Meet Kyara Cortez | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kyara Cortez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kyara, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was figuring out what I love to do the most. The question I asked myself was, “What can I do for a lifetime and love to do?”. I realized I love to cook. I went to college to study engineering and interior design. I realized I didn’t see myself in the field long-term. My parents are business owners. When I was young, I was able to see the motivation and effort it takes to run a business.  When thinking of what I wanted to do with my life, I basically thought of when I first started cooking. I started cooking at a very young age, probably like 5 or 6. When I was a child, I had an Easy Bake Oven and I made the brownies “fancy”. I would add walnuts to the brownie mix from the Easy Bake Oven. I learned and watched my grandparents cook dinner a lot. I was eager to learn how to cook and bake. Now that I am older, I am turning a hobby into a career. I love cooking for myself and others. Over the course of the years, I learned new techniques, recipes and creating my own recipes. So when I was brainstorming, I wanted to start a business where there can be room for growth. I wanted to also cater to individuals who are vegans. So I decided to make empanadas and charcuterie boxes. When thinking of the menu, I wanted to feature my culture. I am mixed with Mexican but the dishes are more Puerto Rican/Dominican inspired. I wanted people to experience the flavors within the food.

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets me apart from others is I am very focused on customer satisfaction. There are many businesses who have great food, but the customer service is terrible. It is a women owned company! I cater to people who are vegans. All of our ingredients are fresh. Our food is packed with flavor. If we ain’t sneezin, it ain’t seasoned! For our orders, it is pre-order only at this time. You can check out our social media regarding the order policy and information. I look forward to customers having a great experience ordering from Ky’s Kuisine.

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?
If my best friend was visiting, I would take them to a museum. She loves museums, so I would go to the art museum, TFTI selfie museum, or a garden. Of course we can’t forget about the food! I would go to Grace’s Café, which is a local joint in Missouri City, TX. It’s a family owned Jamaican restaurant. It’s my favorite spot to eat. Another local restaurant, which is another favorite, Alex’s Kitchen. Listen, it is another family owned business but EVERYTHING on the menu is good!! We have to go to The Breakfast Klub, Snooze, The Greasy Spoon and Lotus Seafood. There’s so many places to go and choose from.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would give a shoutout to my whole support system & the food network channel. My support system consists of family, friends, mentors and of course God. I get a lot of tough love and constructive criticism. God has been on my side since day one and I owe everything to him. My mentors have showed me a different ways of thinking and planning. I joined SCORE Houston to look for a mentor. I have the best mentor ever, Jim Nordhaus! Day one, he sent me several emails of homework I needed to do and read to plan for this business’ success. My inner circle is very supportive and believed in me since the beginning of this journey. They push me to be the best version of myself. I thank every one of them. They all deserve flowers!

Website: https://linktr.ee/kyskuisine

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kys_kuisine

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyara-cortez-650/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kys_kuisine

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kyskuisine