Meet Pedro Miguel Arteaga | Head Coach at Weil Tennis Academy & Cook for ARROZ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pedro Miguel Arteaga and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pedro Miguel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
it was more like a consequence from cooking for my friends. I have never seen it as a business until this past year where everything started picking up

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Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Well I would like to say first that I’m a tennis coach first and then a cook. Tennis has been the main guide in my life. started playing since I was a little kid and start taking it seriously around age 12. played on every junior level whether it was at a national or international level. at age 17 i stopped competing and did not think i was going to come to the states to study. suddenly an opportunity to come to the states arrived and i ended up coming with my brother to Ventura College. I spent in Ventura two years and it was a great experience, on my time there i helped the tennis team get the stated championship in 2010 and that hasn’t been done ever since. after spending two years in Ventura College my mom told my brother and I that we had to look for a place that offer scholarship and so we did. We found a school that offered us a good deal to come and play for them and also to finish our bachelor degree. this place was in San Antonio Texas, and the name of the school was Our Lady of the Lake University. it was a private school in the west side of San Antonio.
In San Antonio was when I started doing more coaching. at the time i did not think i was going to stay with tennis. i always thought that i would find a regular job for a company or corporation but it never really happened. i didnt even try to do it because my brother had already found a job for me back in California.
funny story about my brother and I. I have never interviewed for any of my jobs. My brother Juan has got me my two jobs in tennis, one was a summer job in Maine and the other where i’m currently working full time. in addition to that he also started the spark of what is now ARROZ.
As i grow older I’ve learned lessons of life, i still believe that i’m very new to running a business and i’m still making mistakes that i’m learning from little by little. if there is anything to point out about lessons is that im learning as i go with everything i do. i try to keep an open mind and absorb as much as i can.
II’ve always like cooking for my friends so I guess I’m doing it now on a more professional manner. I think i just want to serve people a good meal and make that little time that i’m cooking for them a little bit cooler and better.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to Santa Barbara first. It is a small place compared to LA but its an amazing place that makes you feel you are in a movie. in addition to that there are some great restaurants, and good wine as well. then if they were going to go to LA i would recommend to go to the west of LA. Santa Monica area, Venice, and Marina as well. I would also include a stop in Malibu on the way to LA. I love places where there is music, food, and drinks.

Places – Bungalow, missfit, Elephante, Waterfront, Gjelina, Great white, La Descarga (LA), Venice beach boardwalk, The brig,
the beach along those areas. the Getty, and the observatory

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 say that all my close friends and family. My brother Juan was the one who started this in 2016 cooking for over 100 people. My friend Juanjo and I helped him do that first event. In 2017 Juanjo and I took over and been doing the same event ever since. today Juanjo and I are the main cooks for ARROZ.

Website: www.arroz805.com

Instagram: ARROZ_805

Yelp: ARROZ

Image Credits
PICTURES BY AARON BENCID