Cooking as a family and eating together is a lost tradition that many of us have restarted during the pandemic. I had no idea that my daughter Marisa had become such a great cook; her addition to our kitchen has been a huge positive to the Acosta clan. She loves sashimi and vegan dishes and I swear her Hamachi and jalapeno appetizers rival the world famous Nobu restaurant. That said, I do love restaurants and while one in five is expected to close permanently, I also anticipate a lot of new innovation for both food and service, which will be exciting. I never liked buffets, so I won’t miss them if they never come back. However, there will be some downside. New safety regulations will make it more expensive for neighborhood restaurants to get started and survive, so chain eateries with deep pocket parent companies may take over many communities – which will suck. More people will eat at home, at least for a few years, so online cooking classes will probably flourish and hopefully the institution of families eating together will stick around for a while.
I’ve always believed sports are one of the most powerful stages in American culture. The people we celebrate—and the people who own the teams and institutions behind them—help shape how the country sees leadership, success, and possibility. In Episode 96, I share why José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones’ purchase of the San Diego Padres feels bigger than baseball, and why this moment could mark a tipping point for Black and Latino visibility, wealth, and power.
There is no shortage of data showing the impact Latinos are having on the U.S. economy, from GDP and entrepreneurship to workforce participation and homeownership. So why hasn’t that growth translated into the kind of economic and political power our numbers suggest it should? In this episode, I focus on two things we can actually control: building wealth and owning our narrative. Cultural influence matters, but ownership is what turns influence into lasting power. And if we want the next generation to inherit more than momentum, we need a strategy for converting our work ethic, growth, and economic contributions into the institutions and assets that shape this country.
The World Cup reminded the world just how magnetic Hispanic and Latino culture can be. In this episode, I talk about why that popularity is more than a cultural victory—it is an economic opportunity hiding in plain sight. From music, food, sports, and fashion to the global appeal of our biggest stars, our culture already has the power to shape markets and influence how people see us. The question now is whether our business and political leaders are ready to turn that momentum into capital, representation, and lasting power. This is a moment we cannot afford to waste.