Today we’d like to introduce you to Waleska Iglesias.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Guests always ask: Are you Italian? I tell them no, I’m Puerto Rican. Then they’ll ask, so why an Italian restaurant?
Growing up, Puerto Rican food was everything in my house — it’s my roots, my comfort, the food I love. But I’ve always had the same love for Italian food.
Now, If we were in Florida or New York, Puerto Rican food would thrive. But here in Utah, not so much lol. Part of the inspiration for Scelto came years ago. Each month I’d spend time in Tucson at my properties and I’d always go to @eatnorthitalia and I would always think, there is a big need for more restaurants like this in Utah. North Italia is such an amazing concept by Sam Fox. What he has built with all of his concepts is incredible.
Utah’s culinary scene has come a long way especially around downtown but we’ve still got work to do outside of that.
As a real estate investor and entrepreneur and as someone who loves to invest locally, I saw the need for more options specifically in the south end of the valley where I live. The choices are slim for a more upscale restaurant without having to drive downtown. So I decided to create SCELTO (Shel-to) I wanted to bring downtown to the suburbs.
Funny enough, in my business plan, I never thought I’d be operating the restaurant… but here I am, real estate broker and investor turned GM. How did that happen? Well that’s a story for another day….
I have absolutely LOVED the restaurant business. It is tough but also incredibly rewarding. It has pushed me to become a better business owner every. single. day.
I have such deep respect for the restaurant industry in general — not just owners and operators, but chefs, line cooks, servers, bartenders, bussers, dishwashers, hosts, and everyone in between.
I am so grateful for all of the people who have helped me along the way. As I look back, sometimes the best chapters are the ones you never saw coming
This is a Reel I did on IG with how Scelto came to be
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?
There has been so many obstacles. Not being in the restaurant industry has been a big learning curve. I have had to step in as the GM for the last year to make sure the restaurant succeeds and to learn the In’s and Out’s. Some of the obstacles have been Food Cost prices going up. Labor Costs, Lack of Work Ethic, Taxes after taxes, Lack of day to day operations knowledge. People not spending as much due to the economy. Time restrictions as I have another business I am running. That business keeps the restaurant afloat as there is no profit yet. Lack of systems and processes early on in the process. Employee turn over as well when the restaurant first opened.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been in the Real Estate Industry for the past 21 years. I am a local investor and principal broker of XA Realty Group. I specialize in different investing strategies through Real Estate. I have also invested out of Utah and love the Real Estate Industry. I love connecting and helping people and Real Estate is an avenue where I can do just that.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Scelto (pronounced Shel-to) means “To Choose” In trying to come up with a name for my concept for months I couldn’t find a name that I really liked. After a couple of months of writing different names to choose from I was listening to a spiritual podcast and they were talking about “The Chosen one” The light bulb went off and I thought to look up what Chosen was in Italian…. Scelto came up. I thought it was perfect- Choose to dine with us, Choose to work with us- Choose to Celebrate with us- Choose to support a local restaurant. The word Choose is a purpose driven word which is what I desire my brand to be.
It is not an authentic Italian restaurant even though we make everything in house including the pasta and the pizza dough. That is why I call it Modern Italian- We can add different things on the menu while keeping the staples on the menu. It is an Italian Inspired restaurant not authentic Italian. We strive to have quality food so our menu is not big.
I also wanted to bring a downtown vibe to the suburbs so the design reflects that.
Pricing:
- great pricing given that everything is made in house
- upscale dining
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sceltoslc.com
- Instagram: @sceltoslc
- Facebook: sceltoslc
