Today we’d like to introduce you to Valentina Story.
Hi Valentina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2006, I graduated in Venezuela, my country of birth, as a Graphic Designer. Although I worked in various areas, especially in corporate identity development, gastronomy has always been an important part of my life.
Since a very young age, I had the privilege of traveling and experiencing many restaurants around the world, which sparked my interest in fine dining. Years later, I had to emigrate from my country and decided to pursue two of my dreams: to study gastronomy and live in New York. One year later, I graduated from the International Culinary Center as a culinary arts professional and completed my internship at a beautiful restaurant called Bouley (1 Michelin star).
Over the years, the opportunity came to help some good friends with the concept and graphic image of their new restaurant in Washington D.C., and that’s when I discovered that my two careers complemented each other in an ideal way to work in gastronomy. A year later, I joined their team as Creative Director, where I learned much more about this industry. There, I had the opportunity to develop five restaurant concepts for them, including the entire interior design of Joy, in Bethesda, MD.
In January 2024, I founded my own gastronomic marketing agency, Branddict, alongside my partner Maritza Rondón (Marketing expert), where we offer a range of services, including social media, gastronomic concept development, interior design, and marketing strategies.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working in gastronomy definitely presents different challenges, not only economic but also working with the public. Every role in a hospitality business is important, and when that link breaks for various reasons, the work becomes more difficult.
Specifically in my field, the limited budget that entrepreneurs have is a huge challenge. Sometimes, everything looks spectacular in sketches, but the result ends up changing because what the client dreams of requires more resources than expected. Similarly, time is a big factor; this industry has a very fast-paced rhythm in every sense, and there are usually very tight deadlines for any project.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I believe that what makes us unique as professionals is how specific what we offer is and how we specialize in a particular area.
In my case, I’ve always felt different because, in addition to having the virtue of being naturally creative, gastronomy is not just my job, it’s my passion, it’s a lifestyle. I enjoy reading about the history of chefs, I enjoy going out to eat, I get excited when chefs ask for my opinion, I like connecting with people in the industry, and I think that’s where the key to everything lies. When our work is a fundamental part of our life, we do things with love, professionalism, and originality. In this industry, for me, there is no competition; I call it “inspiration,” whether it’s for the good or for what I wouldn’t want to do…
I feel that chefs who place their trust in me for their projects see more than just a designer. They see someone who researches, who gives honest feedback, and above all, someone who will find a concept that makes them shine as professionals. Because a chef or an entrepreneur in gastronomy is a brave person who is willing to bet all their resources to make others happy… that is hospitality.
What’s next?
My focus nowadays is to continue developing myself as a professional and, above all, to have more projects in Miami. Although I’ve been living here for 8 years, I don’t feel like a local yet and I still don’t have the relationships I would like because I worked for almost 5 years in D.C., traveling once a month. Basically, the people I’ve worked with and still have projects with are from the DMV area.
We are also working on some digital products that we would like to launch at some point during the year. Photography courses for social media, guides for new businesses, and much more!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hellobranddict.com/
- Instagram: @lagastronomist
Image Credits
Joy Interior Design: Jennifer chase
Mita interior Design: Rey lopez
