Today we’d like to introduce you to Ulisses Souza.
Hi Ulisses, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have been in the restaurant business since I was 15 and still in high school. I worked in a Latin restaurant where my passion for the food business began. I started working as a dishwasher, and since the line cooks would spend more time outside of the kitchen smoking than making orders, they decided to teach me how to cook.
At the same time my passion for the whole restaurant business began, I started as a bus boy and later as a server when I didn’t have to work in the kitchen. When I was 17, I knew how to do pretty much anything you could imagine in the restaurant business, including washing dishes serving tables, to doing the food cost for plates.
As my passion grew, I knew that I wanted to continue working in the food business in the future. I worked at the same restaurant for 8 years and the owner, who taught me a lot, decided to open a new place and make it a franchise. I was promised a 20% partnership once we had the first Restaurant opened, but sadly things didn’t go well and due to the huge crises of 2008, the restaurant closed down.
The new restaurant closed down and I went back to work at the same restaurant I used to work at. In 2011, this place closed down as well.
I now had to look for a new job. Fortunately, some of the servers that used to work with me told me they were working at a new place. I decided to come by and apply for a job as a server, but the owner told me he wasn’t looking for servers but that he needed a cook, and since he knew I was a Chef he said I could join his crew as a cook, and I could start the upcoming week!
A week later, I was there for my first day on the job. Everything went smoothly and 8 years later I am still there, now as a partner. They gave me the opportunity to grow with them and do what I love the most, which is to live out my passion in this wonderful business called a restaurant!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say that it was a struggle working as a dishwasher however, it was a difficult job, especially at first, but once I learned how to work it became easier.
In the restaurant business, you have to keep learning daily, so you can keep your customers coming back.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m the head chef and partner of El Balcon De Las Americas. (www.elbalcondelasamericas.com) We have been in the restaurant business since 1997 and have 6 locations in Broward County (Florida). We will be opening a 7th location in the upcoming month in Boca Raton (Palm Beach County).
We created a new design and the restaurant looks beautiful! I’m also working on a new concept, A Mexican restaurant (Chilacos Tacos), which we should open within the next 2 months! This new restaurant and dining concept creates a new spin on authentic Mexican street food while infusing the region’s cultural melting pot into the menu.
I’m responsible for launching Chilacos Tacos and its new take on Mexican street food. I believe that nothing brings people together like a good meal. This approach is at the heart of this effort, whether creating the menu or delivering world-class customer service.
“At Chilacos Tacos, the goal is to feel like you’ve had the best Mexican street food ever while enjoying the social experience of having a day or evening out with your family or friends.”
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
We are still learning and growing daily after the whole Covid Crisis. There is still a shortage in some products. Groceries reached prices that we couldn’t have previously imagined. We are basically paying almost three times more than we used to before.
The shortage is still an issue and there are weeks that we can’t find certain products, and when we find them, they are being sold at ridiculous prices.
Unfortunately, I saw businesses close during the pandemic. We were very blessed and worked hard to keep our business open.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ulissessouza.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef_ubs/
- Other: https://chilacostacos.com and https://elbalcondelasamericas.com
