Today we’d like to introduce you to Justine & Pepe Arellano.
Hi Justine & Pepe, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Pepe and I met a few years ago, I believe in 2017. I had a meal prep business I had started out of my home after I had graduated with my Associate’s in Health/Wellness and personal training. I started preparing healthy meals for just myself, but several people had asked me to prep theirs too, thus “Mindfuel Zen Bistro” was born (formerly Muscle Meals). Pepe became one of my clients after seeing one of my posts in the classifieds on Facebook. He and I were both married at the time. Pepe remained one of my most loyal clients, ordering meals every week without fail. In late 2020, we began talking more and realizing we both were going through a separation at the time. We connected and began dating, and eventually got married on 11.11.2022. Pepe is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico, and came to the US in 1998.
He has always had a passion for cooking, specifically, grilling meat and Sonora-style hot dogs wrapped in bacon. He had a vision to open a Mexican restaurant or a food truck at some point, so with both of our culinary backgrounds and love for cooking (and good food!) we started looking for opportunities in the restaurant industry. Through an acquaintance of his, we were given the opportunity to rent a food trailer through another Sonora-style Mexican restaurant. We went to work right away creating our own brand, name, logo, and menu and preparing to open in mid-January of 2023. Our business is called “Salsa Bandera” which is basically pico de gallo, but Sonora is known as salsa bandera (for the colors of it being the same as the colors of the Mexico flag, “bandera” meaning flag). We specialize in authentic carne asada that comes from Sonora, as well as our hot dog buns and flour tortillas. And our customers love our bacon-wrapped hot dogs, Sonora style! Our first month was a learning experience and gave us an idea of how to operate and run smoothly.
We have learned so much and continue to learn as we go! It hasn’t been an easy journey for us, and we have faced many challenges and setbacks along the way, but each experience has taught us how we need to improve and what we can do differently to be more successful. We are excited for what’s to come and the opportunities that lie ahead for us. Pepe is 46 years old, I am 36. Pepe was born and raised in Hermosillo, Sonora. I was born in California and grew up all over, including Illinois, Utah, and Idaho. I have 7 kids of my own from previous marriages, and Pepe has 3. Together we also share 4 dogs and 2 cats.
I continue to run my meal prep business, going on my 7th year now. I also have a credit repair business, and a cleaning business, I am an independent travel agent, and recently started up another business making custom t-shirts and an online lingerie store. We are both very ambitious and driven individuals and have a strong desire to succeed and have something to pass on to our 10 kids. In our free time, we enjoy watching our favorite shows together. 90-day Fiance, as well as going to the movies, enjoying time with family, traveling, and during the summer we enjoy hiking, camping, four-wheeling, being outdoors, and just enjoying life! We have a lot to be grateful for and appreciate all of the support we have received along the way! Thank you for reading a little about us and who we are.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been as smooth as we hoped, but we have figured things out as we go. We are really good at problem-solving and coming up with resolutions to any situation. We don’t take no for an answer. If something is in our way, we find ways to get through it.
The toughest part about it has been funding our entire business out of pocket, without loans or credit cards, or any handouts. I recently lost my full-time job and this will now be our main source of income, so it only motivates us to work even harder!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Recently, in January of this year, Pepe and I opened our first food trailer. It is called Salsa Bandera and it is a Sonora-style Mexican food truck. We are known for our authentic carne asada that comes from Sonora Mexico. Our hot dog buns and flour tortillas are from Sonora as well. One of our specialties is our bacon-wrapped hot dog, topped with pinto beans, diced tomato, grilled onions, mayo, ketchup, mustard, and jalapeno sauce. Our tacos are made with only flour tortillas instead of corn. We have received so much positive feedback about our hot dogs and tacos, it makes us very proud to serve our community.
We are proud of how far we have come, despite our challenges, We have created something totally unique to our area and we get excited to share our food with everyone, and see their reactions when they take that first bite. What sets us apart from others is our ambition and our drive, our resilience to not give up when things aren’t easy, but to use each setback as an opportunity to improve and always strive to provide unmatched service and excellent food.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
There’s no such thing as luck. We believe that everything happens as it is meant to, whether that be positive or negative. We try to focus more on the positive aspects of things, rather than overthink the not-so-great aspects of it.
We know that if something doesn’t turn out the way we wanted, it just means we need to pivot and change our mindset to seek the resolution that works more efficiently for us and consider it a learning opportunity rather than any kind of failure. We don’t think that luck got us to where we are today. We think it is a result of our hard work, persistence, and desire to create something of our own that we can be proud of.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @salsabanderaslc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086639561025
