American Latino Magazine Food and Beverage Issue | Page 12

I Build, Cook, and Perform Andres Fernandez Comedian & Restaurateur A ndres is no stranger to the restaurant business or interacting with the public. His dad was a baker, he was a baker and he owned The Savory Cafe in Ventura - a bakery. He is also a veteran comedian, having entertained audiences and troops all over the world including Kosovo and Iraq for over 20 years and 10,000 shows. He’s also half owner of the Comedy Club. Nor is he one to miss seeing the potential of a location, or an idea. His original idea for the location was as a place people could come to get a glass of wine and an appetizer before going to one of the local restaurants. Prior to opening, he had to completely remodel the space - including creating his own bar out of concrete. It opened in 2010 as Andres Wine & Tapas. He initially was making the food at the Savory Cafe and bringing it over. That worked out okay, except for the demands of running three businesses and running back and forth to make the food was too time consuming and not very efficient. So he sold the bakery, got a full liquor license and concentrated on the two businesses at the harbor. I started making gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. And I realized that out of that little kitchen - that I could do well. So, I make my own soup, we make our pesto...we make everything there, and we make a fantastic sandwich that is getting a phenomenal reaction - people absolutely love it and I’m hitting my points for my cost. The kitchen is clean, there’s never any mess. He believes in keeping it simple, easy, and in only using the best ingredients. There are 11 items on his menu and eight of them are sandwiches. “At fist our focus was wine, thus the Tuscan look, but I had to adapt to the conditions. You realize, running a business is really an art. It’s got to be perfect...and now I have something that is really, really doing fantastic.” “Business is not about money. It’s really not. It’s about an expression of yourself, that people can’t really see. I want my vision outside; to create something. While I was setting this up, I lost track of time, I was in the zone. When you’re in that, like a musician, there’s a certain forever Zen that I love. I think you have to be a little addicted to the craziness. My passion now is a ‘Good Idea’. I build, cook and perform, that’s all I do” ALM: To someone starting out in their own business, what would you say to them? “Run! Change your mind. Get therapy!” For Info About Caterings, Reservations or Any Other Inquiries, Call: Voted #1 Michiladas In Ventura County by: Latino Business Expo 805-487-6933 “Be clear; know where you want to be, what is your passion. You can’t be laid back or lazy. You have to be creative and a problem solver, learn from your mistakes and adapt. You must do your homework, otherwise your mistakes can be costly. “ Andres starts his day at 6 am with a trip to the gym and then time for reflection and planning. He keeps a journal and writes in it daily- his “me time”. He attributes the loss of his brother at an early age for giving him clarity of purpose for his life and “forcing” him to realize that comedy was his passion. Watching Richard Pryor inspired him. He has a vision for The Harbor of dressing it up with outdoor art.” “You need to really calculate the risks. You make it happen because you see it ahead of time. The two things you need to have: you’ve got to have the vision and be able to plan things out to every little detail; you can’t have enough detail. That’s the best advice I could give.” E X PO Marketing Your One Stop Shop Let our high impact graphics tell your story! 12 AMERICAN LATINO MAGAZINE • BRINGING PEOPLE, BUSINESS AND CULTURE TOGETHER LATINOSONLINE.COM ORGANIC TEQUILA “ It’s one of those things that...it’s got to be a labor of love. You’ve got to first and foremost follow your dreams, absolutely, you’ve got to do it. That’s the only way people are successful you’ve got to take risk, get out on the skinny branches. In my opinion that’s where real life is. Life isn’t in being cautious, life is in being a little bit risky. With that being said a smart businessman also thinks things through, thoroughly. A real master business man doesn’t really take “risks”, they’re calculated risks.” Something he admittedly needs to improve on, being more of the jump and then analyze type. “It’s never too late to learn, and I’m not that stubborn to keep going the way that I am. If I want to be successful I’m going have to better myself and see my faults and own up to them. I’ve been successful so far, but I’ve reached my limit being this way.” Come Visit Us At: 1041 S. Oxnard Blvd Oxnard Ca, 93003 The World’s Top Rated LATINOSONLINE.COM USDA Certified 100% Organic Gold Medal Winner 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition www.T equilaAlquimia.com Business Startups, Parterships, Sponsorships: t: [phone] [email protected] 230 W. 7th St., Suite B Oxnard CA 93030 www.DowntownOxnard.org Custom A-Frames • Sandwich Signs Made To Order • High Impact Graphics 24/7 Outdoor Advertising • Full Color Graphics Weather and Fade Resistant Your Logo or Graphic • NO MINIMUM 805-216 -1927 BRINGING PEOPLE, BUSINESS AND CULTURE TOGETHER • AMERICAN LATINO MAGAZINE 13