A challenge to make ceviche for roommates inspired this Oaxacan immigrant to start his own Seattle business

When washing dishes in a New York restaurant 20 years ago, Marcos Arellano often dreamed of making and selling his own food.

Arellano left his quaint rural town near Santa Maria Mariscala in Oaxaca, Mexico when he was 15. He didn’t speak English and made his way to New York, where he didn’t know anyone.

The city never felt like home. Over the years he has taken on several jobs in the food industry, including as a cashier and cook for food preparation before moving to Seattle and becoming a baker at Eltana Wood-Fired Bagel Cafe on Stone Way North.

It was coincidence, hard work, and a challenge to make ceviche for his roommates, the 36-year-old said in the end led him to realize his longstanding ambition to start his own company, Shark Bite Ceviches, in 2017.

“When I concentrate on making ceviche, I forget the world. It’s like being moved to another place and the only thing I think about is the merging of the flavors, ”he said.

At first he continued to work in the bagel shop and only sold ceviche on the weekends in Plaza Roberto Maestas on Beacon Hill. He was one of the original six vendors who used the resources of El Centro de la Raza’s food cart program and is now the last of the group still selling at that location.

After playing through dozens of possible scenarios and careful deliberations, Arellano said he had decided to devote all of his time to his business in 2019.

“I just felt like my time in the bagel shop was up, even though I loved it,” he said. “I’ve got used to the routine and I’m someone who enjoys actively learning and growing wherever I am.”

But when the pandemic reached its full potential just months later, Arellano said he was concerned about making the wrong choice. He Decline in sales enforced and extended to delivery services.

Although ceviche is fairly unknown in Arellano’s hometown of Oaxaca, unlike coastal cities in Mexico and Latin America, he said he was delighted with the dish when his roommates from Tijuana gave him the classic shrimp cocktail made from coriander, cucumber, mango, chillies, Avocado and imagined lime.

“The first time I made ceviche it was a mess,” said Arellano, laughing as he slowly shook his head.

The roommates usually ate Ceviche every Friday. One day it was up to him to prepare the meal, he said.

Arellano had no problem preparing vegetables and fruits. But when it came time to cook the prawns, he was at a loss. Instead of boiling them, he said, he chose to fry the prawns in a pan with butter until they turned golden, remember how his brother once cooked them like this.

“It had good taste, but it wasn’t a ceviche and my roommates never let me forget it,” he said. “Because of this experience, I challenged myself to make the best ceviche I could muster.”

Arellano spent his weekends experimenting with his recipe and using his friends as “guinea pigs”. And on the side, he researched how to start a business, browsed online and in bookstores for advice.

A close friend, Humberto Ornelas, knew Arellano was trying to get his food out there. So he invited him to the soccer fields Ornelas played every weekend and introduced him to the other players, resulting in bulk orders – some of which he still receives today.

Ornelas then connected Arellano with staff from El Centro de la Raza to set up a space in the square.

“I wanted to help him in every way I could, even if it was small,” he said. “Everything he imagines, he does and it is inspiring to see him doing it.”

Although Arellano didn’t sign up for the program’s eight-week training course, he was given access to a food truck where he could store and sell his shrimp, halibut, and vegan portobello mushroom ceviche, ice-cold drinks, and flan.

What started as a hobby grew into a business venture that enabled Arellano to share his creative views on a classic Latin American dish.

The uncertainty of it all, the slow days in winter and a pandemic with no end in sight have been tough, he said.

“I think success for me isn’t about getting to the top or even making the most money. It’s all learning on the way, ”said Arellano. “That gives me freedom. I design my shifts and my own salary. It’s all me “

Daniel Levin, co-owner and co-founder of the Eltana Wood-Fired Bagel Cafe, met Arellano seven years ago. A friendship developed from their working relationship.

His mother taught Arellano in English while he taught her in Spanish.

“It’s just very heartwarming to see that two people from very different places and in very different places in their lives can share this exchange,” said Levin.

Levin helped Arellano get his vendor permits and gave him advice on how to run a grocery store. He also rents space in Eltana’s kitchen to Arellano for food preparation.

“It just makes me happy and proud to see someone I really like building a business from scratch and thriving,” said Levin.

As the youngest of eleven siblings, Arellano’s decision to move to the United States was monumental. Most of his family, however, remain in Oaxaca a brother has moved to Pasco to be closer.

His family grew their own food and couldn’t afford school supplies like books and uniforms, Arellano said. He and his siblings stopped going to school after high school.

Almost two decades later, he can still remember finding the courage to try and persuade his father to let him continue studying, to no avail. He went to Mexico City but felt displaced and decided to return to his small town. Not long after that, he decided to move to the United States

“When I left, I didn’t cry at first, but I did the next day,” he said. “(My parents) died before I could see them again, but they still exist in my mind as they were.”

Arellano’s experience as an immigrant taught him to adapt to almost any situation. And supporting himself at a very young age taught him to see opportunity where others might not. If someone is able to leave their home and build something from nothing, they can survive anywhere, he said.

“I was never afraid of work,” said Arellano. “To never be afraid of what life has thrown at me and to keep moving no matter what. I learned that from my father. “