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.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about socialism, communism, and democratic socialism—especially in New York City. I recorded something this week because I think we’re losing the ability to talk about these ideas with nuance. We throw labels around to scare or silence people, and it keeps us from having real conversations about affordability, ownership, and what it takes to build a society where people can live with dignity. If you have a moment, I’d appreciate you taking a look and letting me know what you think.
Lately, I’ve been hearing from a lot of people who are frustrated — with work, with the economy, with the state of the world. I get it. I’ve felt that too. But here’s something I’ve always believed: there is nothing more powerful than taking that energy and turning it into success. In this week’s episode of The Latino Brand, I talk about why building wealth isn’t just about money — it’s about agency, dignity, and control...
Jewish summer camps have helped preserve culture, build identity, and create lifelong networks for generations. In this episode, I talk about how Latinos can adapt this model to strengthen our own community and invest in our young people.