What happens when success becomes an opportunity to serve? Julio Garcia, Co-Founder and CEO of Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen, reflects on his journey from Mexico to Houston and how his experiences shaped his approach to leadership. In this conversation with Rhonda Gardner, he shares lessons on embracing his heritage, staying open to unexpected career paths, and finding purpose beyond material success. Through humility, faith, and a commitment to helping employees become business owners, Julio offers a personal perspective on growing a business while creating opportunities for others.
Transcript: Accentuate! Podcast
Host: Rhonda Gardner
Guest: Julio Garcia, Co-Founder and CEO of Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen
This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.
From Mexico to Houston
Rhonda: Good day, everyone. Welcome to the Accentuate! Podcast, where we amplify the voices of immigrants and refugees and explore how their experiences shape workplaces, communities, and leadership. I'm your host, Rhonda Gardner, an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago now living in the United States. Today, I'm honored to welcome Julio Garcia, co-founder and CEO of Ambriza Social Mexican Kitchen. I heard Julio speak at the Global Leadership Network 2026 Summit earlier this year and immediately knew I wanted to interview him for Accentuate. Most of my questions today will refer to some of what he spoke about on that day.
Rhonda: Julio, thank you for joining me.
Julio Garcia: Thank you, Rhonda, for having me.
Rhonda: So to begin, would you briefly introduce yourself and tell us a little about your personal background and where your journey began?
Julio Garcia: Yes, again, my name is Julio Garcia. At the age of 19, my dad told me to move to Houston to help my brother. He was already living in the United States. And to me, you know, I always did what my dad said. So I came to Houston at the age of 19 with about $500 in my pocket. I had worked the entire summer, bought a motorcycle in Mexico, sold it, and came to the States with that money. And that was the beginning of my journey.
Julio Garcia: I remember when I first arrived in Houston, I was so excited, so thrilled to be in a different country. That venture really excited me, but at the same time, it was full of fears and anxieties. What am I doing here? How do I communicate? Where do I go? How do I do things? And my first job, I went and applied for a busboy position and the manager said, you're not good enough to be a busboy, but you can be a dishwasher. And to me, that was a yes. You can work for us.
Julio Garcia: I didn't even look at the position. It was just a sign of approval. You're good enough to work for us. So that was the beginning of my journey. I don't know if I'm giving too much or-- No, that's good.
Rhonda: That's excellent. That's a great place to start. So when your dad told you you needed to move, to create better opportunities for your family. Did you feel like, I know you said excited, but did you feel like a weight of responsibility was on you at such a young age?
Julio Garcia: Yes, I remember my youngest brother, he's two years younger than me. My oldest brother is 2 years older than me. But my youngest brother, at the age of maybe three years old, he swallowed a harsh chemical that burned his intestines. And my parents were put through a great deal of pain and heartache. And I remember one day in my living room, he's three years old, I'm 5 years old, and I remember the agony the family was going through. And from that moment on, I said, you know what? My responsibility in this family is not to be a burden.
Julio Garcia: I couldn't be a burden to my family. And I remember that vividly. I remember the couch, the patio, my mom, what she was wearing, crying, my brother crying. I remember that. And from that moment on, my conviction, my perspective, my essence became a kid that would do well in school, that would do chores. I wouldn't get in the way. I wouldn't make any trouble. I wouldn't do-- so whatever my family asked of me, I just did.
Rhonda: Wow. How is your brother now?
Julio Garcia: Good, good, good. He's a pain, but he's a good guy. OK, cool.
Seeing ability beyond an accent
Rhonda: So when you arrived to the US, you weren't speaking English at that time. But today you're speaking to thousands of people across the country in your second language. You're speaking to me in English. What do you wish employers understand about the abilities of immigrants or refugees who may have strong accents like I do, or their English language skills are still developing?
Julio Garcia: Understand your worth, you know. Coming from third world countries where opportunities are small or lacking, where resources are non-existent, where hope doesn't exist. When you come to a country like this, the greatest country that has ever existed, full of opportunities, full of challenges, full of progress, coming from a third world country, seeing what you've seen even when you lived and coming into a place where you can flourish. My advice is don't take it for granted. Most of the people that I know, most of the business owners, most of the millionaires today, they came from where I came from.
Julio Garcia: You know, they saw lack, they saw no opportunity. They knew they were born for greatness. But couldn't do it in our country. So when you move to this country, and maybe your English is not perfect, and maybe your abilities are not that developed yet, and maybe your circumstances are limited. The environment, the country, the resources, the opportunities, the system itself is being created so you can succeed.
Rhonda: Yeah, absolutely. Sometimes there, you know, when you meet someone, they struggle to to understand your accent. And they may see it as a negative in terms of they almost mark it against you in terms of potential to do other things. You hire people all the time, you're a business owner. What would you speak to or what would you say to another business owner who potentially may have someone who's an immigrant or a refugee in front of them as a potential hire but their accent may be different or strong. What would you tell them in terms of considering this person?
Rhonda: Yes, they need to have the qualifications, but what would you tell them if they feel a little uncomfortable because he has an accent?
Julio Garcia: My business today, we employ about a couple hundred. Welcome, we're adding another business that employs maybe another 150 people. And my leaders today started with maybe limited English, started with not knowing the role or the business itself, and now the franchise owners of the restaurants that we operate. And the opportunities are open to anyone. They're not limited to those people that don't speak good English or they come from the... No, they're open to everyone. But what I've discovered is that they understand maybe that they lack certain things, that they're not, it's not that they're not good enough, but maybe they don't meet those expectations.
Julio Garcia: And those people are willing to work extra hard, are willing to do so much more, and are willing to apply their lives. just to achieve, because I understand it's not it's not a lack of language. Look, back a little bit further and they're and what they lack is not just the perfect English. What they lack is the ability to accomplish and achieve the dreams in their country. So we're given those opportunities here and we're given the ability to dream, to explore, to grow. I mean, It's just the way we work, the way we apply ourselves, the love for the things that we do.
Julio Garcia: We're not entitled. We're not, we don't think that we deserve it all. We're willing to work for it.
Rhonda: I like that.
Starting over and working toward a goal
Rhonda: You also mentioned in your opening that you started off washing dishes. But even when you spoke at the summit, you said you dreamed of interacting with a guest, and obviously you wanted to be the business owner. What advice would you give someone who maybe is starting at the bottom or starting over at the bottom of the ladder in a new country?
Julio Garcia: That's a great question, because I think the biggest mistake is start at the bottom and dream that one day you'd be an owner right away. dream the dreams that are in front of you. that's the biggest challenge. I can dream of becoming, I don't know, the owner of a million restaurants and become a billionaire, but that's not what's in front of me today, right? Today what's in front of me is to open one more restaurant and to do it right. So don't Don't dream dreams that are not. I mean, stretch your faith, dream big dreams, but focus on what's in front of you and do it well.
Julio Garcia: Oftentimes we have a fixed idea of this is what I'm going to do and this is what I'm going to accomplish, right? I'm going to be a doctor one day and that's my career. That's where I'm headed. But then as you start living life, doing things, working, you discover that maybe you're You're good at other things. You are, other opportunities open up, but you're so fixed on becoming a doctor that what God is putting in front of you, you're not developing. You're not, you know, you're not taking advantage of. You're not, I hated the restaurant industry when I worked in it.
Julio Garcia: I hated it. I went to school. Oh yes. I hated working for the people that I worked, the way they treated its people, the neglect, the harshness, it was just bad. I did it because I had a need, right? That's where I landed at first. That's where God put me. But I dreamt of being a Wall Street stockbroker or a banker. I went to school. I have a degree in economics. And I was awarded a scholarship to go to Duke University and do a master's in economics. I really pursued that idea.
Julio Garcia: But for some reason, Ron, the business called me back. and I loved it and I excel in it and I did really well. It always called me back. My vision was to become a banker, right? Wear a suit and a jacket and walking through New York City. that was my dream. But thank God I was flexible. Thank God I took advantage of the opportunities in front of me. And I think that's That's my advice to everyone who's listening. Keep your mind open. Go every day hoping to develop gifts and talents that fulfill you as a human being.
Julio Garcia: You know, when I look for this Wall Street, it was the title, it was the position, it was the fame, it was the suit. That's what I was chasing. It was the money. That's what I was chasing. But I think it would have been, I don't know, an unfulfilled life. it would have been a life with lack of purpose.
Rhonda: It also requires humility.
What humility makes possible
Rhonda: And it's not a word that we use a lot, especially in corporate America. But humility is so important. And what I'm hearing is you were humble enough to do what was in front of you, even though Not only you wanted something more, but you actually had the capability to do something more than wash dishes. But yet, you were humble enough to do that. And I think that is so important. What do you think about humility and its role in even achieving a lot? And we don't see it that way initially.
Julio Garcia: I share the story of-- I've been in my living room when my brother was three and I was five. I knew my role was not to get in the way. I haven't changed that. I don't know. I wish sometimes I could, right? Because even some people would say that I'm at the top of the ladder, right? I'm the main person in the role. But I still see this five-year-old kid when we're in the dining room, when we're in the company, when we're in meetings. And in the back of my head, I'm just saying, just do no harm.
Julio Garcia: Just don't get in the way. Just do what you got to do. And I think it's this great perspective from that allows me to have the heart that I have and have the success that I have and have the people follow me because I am humble and vulnerable and I'm a human. I'm a human leading other human beings. working for their goals, their dreams. And humility is a key part of leadership. Humility, it's at the core, at the core of people loving you, following you, believing in you, wanting to achieve the things that you put in front of them.
Julio Garcia: If I led my company from a position of power and I've made it an entitlement, I don't know, maybe I would have more restaurants, maybe I would have more employees, maybe, but it wouldn't be, I wouldn't enjoy what I do today.
When ambition pulls you away from your values
Rhonda: You also spoke candidly about how your desire to serve, and I think this is a good segue, desire to serve gradually became a desire for power and a lifestyle you saw business owners enjoying. How can immigrants or refugees recognize when ambition is pulling them away from their values? And I can repeat that. I think I said a lot.
Julio Garcia: It's hard, though. It's hard because as an immigrant, when you lack so much, when you didn't have it, and here all of a sudden you have the ability to wear or buy a nice vehicle, I think that you deserve to do it. I don't think that there's anything wrong with it. But it's a process, right? It's something you must experience. Go through life chasing what you're what's in your heart. And if that's the day and if it's a watch today, if it's the surf, do it, if that's motivates you. But the beauty of it is that don't get stuck there.
Julio Garcia: Don't get stuck trying to buy something bigger now, better now, nicer now, more expensive now, because it's not alive and it's not a race worth racing. I did it, you know, I mean, I drove. I was I think the first one to drive one of the fanciest car in Houston. Beautiful, perfect model. And it was fun. But I got rid of it. I don't need it anymore. Now I drive truly nothing special because, but I went through it. If someone would have told me, Julio, don't do it. Don't drive it. I don't know.
Julio Garcia: I think I would have had that in the back of my head. But now that I've done it, I don't need it. You know, my friends drive it and okay, cool. Cool. Don't need it.
Rhonda: Okay, yeah, I like that. Yeah, have the experience, but don't get stuck pursuing like the material things. There's more to your life than that. Okay then. Okay, so you describe five years.
Learning from years of feeling stuck
Rhonda: So this is one of the things that you said that really impacted me sitting in the audience listening. You describe five years of pursuing business ownership without making the progress you hoped for. What did you learn from that experience that may benefit someone who feels stuck and don't know what to do next to make progress towards their aspirations?
Julio Garcia: Today is clear to me. My purpose and my destiny was so big, and it is so big, that I needed five years to grow. It's like a tree. A big, robust, tall tree, a great purpose has to first grow underground. Roots have to take place. You have to be in a very dark place for a little bit. It was longer than I hoped for because I think I shared with you I tried to take my life in the process. You know, it was really dark. But this five-year process shaped me into who I am today.
Julio Garcia: I imagine if I would have said I'm gonna open a restaurant and then the next day I open a restaurant. I would have believed that I did it by my own power, my own talents, my own abilities. I am, you know, God is here and maybe I'm a little bit higher than God. I'm really this fantastic human being. But having gone through what I went through, having built this great connection and relationship with my creator, God, has given me the greatest power and that because I belong to my father, the most powerful being in the universe, I can do it all.
Julio Garcia: So it changed the perspective, I go through life now, shoulders back, head up high. I don't care. You can put me at the Global Leadership Summit, you know, where these famous speakers have spoken. But I walk on that stage knowing that God has me there and that is his message, his purpose. It's a result, you know, I take on when they invited me to speak there, I was afraid of me. I didn't want to sign the contract. I didn't want to do it. Why would I do it? I'm a restaurateur. I make my own money.
Julio Garcia: I have my own company. Why would I do it? But something in my heart said, dude, somebody needs to hear your message. And it's not, you didn't open the door because I didn't open the door. I didn't call them. I didn't ask. I didn't apply to speak at the global leadership. they call me you know and how did they find me it's great so that's when I know God put me there you know and and and I went up there with that conviction so I know I I think I went away from the from the question you asked but I think those five years shape my perspective.
Julio Garcia: I went from being a victim of life, things are happening and why me and why when I was five years old this happened to me and why did my dad, I went from that to no, everything has been orchestrated by God. And if you're going today through a rough time, if you're going today through a dark season, understand it's just a season. Don't go Don't stay in there. Don't victimize yourself. Don't, ask why me? You know, there's a reason why, you know, there's, why not you? Why not you face this challenge?
Julio Garcia: Why not you allow this to shape and mold you into this great person, a person that is full of gifts, talents, and abilities, courage to fulfill a great mission? Why not you? know, and that's where I see it now. I know why me. I know why God chose me. I know why he gave me this. I know why me. Because he knows that by going through this, he was shaping my heart to be the heart of service, to become a leader that service people. I'm going to open more restaurants. I'm going to achieve great things in life.
Julio Garcia: But I'm going to do it for the right reasons.
Rhonda: And I love what you said.
Creating opportunities for others
Rhonda: Yeah, it's a very interesting culture that you have because you don't hear a lot of leaders speaking like that. So you help some of your employees become business owners and transferred restaurant ownership to leaders on your team. Why is creating opportunities for others such an important part of the culture of your organization? Because I don't think I've ever heard a leader say that before because you may do it for your child or But for a worker, that's pretty rare. So talk to me, why is that important to you and to the culture of the organization?
Julio Garcia: I am trying to build a company that passes the test of time, where I'm dead and maybe 100 years later, still growing and thriving. And those companies are they have a very clear vision and purpose. they don't exist just to make money. Companies that exist to make money, they flourish and they die. You're saying that I'm not doing this for my kids. That's why I'm doing it because I want to make sure that my children and my children's children enjoy this great philosophy, not even the businesses, but this great philosophy. Today, the staff retention, the passion that people work with.
Julio Garcia: if you ask anyone, they would tell you, oh, Julio, the worst business to work for, the worst industry, most difficult industry is the restaurant industry. And I challenged that and I said, there's no more gratifying industry. There's no more beautiful industry and more fulfilling industry than my industry. And I can tell you it happens because the people that I work with They're working for their own goals and they're working to achieve ownership. And it's great, right? Money, money, money is good. Money is good to build businesses and to grow. And I'm not discounting money, money is important, but above money is to have and build a company at its core where people really want to be there and really want to fight for the business and really want to protect the brand.
Julio Garcia: And if you do that, if you're able to create that, through ownership in my case, there's other ways I'm sure, but through ownership in my case, I'm sure that way after I'm gone.
Rhonda: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I love it.
Serving the people you lead
Rhonda: How can a leader in corporate America apply the value of being in service to others on their team or in their organization?
Julio Garcia: It's not a A checklist is not a I gotta I gotta fulfill this responsibility to be connected. It's a it's a position. It's a hard position. So my invitation to anyone in leadership for America that want to lead from this perspective is spend time with your people. Spend time with the people that are working with you and. not necessarily a evaluation of the performance, but spend time with a human being in front of you and ask, how are you? Ask truly, where do you come from? We do orientations here on a weekly basis.
Julio Garcia: And that's my question. Where do you come from? Because I say, as of today, you work for me, you're mine, you belong to me, you're under my guidance and protection. And I want to know who you are. I want to know what hurts you. I want to know what trauma is in life. I want to know how can I serve you? And when you ask those questions and they tell you, I have a mom and a son that came from Venezuela, and it took them 40 days to get to my restaurant.
Julio Garcia: And in the process, their father died and he was left in the desert. And after hearing this, how do I lead them? It hurts me. It hurts me, but they're still there and they still show up on time and they still do their best. How can you lead a human being differently as a number when you learn where they come from? Spend time with your people, open your heart. And stories like that everywhere. Everyone. Because that's life. Life is hard. So we had orientation last week and this girl couldn't stop crying the entire hour and a half.
Julio Garcia: And I asked her, sweetheart, what's hurting you? And he says, just life has been hard. So, I'm going to the restaurant today because I know she's working and I'm looking forward to seeing her. I'm looking forward to embracing her and I'm looking forward to ensure that the infrastructure that we create in the company is serving her well. And that's my conviction. So again, it's not a checklist. It's not, okay, I got to do this. No, I got to do this. No. Slow down. Take your time. And again, when you do this, Don't have your phone up.
Julio Garcia: Don't buzzing or texting. Yes. Truly, truly give. And it doesn't take 5 minutes, 10 minutes. It's 5 minutes. So in our company, we do this, and then we worship and pray. I open the door for God to enter. And that's my responsibility. I am not here to become the best known light restaurateur. God has me for one mission, and I'm here to heal, to love, to empower, to connect people with the greatest power of the universe. That's my only, only goal. And I happen to do it in the restaurant industry.
Rhonda: Yeah, OK. I love that. Thank you for sharing. We close to the end.
Wearing both flags
Rhonda: I have two more questions, but this is one question I really wanted to ask you. At the summit, you were very well dressed. And if I remember correctly, you wore a navy blue or black blazer over a shirt. And from the front, it looked like a classic blazer. But as you moved around the stage, I noticed a small US flag stitched on the upper arm of one sleeve and a Mexican flag on the other. It made me smile and I chuckled because it said so much without you having to say a word about it.
Rhonda: How did you come up with that idea and what were you trying to communicate?
Julio Garcia: I am proud of my heritage. I am proud of my accent. I am proud of my journey in general right and and just want to display it. You know I I honor. Part of my heritage today, it's also the American flag. That's who I am. And if I ever move to another country for some reason, I would display both flags with pride. And that's it. You talk about sometimes as immigrants, because it's going to happen. People will tell you that you're not good enough. People will make fun of your accent. People will put you down because of whatever, color of your skin or whatever, culture.
Julio Garcia: But most people won't. Most people will cheer you on and empower you and support you. This is who I am. I'm an immigrant with an accent who used to wash dishes for a living. And now I get to lead a group of people. But I would never try to get contact lenses that might make my eyes look blue or change the color of my skin. This is who I am, right? And we should be proud of our heritage. Most people, most individuals, especially here in our country, United States, they never leave their town, their city, this is all they know.
Julio Garcia: Us? Man, we have a journey. Many of us have to go through different countries just to get here. I know stories of how we used to be in Trinidad and then I lived in Venezuela and then Colombia and then Mexico and then here. What a great journey. Be proud of it.
Rhonda: I love it. Thank you. And last question to you.
What comes next
Rhonda: What's next for you and where and what are you still learning about leading and serving others?
Julio Garcia: What's next for me? I didn't want to start this conversation. It's I have an open, perspective. I don't think this is my destiny to just run restaurants. I've tested the waters and I enjoyed speaking at conferences. You know what? I know is this. I won't say no. When God opens the door, I won't say no. Fear might want to creep in and take over, anxiety or doubt might want a, or pride to have done. I could have done that when I went to school and studied economics and had a scholarship to do master's.
Julio Garcia: I could have just, you know what? No, I'm an economist by trade. No, opportunities will open up. I have a vision, short term vision. Right now I'm opening another restaurant. We're sending in at least for the next one. So we have two, three more restaurants that are opening up. But if God wants me somewhere else, if God opens other opportunities that fulfill me, not money, thank God right now this is not what I'm chasing. But that makes me feel happy with myself. I'm going to take it.
Rhonda: Okay, excellent. Thank you so much. I really appreciate talking to you. Thank you for sharing your story and your heart for serving others. I really learned a lot from you and definitely certain things I could apply to my own life. Your journey is a reminder that leadership is shaped not only by expertise, but also by resilience, humility, and a commitment to improving the lives of others. Thank you for joining us on the Accentuate! Podcast. If today's conversation resonated with you, our listeners, please share this episode and help us continue amplifying the voices of immigrants and refugees in the workplace.
Rhonda: Until next time, thank you for listening.
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