Today we’d like to introduce you to Isabella Isaza
Hi Isabella, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Isabella Isaza and I was born and raised in Miami, FL. I graduated high school from Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart and went to Boston University to pursue a degree in Business.
My parents are both entrepreneurs – they moved from Colombia to California, and started their own business, Coffee Resources, which specializes in wholesale trading and selling of specialty coffee. They moved to Miami to build their family and strengthen their business, being close to South America was always important to them.
Having grown up watching their example, I was motivated by their passion and determination and wanted to follow in their footsteps and be an entrepreneur myself.
When I started classes, I quickly realized the business route was not for me. I have always been a people’s person, but the competitive nature, stiff handshakes, and presentations in suits quickly disheartened my drive. I felt lost and frustrated, but determined to find a solution. I pivoted my path and landed on Marketing, as I believed it would be a good way to keep myself in a field that would allow me to work in different industries, as well as be able to express my creativity more, without competing with those around me. I felt happier and motivated once again.
In my free time, I found a love for cooking and food. What started with baking cookies and banana bread, quickly evolved into hosting wine paired dinners for my friends. I fell in love with the ability to express myself through food and show my love for others through the action of serving them. It was then in my Junior year that I decided to add Hospitality as my minor.
I graduated from BU in 2022 with a major in Marketing and PR and a minor in Hospitality. I was still unsure of what I wanted to do professionally, but I knew it had to do with food. Cooking and bringing people together brought my life meaning, and I was determined to find a way to make it work.
My parents loved my cooking, so when I decided to pursue culinary school, they supported me and helped me attend the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, New York. For me, this was the opportunity to pursue my passion – I had a degree that I could fall back on and had the time and support to do something just for me for a few months. I was off to NYC!
I describe culinary school as the best moment in my life so far. I was able to learn so many techniques, meet passionate and talented chefs, and truly immerse myself in food. Not only was I cooking every day and learning, but also getting to explore the food scene in NYC – which is truly unmatched. Part of my program included a two month internship at a restaurant in New York; I had the privilege to work at The Musket Room, a Michelin Star restaurant in Soho. This internship turned out to be much more challenging than I had imagined – it was one thing cooking for fun and low stakes, but a whole other thing to do it professionally. The long hours, weekends spent working, repetitive tasks, and lack of ability to express myself through food, made me pause and reflect – it was the second reality check I had that made me question my path once again.
I graduated from ICE in August of 2023 with my certificate in Plant Based Culinary Arts and moved back to Miami, once again determined to find what I wanted to dedicate myself to. I’ve always believed in the saying “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” but I felt like nothing I’d chosen so far fit. While I applied and searched for marketing positions, I began hosting ticketed dinner parties out of my parents dining room. I loved designing my menus, setting the table, bringing my guests in, and cooking my food for them – but the type A practical side of me knew it was no way to make and build living.
It was a few months later when a family friend approached me with a proposition. Her brother and his best friend had built an app – a restaurant marketing app, which showcased a personalized feed of Miami’s restaurant’s offers and events to consumers. The app was brand new, it had not even been launched yet. She said they wanted to meet with me, they knew about my love for food and hospitality and felt that with my background in marketing and the food industry, I’d be a great fit to help them bring their product to life through Marketing and Design. I was intrigued and flattered at the opportunity.
I began working with ARO – All Restaurant Offers, full-time, fall of 2023. I am the Creative Director, and I get to combine my passion for hospitality, as well as my love for design in the work I do each day. The app launched formally in Miami, March of 2024, as the newest tool to help restaurant owners and goers discover food and customers respectively. I love that I am able to design content to promote this innovative product and tool to both food lovers like myself, and passionate restaurant managers and chefs looking to expand their audience.
My love for food lives on, and I still host my dinner parties on the side – but ARO is what helped me pave my own new path and work for something I truly believe in. I guess I ended up being an entrepreneur anyways, as well as a chef, and a marketing chief too. “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life…” and never settle for just one thing.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been blessed with the privilege of supportive parents who motivate me to pursue my passions and aspirations – this has made all the bumps along my ride manageable.
I have been challenged to pivot and feel grace in the face of uncertainty when finding my professional path. I struggled to find the right fit for a job and find the balance between my passion and a practical career.
In all honesty, these struggles are something many people face, and I encourage them to reflect, take a pause, and be flexible enough to pivot. Sometimes you don’t fit in a box, and you must have the courage to create your own.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Amongst my friends, family, and peers, I have been described as a ‘jack of all trades’ and a ‘wearer of multiple hats.’ I am passionate, driven, and always give 100% of myself to whatever I am doing.
I am proud of my growth as an individual, I haven’t always been a ‘wearer of multiple hats.’ I actually used to be very intimidated and scared of change and the unknown. In the past years I’ve learned to adapt and to pivot when needed, something that was challenging for me to implement. It’s something I’m still working on!
I am a proud Chef, Content Creator, and Marketing Director. I’ve been blessed to be able to combine my passions in my current role at ARO – All Restaurant Offers as their Creative Director, as well as my dinner parties on the side.
I’ve always been a major foodie and have an Instagram account dedicated to my meals out, as well as recipes I’ve created (@dish_craves). I enjoy sharing my passion for cooking on social media and in person with monthly meals I host in my home.
Being able to dedicate myself to the different fields I enjoy, as well as my past experiences in the classroom and kitchen, have pushed me to grow and become well versed in different industries. I believe this is something that sets me apart and makes me who I am professionally.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Learning to navigate challenges and uncertainty has been pivotal in my life, and I believe risk taking is essential for growth and independence.
I think I’ve taken several ‘risks’ in my life that have shaped me into who I am today. Changing career paths (multiple times) has been a risk in the sense that it was easier to stay where I was and stick to the more conventional route – but the courage to switch and explore allowed me to find something that truly fulfilled me. Had I stayed in the Business School at BU, or not gone to culinary school, or even decided to work in a kitchen in New York, I would not be where I am today.
I believe every moment adds up and our life makes us take different paths – most of which are never linear. I am grateful for the risks I’ve taken, the most recent one being having joined ARO.
Working at a startup is an incredible opportunity, but also a huge risk. The lack of certainty can drive you crazy – but it can also be amazingly motivating. It’s up to me to make it work and push myself to create something great. Success is not guaranteed, but working for something you believe in makes it worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aroapp.ai
- Instagram: aroapp.ai
Image Credits
Natalia Ballestas and Ines Isaza
