Lubbock Resident Turns Pandemic Blues Into Growing Salsa Business
94.5 FMX had a chance to sit down and talk to the creator of Johnny G's Salsa, a product that's been making waves at our local farmer's market.
John Gallegos is behind some of the most delicious salsa you can find in Lubbock and shared some of the secrets to his newfound success.
"I originally posted our Tatemada salsa on the LBK Foodies Facebook page one day and it blew up," he said. "I was pretty much beside myself and was like, "Oh man, I've created a monster."
"It's nothing romantic, but Johnny G's Salsa really started out of necessity," Gallegos explained. "My family and I moved back to Lubbock to be closer to our extended family at the beginning of 2020 and shortly after, the pandemic hit. As a result, it became hard to find a good-paying job and I had to start thinking outside of the box."
Gallegos told 94.5 FMX that he grew up in a poor family, and going out to eat was something that only the folks with money could afford. In his family, someone cooked every night. This helped to solidify his love for cooking.
"Produce was cheap, plentiful and what you could make with it was only limited to your imagination and personal taste," he said.
Gallegos told 94.5 FMX that the stellar salsa recipe was his great grandfather's and that their preparation methods have been passed down from generation to generation, dating back to Native American culture.
Jars of Johnny G's Salsa have made their way to the east and west coast. Most recently, they even sold some to a customer in Oregon, Gallegos said. For now, it's still a micro-salsa company selling between 100 and 150 jars per week, but there are big plans to grace store shelves in the future.
We asked Gallegos what his small salsa business means to him. He gave a poignant and heartfelt response.
"In Native American cultures, creating and "doing" is a form of prayer," he said. "So, if you're dancing, running, writing, painting, building, etc. you're praying. You're expressing love. You're willing something into existence. Anything that brings something positive and new into the world whether it's a work of art, a better version of yourself, or in my case creating food/salsa is prayer and an act of love."
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