Daily Inspiration: Meet Melissa Daniels

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Daniels.

Hi Melissa , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story is very long; it dates back to my childhood, so bare with me. I’ve always had a passion for Cuban & Puerto Rican food. My dad, grandparents, great grandparents, & his entire family were born & raised in either Cuba or Puerto Rico. When my dad was about 10 they fled to Puerto Rico. I’ve been going there to visit family since I was in diapers. I call the island my “second home”. Having family from Cuba & Puerto Rico, I grew up cooking all sorts of the culture’s food: Arroz con Pollo, Empanadillas, Paella, Congri, etc. You can say it’s a passion of mine. When I was little, my dad mentioned wanting to open a Cuban/Puerto Rican restaurant because we don’t have anything like it here. Since then it’s been a childhood dream of mine. More a silly “when I grow up, I’m going to run a Cuban/Puerto Rican restaurant”, with little elementary aged Melissa, shooting for the stars, not fully understanding the hardship of opening/operating your own business. Come senior year of high school, I wanted to go to cosmetology school or go to college to become a substance abuse counselor (I was rebellious as a young teen), a more “practical” career for myself. Anyways, in 2020, I made steps towards my childhood dream. I received my Professional Food Manager Certificate & food license. I was set to open within Gus’ Commissary Kitchen, but 9 days before I was set to open, my oldest son, Killian (who was 4 at the time), broke his back & his pelvis. He was expected to be in a wheelchair & unable to walk for up to 6 months. It was then that I decided I’d postpone opening & find a space where I was able to bring kids with me. My abuela mentioned that some states have laws to protect in home bakeries & if Colorado was one of those states, she had family recipes I could use. That way I could get my name out there, start saving for a place of my own, & continue to look for a new kitchen. I opened that in November of 2020, after Killian healed from surgery. My in home bakery was a huge hit. Everyone absolutely loved what I had to offer & the story behind my bakery. In 2022, I decided it was time to throw myself out there & look for kitchen space again. I visited several restaurants in the area; inquiring about partnering with them during their off hours. If I couldn’t find anything by the time our youngest son (Gunner) was ready to go to kindergarten, I’d go back to Gus’. My last year home with Gunner, before he went to kindergarten, I unexpectedly got pregnant with our youngest son. It was a miserable pregnancy, so much so that I had to temporarily close my bakery. I was going to Poudre Valley Hospital twice a week for IV infusions because I was so sick I couldn’t even function. Then, 12 days after we returned home from visiting my family in Puerto Rico (a trip we had scheduled prior to me getting pregnant), I had our baby (Gatlin), 2 months early. Once he was home, after spending 32 days in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) & his medical conditions were fading, I decided to start searching for kitchen space again. I didn’t want to wait 5 more years for Gatlin to go to kindergarten to pursue my dream. But I also refused to put him in daycare, as he still had some medical complications, so I was determined to find a space that would allow me to have him, as well my older boys when they were out of school. This time I went all out; I utilized all my resources to find a spot: I reached out to the program director at Colorado Krav Maga (where my kiddos train), one of the owners at Westside Feed (where we get bird feed), & whoever else I thought might have connections. I told them what I was looking for in hopes they knew someone. Austin, at Westside Feed, texted me one day with a name & number of someone he thought might have a kitchen for me to rent. I reached out, with low expectations, as everyone I contacted either never called/emailed me back or had some reason why their kitchen wasn’t available. That’s how I met the family behind operations at Mystic Moon Bakery. I met them at their kitchen, they showed me around, & we got the health department involved. I ended up opening Elvira’s Cuban Cuisine (named after my abuela) February 24th, where I offer authentic Cuban/Puerto Rican food. All the food I make comes from family recipes, some of which that have been in my family for 150+ years. Opening week was pure chaos. It reached a point where I thought about announcing that I was completely booked, but I kept taking more orders as they continued to pour in. Now, 4 months later, operation is running much more smooth. I’m only open Mondays & Wednesdays, but given that it’s just myself (with a very generous helper on Wednesdays) & my 3 boys, that’s all I can handle right now. My ultimate goal is to expand to a place of my own where I can hire additional help, be open more days, expand my menu, & have a legit, full service restaurant. I have more faith now, that I’ll be able to succeed, but I also don’t want to rush my departure out of Mystic Moon Bakery & have to close my doors because I can’t make rent on a place of my own. Im not doing this necessarily for the money. Yes, that is a positive & I want to be able to help my husband, who hustles day in & day out to provide for us. But I also want Elvira’s to offer authentic Cuban/Puerto Rican food to Northern Colorado for generations to come; I want to pass my future restaurant down to my kids when the time comes where I can’t run this business anymore.

Alright, 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?
Oh, the word “smooth” is the last word I would use to describe this journey. I mean, it’s been a 5 year process. There were many times, when I was looking for kitchen space, where I would call my husband in pure excitement, telling him I think I found my spot. But there were also countless times where I’d leave an establishment, get to my car, & break down in tears out of feeling utter defeat. Operation, now, is much more smooth, but like any other business, I have smooth days, where everything goes as planned & then I have days that are quite the opposite (like this last Monday, for example), where everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong. But nonetheless, it’s a very rewarding journey.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Outside of offering authentic Cuban/Puerto Rican food, I don’t have much of a “professional” life/career. After all, I’m only 28 years old. I became a mom at 18 years old & have been a stay at home mom since then. My first ever job was working for my dad (he runs a construction company) as his receptionist. My first “real” job I was a hostess at P.F. Chang’s & then left that job to work at Kohls. I got pregnant with our oldest during my time at Kohl’s & then quit due to being put on basically bed rest. After our first son was born, I never returned to work. I’m most proud of the family my husband & I built. We started off as a very young family with very little to offer. When I got pregnant, my husband was working at a little pizza joint in Laporte, where he quit for a better paying & more promising job. Now, he’s moved up in his career & is an extremely hardworking & talented RV Technician; something he’s done since 2019. I think my whole life story is what sets us (& myself) apart from others. We created a family at a very young age & have achieved a lot that most people our age have not. We have 3 beautiful little boys, purchased our forever home in August of 2023, & have built an amazing life for our family. I’m not one to “brag” & I hope it doesn’t come off that way; I like think of myself as a humble person, but I’m very proud of everything we’ve achieved as a family.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see my business expanding to restaurant space of my own even sooner then 5 years. I didn’t expect word to get out so quickly, but my customer base is made up of mostly people who I’ve never met before. I have 26 five star reviews in Google & 16 recommendations on Facebook. I have so much hope & the future looks so bright for my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elvirascubancuisine.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Elviras-Cuban-Cuisine-61572527648879/?name=xhp_nt__fb__action__open_user&wtsid=rdr_0S0AXAC1rs86j9OIl
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@elvirascubancuisine?_t=ZT-8xYtYQaLIEp&_r=1