La Mom Turns Viral Cooking Video Into Thriving Family Business

From forklifts to millions forking down her location cooked family recipes, Los Angeles’ Jenny Martinez is societal media’s latest awesome occurrence story.

Like many, Martinez grew up learning to navigator from her mother, but thought thing of showcasing her skills online. 

Prior to her societal media stardom, she sold forklifts. Then nan 2020 COVID-19 pandemic happened.

“Ever since COVID hit, everything started shutting down, that’s erstwhile my girl stayed location from schoolhouse and she said let’s do a video connected TikTok,” Martinez said successful an question and reply pinch NBCLA.

At nan clip Martinez hardly utilized societal media, having conscionable 100 followers connected Instagram. By nan adjacent greeting millions of group had seen her food. The adjacent one, featuring quesabirria tacos, was an moreover bigger hit.

“I told my girl you’re going to time off your job, I’m going to time off my job, and we’re going to do this afloat time, we can’t extremity now.”

Martinez parlayed her online occurrence into commercialized marque deals, landing her ain molcajete, comal and tamalera successful JCPenny nether her marque “ Mesa Mía.” 

“When we vanished nan call, I started crying. I called my hubby and said, ‘Mijo, we’re going to beryllium successful JCPenney!,” Martinez said.

The kitchenware was a hit, trading retired connected nan first run.

Martinez past went nationalist pinch features connected ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ and nan Food Network. 

More precocious Martinez group her entrepreneurial sights connected a caller goal, her very ain cookbook.

“It’s really easy to do a video but to constitute it down and put it into words that was nan challenging portion for me,” she said. “How do you explicate to personification who has ne'er seen a tamal really to wrap 1 really to do it.” 

‘My Mexican Mesa, Y Listo!: Beautiful Flavors, Family Style’ released aft 2 years of difficult activity successful tribute of her mother, still being named an editors prime connected Amazon complete a twelvemonth aft its release. 

“You don’t request to person nan cleanable talent, nan cleanable knowledge, you don’t person to person nan cleanable answers, it’s conscionable doing it,” said Martinez. “And past nan way is conscionable going to open.”