By Jasmine Torres & Oscar Villacis

First Gen Multimedia 

Karla Gutiérrez, a Latina mother and business owner in Nashua, NH, owns Riviera Nayarit Mexican Seafood and Grill and Mi Jalisco in Manchester, NH. Karla is from Nayarit, Mexico and migrated to the United States when she was 9 years old. She grew up eating seafood her whole life and decided to bring her traditional flavors to Nashua. She ventured to start her restaurant in the middle of the pandemic which made it more difficult to get started. All meetings had to be conducted online which elongated the process of opening. She was able to receive that help she needed to finally open her doors and she welcomes everyone to try this Mexican gastronomy. 

A few weeks ago she spoke with Oscar Villacis and Jasmine Torres of First Gen Multimedia on their show, Latinos En Vivo .

Latinos En Vivo: Karla, who inspired you to become the business woman you are today? 

Karla Gutiérrez: I would have to say my mother. She was a single mother and I felt like she was able to do anything. She was so strong and always figured out a way to get things done. I am a single mother as well and I do everything for my kids, I have to do it for my kids. I think that format was in my head my whole life. I love helping my partners and helping others.

Latinos En Vivo: Being a passionate Latina, how do you deal with the emotions and tribulations of being able to open your business? 

Karla Gutiérrez: Honestly I think everyone goes through this when opening their business. I learned that I need to be able to stop and take time for myself and my kids. You need to be able to separate yourself from your business and be able to give yourself time.

Latinos En Vivo: What inspired you to open something completely different in the middle of a pandemic? 

Karla Gutiérrez: I think that is why, it was scary at the beginning but we all knew that at some point there would be an end. Life was going to continue. I am from Nayarit, so I grew up eating seafood my whole life and I go and bring my kids on vacation to try it. Sitting on the beach, eating that food, it was a no brainer. It was scary at the beginning and it took a couple of years to make it happen. My cousin Roberto is my right hand when it comes to cooking in the kitchen. We have been going through it together. 

Latinos En Vivo: How have you overcome some of the struggles of opening a business, especially in a pandemic?

Karla Gutiérrez: I think everyone goes through struggles with opening a business. Whatever I am going through I give myself time. My motivation is my two kids because I am a single mom. I have to do it there is no you can’t, you have to get this done. I have broken down a little bit but I thank God and I just let God guide me and I do the rest. When it comes to the city of Nashua, it was so welcoming and helpful.

Latinos En Vivo: How many businesses do you own? 

Karla Gutiérrez: I own Mi Jalisco in Manchester and Riviera Nayarit in Nashua. It is a tough industry and you have to marry when you decide to go into business.

Latinos En Vivo: Tell us a little bit about your seafood traditions and your upbringing? 

Karla Gutiérrez: Well my mom was a super woman. She raised her youngest sister, my aunt claudia. Now I am in business with my cousin. I was brought to the United States when I was 9 years old because my mom left me in Mexico with my grandmother, not because she wanted to but she needed to settle first. So I learned so much about my food and my culture. My grandmother wanted me to stay with her until she passed away, so she passed away and I came when I was 9. To me, it was completely different, I grew up in San Diego. We grew up poor but I don’t like to say it like that because it never felt that way. My mother did her absolute best, she was a super woman. When I hit 19 years old, I met a family from Massachusetts and they invited me to stay with them for the summer. I am not proud of this but I left a note and went to New Hampshire. I never left, I fell in love with New Hampshire. We have four seasons here and I saw snow for the first time. There was a huge storm and I loved it until I had to shovel.I love the people and everything about New Hampshire, I might retire in Mexico when I get old enough. 

Latinos En Vivo: Tell us a little bit about your dishes and foods? 

Karla Gutiérrez: I grew up with my grandparents in a little town. I spent my whole life eating seafood. There were little crabs everywhere in the little town we were from. You can see them crawling everywhere, it is the coolest thing. My grandmother would boil lobsters and I used to hate the sound because I thought they were crying but it was just the sound of the shells. Everything we make is so fresh, even when we purchase our fish, it is the freshest catch they can get. We have a fish on the menu that is rubbed with a special family red sauce on a fish and then freshly grilled. The cooks don’t even know the recipe, just my cousin and I. I want you to be able to experience the same feeling I get when we prepare these recipes for the family. Some people complain about the length of time when the food comes out, but we really clean, fillet, and make to order each seafood dish. Seafood is delicate and you want to make it fresh to order. 

Latinos En Vivo: Who is your biggest influence on food? 

Karla Gutiérrez: My grandmother from my father’s side. She had so many recipes, I wish I could go back and write down more of those recipes. My family is just so influential. My dad makes a mean ceviche. They make it look so easy and fresh, I want to be able to translate that here at my restaurant.

Latinos En Vivo: What are some words of wisdom for an individual who wants to start in this industry? 

Karla Gutiérrez: Take the first step. Even if it is scary, try to take the first step. Ask questions, I always encourage people to ask me questions as well. Work really hard and save your money. People will try to tell you, you can’t do it. Use that as motivation. I never thought I would be owning a restaurant, let alone two restaurants. I took the first step, I saved my money, and I did it. You can too. 

This project was developed through a collaboration between leaders of Latino communities in New Hampshire and media partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. The stories, audio and video for this project were reported and produced by Daniela Allee of NHPR; and, Jasmine Torres Allen, Oscar Villacis,  Kevin Genao and Esmeldy Angeles of  First Gen Multimedia.