Today we’d like to introduce you to Michell and Bella Sanchez.
Michell and Bella, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started back in 2010 when I recently lost pretty much everything and was living next door to my mom in a 500 s/f efficiency. I met Bella one night out with my dad and I fell instantly for her smile. I did not have any money to take her out, so I would invite her over to cook. We both had a passion for cooking and she helped me discover my love for all things Mexican. We would make sauces and different dishes with my mom’s help and fell in love through our food. Bella worked for Univision radio and they had this yearly festival that she was required to work a booth for. We decided to make tacos and hot dogs and sell them, that was our first ever sale of our now famous carne asada. Fast forward a few months and my mom, Bella and I were on the back porch and my mom says “why don’t we get a food cart and sell food on the street?” Bella and I looked at each other and instantly went online looking for a food cart. Bella was awesome at research and in a couple of weeks she had found a 24′ trailer with a full kitchen and hood in Orlando. We contacted the seller and hopped into the truck and picked up the trailer the next day.
It was a bright yellow trailer with the words “king of steak” on the side for the Philly cheese steaks the previous owner used to sell. Bella took out her 401k and we put every last penny to get our business started. We parked on Bird road and 83rd ave and had family and friends come out to support us. My grandmother would sit outside and pretend to be taking bites as cars would drive by to make it look like she was eating and enjoying our food. We made $27 on that first day, but it was the start of this crazy thing called Latin House.
Without knowing it, we would end up starting a food truck revolution and were the pioneers of the food truck scene in Miami. Every week another truck would drive by and we made lifelong friendships with other owners and support each other till this day. After two years of the food truck world, we were lucky enough to meet an amazing family that gave us an opportunity to cater one of their family parties. We knocked it out of the park and were invited for several more caterings. I then put together a business plan and had the lunch that would change our stars one afternoon with the family. They once again believed in us and in our food and with a handshake, Latin House Grill would soon become a reality. On June 10th of 2012, we opened the doors to Latin House Grill on Sunset and instantly became the talk of the town. We became a place for families to meet and enjoy each other’s company. Our food quality and attention to detail helped us survive that first year that we had no idea what we were doing. All we knew was that we could make bad ass food and people really liked it.
Then one day, we get a call from The Food Network and they ask if we would be interested in filming this little show called Diners Drive Ins and Dives (DDD). We were so excited and honored at the same time, that when he Guy Fiery came the whole family lined up for pics and everything was about to change for the better.
Once the show aired just like Guy said, things changed. People were calling from all over Florida asking for directions. Then people were getting off of cruise ships and the airport and coming out to see us and sample our food. It was crazy and fun at the same time. After that we were lucky to Air on other shows such as Chopped, Mystery Diners, Guys Grocery Games which have all helped establish ourselves as a go to place in South Florida for some awesome grub.
We have now set off on another project we call Madlove which is a fast casual concept that we hope to share around the country with everyone. With the help of family and friends we are positioning ourselves for the future and to hopefully one day pass this on to our children.
Great, 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?
Every day, it’s a struggle, things break, people quit, and money is always an issue. This job is amazing when it’s going well and torture when it’s not.
Please tell us about Latin House and Madlove Restaurants.
We are a family restaurant that is known for our Burgers and the quality and uniqueness of our food. We are proud to service our community and have the opportunity to provide for our families.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Spending time with my family during the holidays.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9565 SW 72 ST
Miami Fl 33173 - Website: www.latinhousegrill.com
- Phone: 786-564-5683
- Email: latinhousegrill@gmail.com
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