Growing Into New Markets
by Rachel and Benoit Angulo
Opinions expressed in this articles do not necessarily represent the point of view of Best Served. In furtherance of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing varied thinking throughout the industry.
Born and raised in Caracas, Chef Benoit Angulo has been making arepas, a Venezuelan specialty at La Cocinita, since he was 9 years old. This early passion for cooking inspired Benoit to attend culinary school as an adult. Benoit then moved to the States in 2001 to pursue his culinary career. Rachel and Benoit met while working together at Commander’s Palace, a fine-dining restaurant in New Orleans. While enjoying drinks at a neighborhood bar late one night after a long shift, Rachel and Benoit became hungry, not having eaten since their 5 pm pre-shift meal. Disappointed with the lack of nearby late-night food options, Benoit pitched the idea of starting a food truck together. Benoit envisioned drawing from the feel and flavors of late-night street food carts lining a strip in Caracas referred to as “Calle del Hambre” (“Hunger Street”). Benoit introduced Rachel to his arepas, and soon thereafter, she fell in love with both Benoit and his cooking. The New Orleans truck opened for business on November 19th, 2011, at the same bar where it all started.
Three years later, they were about to get married and opted to move up to Chicago to be near Rachel's family as they got ready to start a family of their own. They had a decision to make: sell the truck in New Orleans and start a second truck in Chicago, or bring the original truck with them up to Chicago. Reluctant to abandon the business they'd worked so hard to build, they decided to take a shot at running two food trucks in two cities. They had a part-time employee graduating from college at that time who was reliable, smart, and eager to manage the business upon his graduation, timed just a month prior to their move. They took a chance on him, confident in his abilities and dedication to the business.
Fast-forward to the present, and in addition to the two trucks, Benoit & Rachel also own a stand-alone restaurant in Evanston, IL, as well as a spot in a food hall in NOLA. While there are certainly challenges involved in the back-and-forth between the two locations, they have a strong management team in each location and enjoy the complimentary seasonality that the two cities offer.
La Cocinita (“The Little Kitchen”) serves contemporary Venezuelan-inspired street food. The company has been featured on several major network TV shows, including CNBC’s Restaurant Start-Up, Food Network’s Eat Street, and the Cooking Channel’s Taco Trip with Aaron Sanchez. Benoit competed on Season 11 of Bravo’s Top Chef in the Padma’s Picks series and served as the personal chef for Sylvester Stallone. La Cocinita has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal and has been voted both the best food truck in New Orleans and one of the 101 best in the country.
To learn more, watch the video podcast, listen to the audio podcast, and see the full series.
Basic utility is something that can be commoditized, replicated and replaced easily. Existing business owners want partners that dig in with them. 7shifts brings value through direct support to thousands of restaurants and over 400,000 employees. It’s their ability to scale one-on-one relationships that makes Best Served thrilled to have 7Shifts underwrite Best Served New.
After working as an ICU social worker, Rachel Angulo shifted gears when she met and fell in love with Venezuelan chef Benoit Angulo while working together at Commander's Palace in New Orleans in 2011. Ten years later, they have a food truck and food hall space in NOLA, as well as a food truck and restaurant in Evanston, IL. Rachel handles the catering coordination and administrative tasks involved in the businesses, while Benoit oversees the kitchen operations and manages the two teams. They have three children: Valeria (16), and their boys, Jack (5) & Eli (3); between the 3 kids and the 4 businesses, they have their hands full, but couldn't be more proud of the brand they've built and the family they've created together.
