the first to have the opportunity to seize my moment; I would be the first to follow my passion; I would be the first to achieve my long-time goal of becoming a chef, I would be the first to have my golden hour, a light that would burst and shine bright throughout all the cosmos filled with love and passion running through my veins to my ancestor's souls and roots! I would become the first Mexican American in my family to have my own small business, “El Amor del Ancestro,” a business that would help me spread the love I have in my roots, veins, heart, and soul. My grandmother always told my mother, and my mother always told me, “ No hay dinero” ( there is no money), but what I forgot to mention is that my grandmother and my mother also said, “Pero si hay amor ” ( there is love )! You see, what my grandmother told my mother and what my mother told me was true. I may not have the money in the world, but I have an intense amount of love and support from everyone who has been with me during my journey in college. It's this very quote that I continue to share with other first-generation college students: we must never give up our fight to continue our dreams because we lack money. Instead, we should continue to fight for our dreams because we prosper from the love we have from our loved ones. Despite what others think we have and don't have, they don't know that we come from a long line of support, which is far more valuable than anything.

When I think of the people who inspired my love for cooking, I think of the original chefs within the culinary field. I think of the native ancestors, in particular, my native ancestors of Mexico, who have revolutionized the meaning of cooking and brought light to the Mexican Cuisine for what it truly is. My ancestors have been the most significant influence on my journey. From the stories of my ancestors being told while making a pot of tamales on Christmas Eve, to the pan de muerto in Day of the Dead, to even the simplest dishes like caldo de pollo on a hot summer day, those stories, those core memories, those core experiences of learning these ancient techniques formed by the hands of my ancestors is what has inspired me to continue their stories within every dish that I make. During my journey, I started a small business, El Amor Del Ancestro ( The Love of the Ancestors), which pays tribute to the original chefs who inspired my love of cooking. Within my small business, I represent Mexican cooking, where I can represent the native ingredients of my ancestors while elevating my creations with the simplicity of the ingredients. It has always been my dream to continue growing my small business by opening up a restaurant in honor of my ancestors, creating an open environment filled with love and serenity. Within my restaurant, I want to continue to grow and represent my ancestors' cuisine and bring people happiness with every bite they take. I want people to feel the same love and energy I felt within my ancestors in every dish they try, but I also want them to see the amount of passion and stories behind every dish made by their ancestors.

“ Maybe it can… if you are willing to guide it, nurture it, and believe in it.”—Chef Marron. At a young age, I could remember the nostalgia of being in the kitchen, smelling the aromas, watching my mother flip the warm corn tortillas from the comal, hearing the peppers from her garden being roasted, and hearing the sizzle of her Mexican Cazuela. One day, I envisioned myself in her shoes, being in the kitchen and living in nostalgia. As a kid, I was never one of the children who would spend their time playing video games. To me, I spent my time watching my mother cook her way through the kitchen, watching with a mesmerizing face, anxious to get inside the kitchen. As a kid, I was fascinated with my culture, traditions, family, and ancestors. I would learn how my culture and traditions have empowered the culinary field and how my ancestors have paved the way for me and my mother in our culinary journey. I always knew that I wanted to spend my life in a kitchen, creating food, elevating Mexican cuisine, and making core memories while sharing the stories of my ancestors through the food I represented. Still, I lacked the confidence to see myself in the chef world. With the lack of confidence, my skills learned from my mother and ancestors weekend until I met my culinary instructor, who soon became my mentor. Chef Marron saw my firing passion within my skills and ambition when I spoke of my dreams and goals and about my ancestors, who continue to inspire me in the field. Still, she also knew that I lacked the confidence to see myself in a way where I knew I could do extraordinary things within my career. Despite the lack of confidence, she never gave up on me but instead inspired me to find my voice within myself, where I gained the confidence to strive and fight for my dreams. This very chef once told me that maybe I could if I was willing to guide my passion, nurture my passion, and believe in my passion and myself. Within my second year in high school, I started competing in Culinary competitions, where I won first place, participated in different culinary boot camps/organizations where I was awarded awards for my work and contributions to the culinary field, and was on news interviews representing my small business, El Amor Del Ancestro, a small business dedicated to my ancestors where I sell baked goods, cakes, and cater food/private exemplary dining dinner services, to traveling across the states and out of state to do different culinary conventions and stage at various restaurants and work different chef events within Chicago and out of Chicago, to going to college for culinary school, to having my recipes be displayed in multiple websites and organizations. It was this very chef who helped me find my voice and who inspired me to do the same, to help young culinarians find their voice, have confidence in their skills, and understand that anything is possible if they are willing to guide their ambitions, to nurture their passion, and to believe in themselves.

At a young age, I could remember the nostalgia of being in the kitchen, smelling the aromas, watching my mother flip the warm corn tortillas from the comal, hearing the peppers from her garden being roasted, and hearing the sizzle of her Mexican Cazuela. One day, I envisioned myself in her shoes, being in the kitchen and living in nostalgia. I am living that moment today. As a kid, I was never one of the children who would spend their time playing video games. To me, I spent my time watching my mother cook her way through the kitchen, watching with a mesmerizing face, anxious to get inside the kitchen. As a kid, I was fascinated with my culture, traditions, family, and ancestors. I would learn how my culture and traditions have empowered the culinary field and how my ancestors have paved the way for me and my mother in our culinary journey. When I think of the people who inspired me on the culinary journey, I think of the original chefs who have impacted the culinary field. I think of the native ancestors, in particular, my native ancestors of Mexico, who have revolutionized the meaning of cooking and brought light to the Mexican Cuisine for what it truly is. My ancestors have been the most significant influence on my journey. From the stories of my ancestors being told while making a pot of tamales on Christmas Eve, to the pan de muerto in Day of the Dead, to even the simplest dishes like caldo de pollo on a hot summer day, those stories, those core memories, those core experiences of learning these ancient techniques formed by the hands of my ancestors is what has inspired me to continue their stories within every dish that I make. Not only have I been inspired by my ancestors, culture, and traditions, but I was also inspired by my west and south side community, Humbolt Park & Pilsen. My community was filled with love, serenity, and acceptance, so I felt the same urge. Combined, these elements brought me the spark I needed to pave my journey in the culinary field. The spark to continue the legacy and evolve the cuisine from the past and future in a way I never imagined seeing. When I think of Mexican cuisine and community, I think of the passion, love, and soul the ancestors have put into those dishes and communities because of the native ingredients they grew and cultivated. Those natural resources my ancestors have created inspire me to share the wonders of their work. I want people to experience what I experienced: food that tells a story, food that shares love, food that shares good spirits and soul. I want to share the hands that my ancestors have passed down from generation to generation. Not only do I wish to continue sharing their food, but I wish to create new creations while following the ancient traditions and the simplicity of their ingredients. I want to revolutionize the hidden gems in Mexico and bring light to how mesmerizing and flavorful these ingredients are. Within this revolution, I want to carry on the legacy of my ancestors by teaching young culinarians within my community. I want to offer a open hand so that they too could find their passion and voice their voice within the culinary field and express what it means to them to be apart of this culinary field. I want help these young culinarians feel confident within their heritage and native cuisine and bring light to the hidden gems in their culture and ancestors.