Creating a Restaurant Culture Where Everyone Feels Equal Takes Vulnerability, Vision, and My Sister

When I first decided to open Acamaya in New Orleans with my sister 2022 F&W Best New Chef Ana Castro, we had a very clear idea of what kind of restaurant owners we wanted to be. While I reflect on how we have built the culture that we have, with all its ups and downs and mistakes, I also realize just how lucky we are. 

After the adrenaline rush of signing a lease and the euphoric happiness of selecting tiles, colors, equipment and a layout for the space, a bit of reality set in my mind, followed by fear. It was a debilitating fear of being responsible not only for the livelihood of my team, but also for creating an environment where we can all thrive and be comfortable in. All my wants were deeply intertwined with creating a culture within our restaurant that reflected two points. First, this restaurant is our home, Ana’s and mine, but also our team. Second, all our jobs are equally as important.  

I must admit that as soon as I started developing systems, writing our employee manual, and writing a blueprint for the restaurant I felt the biggest impostor syndrome I had ever felt. I was back in Mexico City with my family, working in my favorite city in the world, trying to understand where I came from and where I wanted to go. Lucky for me, I took a break to dine with my siblings at Masala y Maiz. When my meal came to an end, the owners, my good friends Saqib Keval and Norma Listman, inquired about the progress of the restaurant. I quickly admitted my fear and reservations, which were not only understood by them, but also humanized by them in a level that I had never experienced before. 

Saqib offered me to come and work with Yami, their director of culture, to observe, learn and dive into what they do and why. This moment was a pivotal turn in my career and in my personal life. 

I stayed in Mexico City for weeks, working alongside one of the most impressive teams that I have ever experienced. In my time here I learned about the epistemology of communication, onboarding and offboarding team members, exercises to build vulnerability, but most importantly that there needs to be a core belief at the center of why we do what we do.  

Our restaurant’s core beliefs

At Acamaya, our core belief is the following: We invite you into our home, when you come dine with us. We welcome you into our culture, who we are, and our story. This includes our team’s story of who they are and what we learn from them. 

To me, my home is always where I felt the most vulnerable, but the restaurant very quickly turned into the most vulnerable space that I had ever created for myself. It is the place that tells a clear story of who I am, the things that I love, and the things and humans that mean the most to me. 

I strongly believe that when upholding the culture that we have set to create at the restaurant, it’s imperative to know that we all see each other as invaluable members of the team, all our jobs are different but equally important. We have a pool tip system which means everyone gets paid the same hourly rate, and everyone splits tips evenly. This has created an understanding among our staff that they all contribute to the experience of our guests, from the moment you walk in and are greeted, the server who comes introduce themselves and is the main character of your experience, but also the line cook who runs food to your table or the float server who helps out your server when they are in the weeds. 

Leadership means learning to communicate

To uphold the culture that we have set our minds to is no easy task, it requires a lot of vulnerability, open communication, scheduled and unscheduled chats, late night heated conversations and honesty. 

The reality is that I have made mistakes, I had to learn how to apologize, how to communicate in different ways, and most importantly how to ask for help. Our culture is ever growing. Now our restaurant is about to turn one year old, and my only wish is to have these little pockets of reflection where I get to think about the year behind me — but most importantly the years ahead of us.  

This work is hard. It’s emotionally demanding, physically tiring, and full of uncertainty. But it’s also one of the most human things you can do to feed people, create a space where they feel welcomed, and build a team where everyone feels like they belong. 

That’s the culture we’re building at Acamaya. It’s not perfect, but it’s real. And it’s ours.