Meet Melissa Munoz & Andrew Gonzalez

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Munoz & Andrew Gonzalez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, Andrew, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
After starting Tejas Mexi-Q, our work/life balance shifted quite a bit. We were (and still are) working more often that we’re not. For us, being our own boss means answering the phone and emails 24/7, giving up weekends and constantly brainstorming new ideas on how to be better. Even though we are technically always on the clock, it does not feel like work. Finding something you truly love to do and turning it into a business is a dream.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our business is Central Texas inspired barbecue with a Tex-Mex twist! As far as the menu goes, we believe our brisket tacos set us apart from others. The thick cut of brisket on flour tortilla topped with pico, queso fresco and special salsa always gets rave reviews! We are most excited about growing our business and brand. In just a few months we will be picking up our custom ordered El Cucaracho Smoker from Dallas, Texas. We believe this will be a huge turning point for us because it will allow us to smoke twice as much meat and get more creative with our recipes. We got to where we are today by putting ourselves out there. We ask for catering and pop-up opportunities everywhere we go. The worst someone can tell us is no. We have lots of fun doing what we do, but it’s definitely not easy. The most challenging part is that Tejas Mexi-Q is a side hustle for now. We both work full-time jobs during the week and are either taking off for a weekday catering and/or at an event or catering on the weekend. There’s little to no sleep at times, but that’s part of the fun. We learn something new every day and are enjoying every minute of it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whether we’re working a pop-up or have a little time off, we spend our weekends at different barbecue joints and breweries. So, we would naturally take our friend to explore those treasures of Houston. To cool off, we would head to our favorite breweries including Baileson Brewing Co, 8th Wonder and Texas leaguer Brewing. After that, we would track down Khoi Barbecue at a pop-up and finish it off with one of our home town favorites- Killen’s Barbecue. For dessert, we’d head to our favorite ice cream spot in Rice Village- The Chocolate Bar.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It can’t go without saying that we have received incredible love and support from family and friends. Whether we call our parents, siblings or best friends – they are always there and ready to lend an extra hand when needed. With our family and friends in our corner, we feel we can accomplish anything. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support!