Today we’d like to introduce you to Roni.
Hi Roni, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Mexico, but raised in Houston, Texas, practically my entire life.
Before earning my bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech, I was interning at Telemundo Atlanta and towards the end of it, I was asked to meet with someone at CNN. I had no clue it was actually an interview, but it led to a freelance opportunity. About a week after I graduated, I moved to Atlanta in August 2016 with the excuse that I’d gotten a job at CNN, but the truth is, I always knew I wanted to move here to pursue music. That’s where my heart has always been.
I accepted the offer, but I didn’t stay long. Deep down I knew it wasn’t what I wanted; it just didn’t feel right. Even though everyone kept telling me that I was lucky to have gotten my foot in the door and that I shouldn’t leave, I did. It was hard, but I did what I thought was best for me at the time. For the next few years, I worked at a family-owned business and began exploring opportunities in the entertainment industry. I released a few singles and landed small acting roles here and there. It was an interesting time in my life where I was trying to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be.
Unfortunately in 2021 my mom’s health complications with her heart were getting worse, so I packed my bags and moved back to Houston. Thankfully by mid-2022 she was much better, so I moved back to Atlanta. Texas will always feel like home, but I’ve always felt more like myself in Georgia and it’s where I’ve found more career opportunities. I felt more at peace moving back, but it wasn’t easy and it kind of felt like I was starting over. Life led me into practical jobs in healthcare and marketing, but to be honest, I wanted more and I wanted to grow. I didn’t want to feel “stuck”, but most importantly, I didn’t want to lose my creative side.
It’s been almost four years since the last time I released music, but so much happened during that time that kept me from pursuing it. One day I just told myself that “life will always be lifing” and if I wanted to get back into music, I just had to go for it, regardless of the chaos going on around me. I knew that in order to make it happen I’d need to quit the typical 9-5 jobs and find something different. Something that would not only sustain me, but also give me the flexibility to create. Jobs like that aren’t easy to come by, so I figured, why not be my own boss?
I spent the better part of 2024 trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Something that I would enjoy, allow me to connect with people, help them, or just make them happy with whatever I was offering. One day I came across the idea of a modern-style mobile cart and fell in love with the concept. It took me back to the “good old days” when I used to buy botanas (snacks) aka chucherias, from the street vendors that passed through my grandparents’ neighborhood in Mexico. At first I thought about starting a mobile bar, but after doing some research, I realized there were plenty of those already. I decided to go a different route; something that felt more personal and closer to home. In April of this year, I took a leap of faith and with the support of my family, I introduced Carritos de Amor, a beautiful mobile snack cart that offers a variety of traditional Mexican snacks!
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?
Not at all. It’s one thing to plan something, but putting it into action is a whole different beast. You know, I went to journalism school, not business school; many times I did feel like I didn’t know what I was doing. I had to dedicate many hours into researching because it’s not as easy as it looks. It wasn’t necessarily hard, but when all of the little things pile up at once, it can be overwhelming. Just when you think you’re done, you’re really not. Patience isn’t exactly a virtue of mine, but this journey has taught me to accept that it takes a lot of trial and error to make things work.
I remember when I was working on the churro recipe, I couldn’t get it to taste the way I wanted it to. Once I did, the consistency was off and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. At one point I made like, 12 different recipes in a single day and on the 13th try I told myself that if it didn’t work, that was it. I was quitting this crazy little idea and going back to a boring corporate job. I’ll admit, I was making that 13th recipe like at 3AM in tears. All I could think was, “Man, I’m terrible at this! What kind of Mexican am I if I can’t get these churros right?” I completed the batter, made the churros, threw them in the fryer, and lo and behold, that was it. I had finally done it! I started laughing and crying all over again and telling God out loud that he had a funny sense of humor. I was so relieved and proud of myself that everything that came after like licensing, certifications, and marketing felt like a piece of cake to handle (for the most part).
Looking back, I knew I was just being a perfectionist and many of those recipes were fine, but I really wanted it to feel like it was my own and not just some random recipe I’d gotten off the internet. I even went as far as asking my parents to bring me ingredients from Mexico the next time they visited and ship them to me; I was committed.
My older sister would tell me, “just got with the flow and roll with the punches”, so I did. I learned to take a deep breath whenever things didn’t go as planned and simply try again the next day. After a lot of prayer, patience, and MANY churros, I finally figured it out.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Carritos de Amor ?
Carritos de Amor is the only mobile snack cart of its kind in the Northeast Georgia area that serves classic Mexican street snacks with a modern and elegant twist! A customer can choose from one of our botanas like freshly made churros, paletas (frozen fruit bars), or esquites (corn in a cup). Each snack is prepared on-site and served à la carte for every guest with a variety of toppings and drizzles. Think street food, but make it fancy!
Our cart is perfect for late-night wedding snacks, quinceañeras, corporate events, baby showers, graduations, bachelorette parties, and anything in between. What I’m most proud of is being able to show that Mexican street snacks can be just as elegant and worthy as any other upscale treat. It’s traditional Mexican comfort food, yes, but Carritos de Amor can give any event that “it” factor look. If you ask me, it’s the best of both worlds.
Booking is pretty simple. For anyone who’s interested, just visit www.CarritosDeAmor.com and fill out the inquiry form and we’ll be in touch soon after that. We travel up to 160 miles from Hoschton, GA, with a small travel fee for events beyond a 30-mile radius from Hoschton City Hall. You can find more details on our website or social media pages, make sure you check it out!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://carritosdeamor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carritosdeamor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carritosdeamor/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@carritosdeamor
Image Credits
Roni Medina
