Secrets for Success

You never know what is going to happen when you go to a party where you know no one.  My friend, talented chef Sue Torres,  invited me to go with her to the launch of Fox News Latino, News Corps’  better -late-than-never initiative to reach the elusive and economically vital  Latino market.  Whether by design or serendipity Sue and I spent the entire cocktail hour talking to the charming and scholarly managing editor Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush.

The next morning I got an email from one of the editors and we eventually agreed that my weekly On Zarela’s Mind posts would also appear on the lifestyle page of the new Fox News Latino. Yes, I know a lot of Hispanics are in an uproar because they feel that Fox 5 has done a lot of Latino-bashing but my feeling is that in order to get ahead we need to show everyone who we are and what we believe in.   So here is my first post On Zarela’s Mind.

When I was a little girl I used to complain bitterly to my mother about my name:  “Why did you name me Zarela?”  Why didn’t you give me a normal name like Gabriela, Ana, or Claudia? My mother always responded:

“Because it will look great in lights, honey,”

Where  my mother got the idea that her little tomboy would grow up to be  success I don’t know. Keep in mind that we lived on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.   I used to kill rattlesnakes with a ten-inch whip, break horses,  lasso, brand, and neuter calves.   If  I fell she’d order me to get back on it immediately and her constant: “You can do it ” stayed with me and put me on the track to eventual success.

How lucky I was to have parents who believed in me and pushed me hard  to do everything to the best of my ability.  My father always told me that the only sin in life was to not develop your talents and use them wisely.   All this eventually helped  me build self-confidence which is crucial for success. I grew up “con ganas” , a can-do-anything attitude that has stood me well.

Sadly many Hispanic parents do not help empower their children and it is usually a teacher that will see their potential. Organizations such  as masany, a mentoring program and MexEd Foundation that help students and parents develop this attitude and the desire and wherewithal to get into college is one of my biggest interests.

Over the years I’ve developed a list of my rules for success and I hope that at least one will help you on your way to the top.

Zarela’s formula for becoming a success once you have found your passion or calling:

1.- Develop an identity, a style,  that will be instantly recognizable and that carries through the different facets of your career or product.

It was my first catering teacher who told me that I had to develop a style of cooking that everyone would identify with me and that eventually evolved into a layering of flavors and textures that hit your palate at different times and bloom as you swallow.  In other areas such as writing, television and public speaking I always try to set everything in a cultural context and that is what I am known for, hence my mission..

2.-Develop a career plan, an ultimate goal but….. in the mean time

3.- Set small, attainable goals that further your career and build confidence

4.- Take chances, and calculated risks:

I moved to New York in 1983 with $10,000 dollars, put down $9000.00 as a deposit on a very nice apartment on the Upper West Side and was left with only $1000.00 dollars. My ex-husband said to me you are going to have to come back and I responded: “I’ll sell burritos in Central Park but I won’t come back or

I opened my restaurant Zarela in 1987 with $20,000 working capital.  I told all the purveyors who had worked with me at Cafe Marimba, the first restaurant where I worked, that if they believed in me, they would stock my first order free and if they didn’t I would never buy from them.  To this day, I have never sold one Corona beer at Zarela.

5- Always deliver, do the best job possible so people can trust you and know they can count on you

6- Surround yourself with good people, let them do their job, be clear abut what you want and expect.  Always praise them and always compensate them for extra work

7.- Be informed, stay up on current  events and developments in your field

8- Build your brand and make your product known, donate services and participate in events that will reach a large number of people

9.- Stay on message so people will know what you stand for.

My main message is “My mission is to make my culture known and understood.”

10.Develop relationships with the press – they will help get your message out

11- Reinvent yourself every 2 years so there’s always something new to write about you. Publicity is a symbiotic relationship–  they need stories you need coverage

12- Always send thank you notes to every one, for everything

If you need clarification on anything let me know or if you can add some of your secrets please send me an email to zarela@zarela.com.
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