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

Hi Cesar, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spirit within me but was always held back by fear. When the pandemic struck, early on when no one knew what was happening, I had the realization that now was the time to make something happen, so I up and quit my career of over a decade and started anew with my Smashburger Pop Up Business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
El Brewjo was born in 2015 and became a reality in 2021. We are a Mexican and queer owned smashburger pop up focusing on incorporating our heritage into a classic American staple. Between our branding and our flavors, we are able to set ourselves apart from all other smashburger spots.

We got to where we are today through hard work, dedication and offering a consistent and good quality product. Running a business is not easy in the slightest. In the food industry, you have all your lists, your shopping, your prep work, service, and clean up. It’s non-stop and I, as the owner, never stop working because even when I’m in bed, my mind is going through everything needed for the following days work.

I’m completely self taught in business, I leaned on others when I had questions and have been doing my best to navigate these waters. Eventually you get to a point where the business itself guides you and tells you what it needs.

El Brewjo has a vision to bring everyone together and celebrate food, family and beer. Long-term, I envision El Brewjo to have a brick and mortar that mixes the classic 1950s diner vibe with an urban twist from my youth. As a gay owned business, I also want to contribute to a larger goal, which is establishing a Gayborhood in Orange County. San Francisco has Castro District, LA has WeHo, San Diego has Hillcrest but OC has nothing, no representation, no safe space and El Brewjo wants to help pave the way along with other queer owned businesses and allies.

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?
The beauty of living in SoCal is that we are equidistant to many landscapes. Our week would start in OC and we’d handle the beaches in both Laguna & Newport, we’d antique shop and grab lunch at Haven in Old Town Orange.

Our midweek would be spent in LA and we’d have to go to the Getty, and grab a lunch at Il Pastaio for the Truffle Cheese Wheel pasta and we’d have to catch a concert at the Hollywood Bowl and then find a food truck and grab tacos on the way home.

We’d end the week either at the mountains in Idyllwild or go hit the desert and camp in Joshua Tree.

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?
When they say it takes a village, it’s absolutely true. I started my business by doing front yard pop ups and my friends and family were the main support system who came out and rallied behind us and continue to show support. They were our taste testers, marketers and with their help we were able to better ourselves and our product.

Website: https://www.elbrewjoburgers.com

Instagram: @elbrewjo

Yelp: https://yelp.to/JmxlJjI4Iu

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