Today we’d like to introduce you to Selina Rodriguez.
Hi Selina , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Selina. I am the owner of La Cocina De Sely mobile food trailer. My love for food has been in me since a child. I used to watch my grandmother cook. Every day when I came home from school, I had a home-cooked meal. Watching her and the love that she put in every meal inspired me to carry the same traditions. I started cooking as a young child and then once I had my family, I made sure that I provide an authentic Puerto Rican traditional meal to my family whenever time permitted. Balancing in between being married, working a FT job and a mother of four kids. I’m born and raised in Chicago. Been out here in Florida for five years. I used to cater in Chicago and I knew that my dream was to have a restaurant or at least be able to sell food to the public. Fast forward to now, I have been operating my food trailer on the weekends for almost a year. The love and support that I received from my central Florida family has been overwhelming and has made me truly believe that what I’ve always been passionate about and saw in my future was meant to be. The positive feedback and loyalty amazing! The food that I cook are items that I’ve met my family, their whole life. When I’m cooking, I am giving you a part of me my family, my traditions. I want you to feel and taste the love. I enjoy when I hear people tell me this taste just like how my grandma makes her rice or this has so much flavor. What do you do? It just reassure me that I finally took a chance and what I knew I had wanted to do in life and it was worth taking the risk.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
First off financially was one of the main reasons why my dreams were not able to come to life a lot sooner let alone I think trying to juggle family having young kids and working and trying to run a business was gonna be way too much and overwhelming so the timing was not right. Some of my other struggles are more internal, so self-doubt, imposter syndrome, can I do it? What are they gonna say? Will anybody like it? A lot of overthinking. I am still currently employed been with my existing company for 25 years. People tell me sometimes you have to leave stability and take a chance. That still has been my biggest struggle, balancing out both working full-time job as a supply chain operations manager, and working my food trailer on the weekends. At the end of the day, I know that I am trying to continue to move my self forward from my own business and that’s why I keep doing it so my dreams can come true. I want to be a good example for my family. I want them to be proud and say she believed she could and she did.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a self taught cook take different techniques or flavors that I like from different recipes and make them my own. I offer authentic Puerto Rican food and try to bring some of that Chicago flavor to Florida. What sets me apart is I still do things the traditional way my grandma taught me so when it comes to making my food everything is done from scratch. The ingredients are store bought but I don’t take any shortcuts. I am proud that I have continue to carry on my cultural authenticity with the people that are around me.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I have Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, but I still have to figure it out 😂. If you’re interested in any of my services, you can give me a call at 863-251-4330 or follow me on my social media. I am able to do catering event for parties or business. I provide a variety of services.
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