Some of the best moments in my life have involved good food and family around the table. Food has always meant more to me than the meal itself. It’s part of how we spend time together, share our culture, and make memories.
I started learning to cook as a kid, and that interest kept growing as I got older. I love learning a recipe, adding my own touch, and watching people enjoy what I’ve made.
I also have a habit of choosing the most complicated dish I can find and underestimating how much work it’s going to take. A recipe that sounds like a good idea can turn into a long day in the kitchen. Usually, the result makes it worth it.
Now I want to find out whether that love of cooking can become a business. That’s the beginning of The Restaurant Experiment.
Why I want to build a food business
I’m an entrepreneur. I’ve always liked the idea of creating a product people love, selling it, and figuring out how to do it well enough that they come back.
Food brings that business instinct together with something I already enjoy. I want to create flavors people remember and a place they want to return to.
The right opportunity hasn’t come together for me in the United States. Our planned move to the Dominican Republic feels like a chance to explore it in a new setting. We’ll have to learn the market and see what people actually respond to.
The first concept: Ocho Fuegos
Our first idea is a taco truck or taco trailer in Santiago under the name Ocho Fuegos.
The concept centers on eight preparations: al pastor, birria, cochinita pibil, pernil, carne asada, pollo, chorizo, and chicharrón. These are the flavors we want to build around as we develop and test the menu.
We have plenty of other food ideas, but this is the first one. Before we expand into anything else, we need to learn whether we can turn this concept into something customers want and a business we can operate consistently.
Cooking something people love at home is a starting point. Serving paying customers will give us a different kind of feedback, and I want to document what we learn from it.
Learning in Mexico—and connecting with my roots
Part of the longer-term plan is to travel to Mexico City and Puebla, where my abuelo is from. I want to visit the mercados, experience the food, and find opportunities to learn directly from cooks and chefs there.
We already know how to cook a lot of the dishes we’re interested in. I still want to deepen that knowledge: learn techniques, understand the details, and bring what we learn back to the concept in Santiago.
That trip hasn’t happened, and the classes aren’t booked. It’s something we want to work toward as we build the first business.
For me, Puebla would also be a chance to connect with my family’s roots. That’s part of what makes the idea meaningful beyond the menu.
We’re home cooks with a lot to learn
We aren’t professionally trained chefs. We enjoy cooking for our family, trying new cuisines, and taking on recipes that challenge us.
That’s an honest part of the experiment. Can we take what we know, keep learning, and build a food business from it?
I don’t expect to be the best person at every part of the operation. I want to hire people who are better than me at things, learn from them, and give their experience a place in the business.
Being willing to learn is essential to what we’re trying to do. So is recognizing when someone else knows more.
What we want to show
I want to record the buildup: the move, the planning, the cooking, the setup, and the work of getting the first concept ready. Eventually, I want to share the travel and the lessons we bring home from it, too.
I want people to see the frustrating parts alongside the moments that work. If a dish needs changing, a plan falls apart, or an idea doesn’t find its audience, that belongs in the story.
Some experiments may fail. I’m prepared for that possibility. What matters is learning from each one and being thoughtful about the time and money we put into the next step.
Years from now, I’d love to look back at the videos on YouTube and TikTok and see how far we’ve come. The meals, the travel, the memories, and the difficult days would all be part of that record.
A big dream, built one step at a time
Eventually, I’d like to apply the same idea to other cuisines and countries—Italy, Japan, Thailand, and Peru among them. Travel, learn, and explore whether those lessons can become another food concept.
That’s the long-term vision. Ocho Fuegos is the starting point.
I want this project to show that there are different ways to build a life. You can question the path you’re on, learn something new, and work toward a dream that feels far outside your comfort zone.
A big ambition still needs a first step. For us, that means preparing for the move and turning one food concept into something we can test.
We haven’t moved yet. We haven’t opened the trailer. This is where the story begins: with a love of food, a family preparing for a new chapter, and a willingness to learn by doing.
Follow the wider journey: why we’re moving to the Dominican Republic and why we chose Santiago.
Be wild at last.
—Michael
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