by Chamidae Ford
There is no denying that COVID-19 hit the restaurant industry hard, forcing businesses to lay off countless employees who made their livelihood by serving, cooking, and working in restaurants. Alex Dorros, who co-founded the new South American restaurant Siembra with his mother, Sandra Marulanda, is one of the many who lost their job back in March.
Owning a restaurant was never what Dorros had envisioned for himself, but the pandemic created a unique opportunity, and he seized it. After he lost both his restaurant jobs and his mother left her teaching job, the duo realized Siembra was a venture they could work toward together.
“We weren’t really thinking about being business partners from the beginning,” Dorros said. “But then, as she lost her job and we were sitting there cooking and testing recipes, we were like, ‘Why don’t we just do this together?’”
Although opening a restaurant in the pandemic has been a daunting and challenging task, Dorros has found joy in the process.
Continue reading Siembra: Creating Roots, Community, and Celebrating South American Cuisine