Episode 185: The Suffering of A Chef Gus Gutierrez

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In this compelling episode of The Suffering Podcast, hosts Kevin Donaldson and Tom Flynn welcome the inspiring chef Gustavo Gutierrez to share his remarkable journey from a tumultuous childhood to culinary success. Gus opens up about the profound challenges he faced, including substance abuse and personal trauma, and how he used these experiences to fuel his drive and ambition. Through his candid storytelling, Gus highlights the importance of using pain as motivation and finding hope in helping others. His narrative is a testament to resilience, personal growth, and the power of community support, making this episode a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration and motivation.

As Gus shares his transformative path, the hosts emphasize the show's mission of highlighting stories of overcoming adversity. This episode encourages listeners to engage with the content by liking, subscribing, commenting, and following on social media. Additionally, it promotes Gus's restaurant, Cubita Cafe, and acknowledges the support of their sponsor, Toyota of Hackensack. Whether you are looking for inspiration to overcome your own struggles or simply enjoy powerful success stories, this episode offers valuable insights and a heartfelt message of hope and determination.

Gustavo Gutierrez was born in North Bergen, New Jersey to Cuban immigrant parents. As a child he was raised mostly by his grandparents while his parents were working, living the “American dream.” Cuban culture, strong beliefs, and food was always the center of his everything. He grew up in and around the kitchen, whether it was helping his abuela or making his own dinner, food was always at the center of it all. Wildly enough, a career in cooking was never at the forefront of his brain, it was figuring out how to deal with the principal in catholic school whose office he was sent to daily. Growing up in Hudson country, certain events changed the way he would see things. At the age of 12, a gun was held to his face. In that moment, he swore he would never be a victim again.

The path he chose after that moment caused much pain and grief in his life. Through many detours and lessons learned the hard way, he found himself finally having graduated from an alternative high school for “bad kids” after getting kicked out the others for bad behavior or not being able to pass a drug test, with no direction. The year after high school was spent on the streets, surrounded by bad influences and making even worse choices. It wasn’t until the fear of going to jail made him sit down and figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He enrolled in culinary school, just to give him something to do, after realizing becoming a pilot was too intense. Little did Gus know, he would fall in love with the craft. Also little did he know that that environment could also be toxic. It wasn’t until recently, about 10 years after graduating culinary school, that he realized it wasn’t actually his environment. It was him. It wasn’t until he started working on himself that his life truly changed. Gus’s wife, beautiful little girl, his business, none of these things could make him change himself until he needed to be the best version of him FOR them.

Time stamps
00:00 The Suffering Of A Chef
01:00 Introduction
02:07 Social media question
08:39 The people Business
10:43 Gus the Cuban
13:33 Work ethic
19:10 Life changing event
21:41 No more victim
22:20 Can control a lost kid
25:08 I want respect
27:10 Getting high
29:25 Locked up
32:22 Starting a career
35:40 Escaping jail
39:10 Mindset shift
42:30 Blessing in disguise
44:55 Fear of death
46:44 No more drugs
49:50 I’m the problem
52:49 Control
56:15 Treatment of other
1:00:10 Stand out
1:03:55 Plugs
1:05:09 What has your suffering taught you?
1:06:55 What have we learned?

Where to find Gus:
Instagram
/ hudsonchef
/ cubitacafenj
/ cubitatruck