Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilia Montero.
Hi Emilia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We are Arthur and Emilia. We have been married for almost 30 years, and over time we have learned that life can surprise you in ways you never imagined. We have one daughter, Andrea, who is our greatest pride and one of the main reasons we chose to reinvent our lives here in the United States.
Originally from Venezuela, we both built solid professional careers before immigrating. Emilia spent many years in education and school leadership, serving as Principal of Instituto Andes, a well-known school in Caracas. Her academic background is in biology, chemistry, and neuroscience, and she has always been passionate about teaching, leadership, and helping others grow.
Arthur built a successful career in the security industry before specializing in logistics and operations management. He later became a partner in a supermarket chain called DiaDia, where he oversaw operations, logistics, and team leadership.
We had a stable life, close to our family and friends, and we never imagined we would start over in another country.
In March 2021, we arrived in the United States with only two backpacks and a carry-on, planning a two-week visit to our daughter Andrea.
She had come to study at college in 2014, and over the years it became harder and harder to see her. We lived with a constant fear of not being able to return to be close to her. That fear, combined with an increasingly difficult situation in Venezuela, pushed us to take the biggest leap of our lives.
When we arrived in the United States, we found ourselves starting over in a completely new environment, adapting to a different language, culture, and way of life. What began as a necessity to support our family gradually evolved into Art Cooks — a business built on resilience, creativity, hard work, and our love for bringing people together through food.
Starting again in our fifties was not easy. We had to adapt to a completely different life. But through all of that, we stayed together and learned a lot about ourselves and about each other.
We also feel deeply grateful for the friends who became family during this journey. Their emotional support, generosity, encouragement, and kindness made this transition much lighter for us. They helped us feel stronger during difficult moments and reminded us every day that we were not alone.
We are very different people, and over the years we have realized that our differences are actually one of our greatest strengths. We complement each other in many ways, and those different perspectives have helped us grow both personally and professionally.
Arthur is warm, funny, social, and naturally connects with people everywhere we go. Emilia tend to be more reflective and organized, and enjoy understanding how things work, especially through science and education. Somehow, those differences helped us build a life and work together as a team.
Food became an important part of that journey. Cooking helped us feel connected to home, to our culture, and to the people around us. That´s why we founded our business, Art Cooks.
Little by little, what started as a simple way to support ourselves became something much more meaningful.
Today, we continue learning, adapting, and building this new chapter together. More than anything, we feel grateful for the people we have met along the way and for the opportunity to reinvent ourselves while still being true to who we are.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We always say that God has been very good to us, placing the right people on a path that has been anything but easy. Building a business here has felt like learning to walk all over again.
The first major challenge was the language and cultural adaptation. Arriving in a society with completely different dynamics and laws pushed us to research constantly and seek help to make sure we were doing things right from the start. We had no business network to lean on — Google was our best friend.
Learning English was its own journey. When we arrived, we barely spoke the language, just the basics. But when we enrolled in our first English course, it felt like the road suddenly lit up. Things started making sense.
Another enormous challenge was starting from scratch and rebuilding our credibility. Back in Caracas, we both had solid professional reputations — here, no one knew us. But we had one powerful calling card: our word. Punctuality, honesty, responsibility, attention to detail — those values opened doors for us, one at a time.
Business accelerators helped us shift our mindset from having a business idea to actually being business owners. We sought out training first — learning how to present our project in a highly competitive market and earn the trust of our first clients, who became our most important growth channel through referrals.
Scaling from a home kitchen to a commercial operation, all while participating in accelerator programs, demanded an enormous physical and mental effort. There were days of real exhaustion and uncertainty — balancing kitchen production, deliveries, classes, and business strategy all at once.
But every bump in the road has been worth it.
Those difficulties transformed our mindset — they forced us to become more structured, to build better systems, and to appreciate every milestone even more. The challenges haven’t stopped us. If anything, they’ve shown us what we’re capable of when we work with consistency and a clear purpose.
And here we are — still learning, still growing, still building our beloved Art Cooks.
Also, beyond the business challenges, we have to talk about the human costs.
We left behind our own home and started to live with our beloved friends here. We left our family, our lifelong friends, and our country itself. We left the Caribbean warmth, the beaches, the tropical rhythm that shaped who we are. That grief doesn’t go away overnight.
And we made the decision to stay permanently in less than a week. No roadmap, no guarantees but the faith in each other and in the life we could build for our family. That leap into the unknown, without knowing exactly what the path ahead would look like, took everything we had. Looking back, it was the bravest thing we’ve ever done.
What made it possible — and softer — was Andrea. Having her here meant we also inherited her world: a family of friends who opened their home, shared their resources, and believed in us from day one. They didn’t just welcome us — they made it possible for Art Cooks to exist. We will never forget that and our gratitude with them forever.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Art Cooks is our family-owned catering company based in Boston, Massachusetts, built on our family recipes and the belief that food has the power to bring people together. Every dish reflects our story, our culture, and the passion with which we cook every day.
We founded Art Cooks in 2021 with the dream of creating food that feels both comforting and meaningful. We specialize in artisanal Latin fusion cuisine, offering meals made with real ingredients, no additives, and many naturally gluten-free and vegan options.
But we are more than a catering company. Our mission is to help our clients live a healthier lifestyle — through food that nourishes without sacrificing flavor, and through educational experiences that bring people together around the table.
We do corporate and family catering, also cooking classes, that´s why we create our flagship offering, Venezuelan Arepas, The Experience. It captures everything Art Cooks stands for. It’s an interactive cooking class where participants make their own arepas from scratch, then gather around the table to share different fillings — exactly the way we do it back home in Venezuela.
The experience has resonated so deeply that P.A.N., the iconic Venezuelan cornmeal brand, became our sponsor — a recognition of the way we are bringing Venezuelan culture and cuisine to new audiences across Boston.
Also, we are so proud to have hosted teams from major tech and pharmaceutical companies, private groups, and community organizations throughout the Boston area.
What sets us apart is the story behind every dish, is our own story as Venezuelans. Our recipes carry generations of family tradition, and our clients don’t just get a meal, they get a connection to a culture, a family, and a mission. That authenticity and care are something our clients feel, and it’s what keeps them coming back.
What we are most proud of is simple: we built something real, from scratch, in a country that was new to us — and we built it with heart.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
We truly believe that Art Cooks would not exist today without the support of so many incredible people who became part of our journey along the way.
First, we want to thank a very special friend who, together with his two sons, welcomed us with open arms when we arrived in the United States. They helped us start from zero, supporting us and giving us a place beside them while they were also going through one of the hardest moments of their lives — an irreparable loss. Their generosity, kindness, and emotional support will always remain one of the most meaningful parts of our journey.
They are those friends who became family during this process.
Thank you so much to them and all our new friends because starting over in a new country can feel overwhelming and lonely at times, but their encouragement, support, and constant belief in us helped us continue moving forward, even during the most uncertain moments.
We have also been very fortunate to learn from mentors and organizations that opened doors for us and guided us as new entrepreneurs. Programs like SCORE, EforAll, Amplify Latinx (ALX), Santander Cultivate Program, Franklin County Community Development with Wholesale Readiness Program, Commonwealth Kitchen Boston, Boston Public Market Business, WOCE. They all are business accelerators who helped us understand how to build and grow a business in a completely different environment and culture. Their mentorship gave us knowledge, confidence, and opportunities we will always be grateful for.
Our clients have also played a huge role in our story. Many of them supported us from the very beginning, trusted our work, recommended us to others, and became part of the Art Cooks family. Some started as customers and eventually became friends.
We also feel honored to have connected with organizations and companies that believed in what we were creating. One very special moment for us was when P.A.N., the iconic Venezuelan cornmeal brand, became one of our sponsors in recognition of the cultural work we are doing through Venezuelan Arepas, The Experience.
Also, hearing from our job with our business, Airbnb and Google counts between our partners. Thank you for that.
More than anything, this journey has reminded us that businesses are built through human relationships. Every person who encouraged us, shared our story, invited us to an event, or simply believed in us helped shape what Art Cooks is today.
Pricing:
- Corporate and family catering menus: typically range between $20–$35 per person depending on the menu and event style.
- Custom experiences and team-building events are tailored based on the needs of each group or organization.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.artcooksmeals.com
- Instagram: @Art.Cooks
- Facebook: Art Cooks
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilia-montero-854155a4/
- Other: http://art-cooksmeals.square.site/
