Mother, son bring New Mexico flavors to Sin City

Paula Marie Escudero and her son Sean Wilson, a mother-son chef duo from Rio Rancho, have brought their culinary talents to Las Vegas, Nevada, with the opening of Smokin’ Good Bistro and Deli. What started as a local business in 2019 has now expanded to the bustling city of Las Vegas, where they operate their catering, mobile food trailer and product testing and development.

The journey to Las Vegas wasn’t without its challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Escudero and Wilson received funding from the county to help sustain their business. In 2020, unable to locate a commercial kitchen in their area or in Albuquerque, they made the strategic decision to expand to Las Vegas.

“So basically, we got off to a boom; it went fantastic. We started at the breweries and we were at the county and we were already off the ground, and then COVID hit and just completely shut everything down,” Escudero said. “We had already had trouble finding commercial kitchen space. There’s nothing here in Rio Rancho. So there wasn’t really an opportunity because there wasn’t any spaces. So just before COVID, my son ended up moving to Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s my chef, so during COVID I would go visit him in Las Vegas. He talked me into moving the business there. He brought a child in the world, so I thought, ‘OK, well he’s probably gonna be here a while.’ So I jumped ship and I opened up a sister company there.”

Escudero said it was more than challenging to open the business in Vegas.

“It’s been rough; Las Vegas is very competitive, very big, very expensive to set up. The cost of everything is just astronomical,” Escudero said. “So it really took us about the last three years just to survive. I’m not gonna say we made a big success. We survived.”

The company’s survival was built on dedication and hard work, which paid off when they were selected by the PepsiCo Foundation for a 12-week makeover, culminating in a $10,000 grant. This grant, also received by their New Mexico business and eight others, has been instrumental in their growth and success.

“We have learned a lot about menu optimization, which we didn’t know about. We learned about online ordering, digital presentation, marketing; they really gave us in a nutshell, knowledge that we really, really desperately needed for our business,” Escudero said. “So it wasn’t because we were extremely successful that we were in this program. It’s because we needed help.”

One of the highlights of their journey was being chosen out of more than 100 other Hispanic-owned businesses by the PepsiCo Foundation to represent them at “A Taste of the NFL” on Feb. 10, the night before the Super Bowl.

Alongside 20 other chefs, including celebrities like Carla Hall, Escudero and Wilson showcased their culinary skills and their signature New Mexico Frito pies and The Smokin’ Cherry Pepsi BBQ Sandwich. A fundraiser to support GenYouth, an organization addressing hunger in schools, A Taste of the NFL was a platform for Escudero and Wilson to shine and share their passion for food with a wider audience.

“That was the whole phenomenal thing, meeting the chefs and all that,” Escudero said. “I heard (Hall) came to our booth. She tried the Frito Pie. She tried the barbecue pork, and she said, ‘You guys were phenomenal, great dishes.’ So we did get a good compliment from Carla Hall.”

Escudero’s path to becoming a chef receiving compliments from Hall was not conventional. She had a lengthy career in financial planning before starting over when her health declined. Returning to her love for catering, which she had been doing for friends and family for years, she and her son decided to attend culinary school together. They embarked on their culinary journey, ultimately leading them to the opening of Smokin’ Good Bistro and Deli.

Escudero lives in Rio Rancho, where she is a private chef and teaches cooking classes for family. She also runs a test kitchen for the bistro in her home and travels to Vegas for big events, one of which will be when the Vegas-shared commercial kitchen opens its first food trailer next month.

Escudero said many other entities helped keep her dream alive, including family and friends, The Loan Fund, New Mexico Finance Authority, Restaurant Revitalization Program, Cares Act Grant offered by Sandoval County, Rio Rancho Cares Act Grant, Dreamspring and the Accion Opportunity Fund. She encourages all small business owners to check out which grants, loans and programs are available as Smokin’ Good Bistro and Deli would not exist without that assistance.

Despite facing challenges and having to shut down a few times over the years due to funding issues, Escudero and Wilson remain resilient, driven by their shared passion for food and their determination to succeed.

“I think I’m destined,” Escudero said. “I guess because it’s my family, it’s my son. It’s our future. I can’t give up.”