Name: Gerardo de Anda

‍Job: CEO of San Antonio restaurant group Gusto Group

‍Birthplace: San Luis Potosí, MexicoYears in food service: 16

‍Big Impact: The founder of Toro Kitchen + Bar expanded his love for restaurants with the creation of San Antonio’s Gusto Group, whose multiple concepts include Cuishe Cocina Mexicana, Cellar Mixology, Boombox Pizza Bar, Books: A Whiskey Society and more.

‍Money Quote: “We stay true to what we want to do. And I think people respect that. You have to stay true to why you opened up a restaurant or bar — because if you continually change that target to try to make everyone happy, then people get confused about why you opened it in the first place.”

‍

How did a trip to Spain inspire your idea for Toro Kitchen + Bar?

I went to high school in San Antonio. I went to UTSA. I lived pretty much half my life here in San Antonio growing up. When it came to travel, I would visit my family in Spain and other places. I realized that there was an opportunity in San Antonio to have a more diverse culinary scene. So, that’s one of the reasons why I was inspired to open Toro. However, the actual inspiration for the restaurant’s concept came from a moment when I was gored by a bull named Caramelo in Pamplona when I was 18. It was sort of an out-of-body, spiritual experience. Because when I got gored, I thought I was paralyzed, and I had this whole spiritual moment that lasted like 10 minutes in my head. But in reality, when I saw the video, it only lasted like 30 seconds! It was a life-changing moment that never left me. So, when I quit my day job years later, and it sort of happened that I wanted to open up a restaurant in an old coffee shop in Stone Oak, it was like that moment with Caramelo years ago sort of kicked in again. And that’s when I knew that the restaurant needed to be named Toro. The restaurant’s founding technically was seven years in the making, but felt like it all happened at once.

‍

What drove you to be involved in the food industry?

I wanted to be a dentist when I was little. I quickly realized that life as a dentist wasn’t for me. Being a chef was another childhood dream. Every time I would go to anybody’s house, I would go straight to the kitchen and see what kitchen utensils they had. I would ask to look at their kitchen cookbooks, and I would always write down all the recipes. I was always very fascinated with the idea of cooking food for people and providing an experience. I was always a very good host, and I always took the time to create dishes and drinks for people, because I like to see people having a good time. It was a passion for years, I just never got a chance to study culinary arts. I did work in restaurants as a server and bartender, but I never actually worked in the kitchen, so I was never able to practice cooking. So, I think opening up Toro and my other restaurants and bars was my way to be able to provide that to the people without actually having to be behind the kitchen. So, I sort of get to see the entire picture, which I think I’m a lot better at, rather than just doing one thing.

‍

Your sister Vanessa was instrumental in opening Toro, is that right?

She was critical in opening up Toro. She’s the only one that took the risk with me, and she quit her job too, as well. When I was opening up Toro, she was having a baby, so she was limited in time, so that’s how I ended up partnering up with [my current chief operating officer]. My sister was critical in this whole operation. One of the reasons why I wanted to do this whole thing was to be able to support my family — not just my family, but the next generations, so they could have something. So, I’m very proud of the fact that I was able to provide that for us.

‍

Tell us about the Gusto Group’s next projects.

Sea Spice is official! It will be going into the Jefferson Bank building on Broadway this fall. It’s going to be a seafood, champagne and cocktail bar. So, it’s going to be a cold bar only, with a lot of focus on champagne, prosecco and then some fresh cocktails. And we’ll have live DJs, so that’s going to be really nice. And then we’re going to have a new project coming up around the vicinity of the Pearl area.

‍

How do you keep so many restaurants and bars open simultaneously?

Just being able to handle the stress. Of course, we’ve had our times where we’re not doing too well — you’ve just got to be able to to push through it and try and figure out solutions and not focus solely on the problem. I think a lot of people try to focus on the problem rather than focus on the solution. I would say I’m very fond of the 1-3-1 Rule — one being, find the root of the problem, and then the three is finding three possible solutions, and then you propose your best solution. So, all my staff and all my partners and anybody I work with always knows that I always say, “Give me three solutions to a problem.” Don’t give me a problem, because giving people problems just doesn’t serve anybody any good. So, I think that mindset sort of has helped us overcome everything from COVID to inflation to everything that’s been going on because, you know, there is a way out if you focus on the positive solution 100%.