Jordi Restaurant

ABOUT US

My abuela always says that "the biggest love gesture is to cook for those you love, to nurture them."

There is no one I love and admire more than my mother and abuela, and I have never felt more loved and nurtured than when cooking with them and feasting on their delicious creations. Love has a taste and is that of a good old home-made meal.

It only feels suiting for a restaurant t only feels suiting for a restaurant to help create stability and generational wealth for my family and future generations to come. My first paying job was harvesting green chillies in Sierra de Puebla when I was about 5yrs old - of course I spent my hard-earned coins on tacos, I am serious about food- Ever since this first "paycheck" I have aspired to support my abue into her old age and my mother into retirement when the time comes, and I would always tell myself that I will get to a point where I am financially stable enough for us to start our own business. But the thing with entrepreneurship is that there is no perfect time and ideal scenario to start with, it takes a leap of faith and a willingness to take big risks, accompanied by hard work and a lot of trial and error. Opening our restaurant feels like a massive undertaking but mostly an incredible gift - we are here and we are actually doing this- and when met with setbacks my mother and I turn to each other and take comfort in knowing that seeing this learning curve through will only make it easier for us to open our second one.

OUR JOURNEY

We started this venture about a year ago and we could not be more proud of how far we have come. Along the way there have been lots of setbacks and unexpected shifts but we have seen every challenge through, anchored by our vision and the relentless support of our community. We are now just a few steps short of seeing that vision come to fruition and we need help to get us through the finish line.

Our restaurant is located at the heart of the picturesque neighborhood of Tlalpan Centro, in Mexico City, we count ourselves very lucky to have landed such a brilliant location with lots of foot traffic and surrounded by green areas, culture centers and historic real estate. At the same time a big downside with such old buildings is the rapid decay they fall into without proper care and maintenance, and unfortunately due to the toll Covid had on the restaurant industry the place was closed for two years, during which it accumulated all sorts of damage. We do not shy away from a challenge and having taken it on we have spent the past seven months restoring and renovating the site (see campaign photos). We have plastered and painted walls, installed new floor tiles, upcycled materials to build our own furniture, thrift shopped for some other pieces, completed the gas and electrical installation, taken down an old unsafe staircase and built a new one.... you name it. All while dealing with the various legal demands and requirements that come with such business ventures: permits, developing emergency plans to comply with safety regulations, accounting, affiliation, insurance, opening a business bank account, etc. We have felt under-resourced and under-qualified more often than not but we have continued to roll up our sleeves, trust the process and show up.

USE OF FUNDS

We are fundraising to finance the last bit of repairs, the acquirement of some missing kitchen equipment and furniture, and support us through the first couple months of runway.

We will continue to update this campaign with milestones and keeping you posted on our journey.

THANK YOU

We thank you for your support and will continue working to expand this project and turn it into a a thriving business that furthers the local economy and creates job opportunities. But no only that, our vision for Jordi goes way beyond a restaurant serving delicious food, we aspire to nurture our community in meaningful ways, food is just an instrument to drive connection, and we need that more than ever.