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Angel didn't grow up dreaming about a restaurant. He studied programming and computers back home in Monterrey, Mexico — but the kitchen had been calling his whole life without him noticing. On this episode of The Global Latin Factor, we sit down on location at Los Guapos off 7th Street in Fort Worth to trace the whole journey: dishwasher to line cook, the Cuban bar chef's table at Embargo, the vegan pioneer days of Mariachi's Diner inside a gas station, the bicycle taco deliveries to Martin House Brewery, and finally Los Guapos — now stacking up reader's choice awards for best tacos, best Mexican/Latin, and best international cuisine.

We get into his mom's pozole and the one rule that shaped his cooking — make it taste like home — why he says you have to marry the industry, the programmer brain that turns every problem into a solution, the story behind the name, bottled aguas frescas and branded salsas on the horizon, and why he's Mex, not Tex. Plus how Los Guapos is getting ready for the wave of fans coming to town for the 2026 World Cup.

This one is comfort food, community, and the Latino hustle in one conversation.

Follow Los Guapos on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @LosGuaposfw.

The Global Latin Factor is a bilingual podcast where we talk Latino everything — culture, identity, food, and the people building community across the diaspora. New episodes weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen.

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Rice and beans isn't just a side dish — it's one of the most powerful cultural staples in Latino and Caribbean life. In this solo episode, Christine traces the real history behind the plate: how indigenous communities cultivated beans in the Americas centuries before colonization, how African knowledge and labor shaped rice cultivation across the Atlantic world, and how the two came together to become a daily staple from Puerto Rico to Brazil to Central America.

We break down the regional versions Latinos defend with their lives — moros y cristianos, gallo pinto, casamiento, arroz con habichuelas, arroz e feijão — and why attacking someone's recipe is basically attacking their abuela. Plus, the actual nutrition science behind why rice and beans together just works.

If you've ever eaten this dish without thinking twice about where it came from, this episode will change that.

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💬 Got a favorite version of rice and beans? Let us know — we want to hear it.

Topics covered:
- The indigenous origins of beans in Mesoamerica and the Andes
- How rice entered the Americas through colonial systems and African expertise
- Regional rice and beans dishes across Latin America and the Caribbean
- The nutritional science behind the combination
- Why this dish became identity, not just food

#GlobalLatinFactor #LatinoCulture #RiceAndBeans #LatinoHistory #LatinoPodcast

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¿Qué pasa cuando llegas a un país sin papeles, sin familia cerca, con un hijo pequeño y un sueño que no puedes explicar con palabras? Laura Mejía lo vivió — y lo convirtió en To.Gather.

En este episodio de The Global Lighting Factor en Español, Laura comparte su camino desde los barrios populares del sur de Bogotá hasta los escenarios culturales de Dallas, Texas. Actriz formada en el Teatro Nacional de Colombia, emprendedora por instinto y mamá de Martín — Laura construyó una empresa desde cero, desde una mesa familiar y un cerillo.

▶ LO QUE VAS A ESCUCHAR:
— Cómo un colegio comercial en Bogotá le enseñó a vender desde los 10 años
— Por qué dejó la universidad de negocios y entró al teatro profesional
— Llegar a EE.UU. sin permisos de trabajo y lavar platos para sobrevivir
— Criar a su hijo solo, sin red familiar, en un país nuevo
— La depresión posparto que nadie llamó por su nombre
— Cómo la pandemia le devolvió su propósito
— Qué es el duelo migratorio y por qué afecta a todo inmigrante
— El origen del nombre To.Gather y por qué el punto lo cambia todo
— Sus metas: llegar a 5,000 familias en el norte de Texas este año

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Instagram To.Gather: @2gather21
Instagram personal: @lauraugm

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💬 CUÉNTANOS EN LOS COMENTARIOS:
¿Tú también has sentido el duelo migratorio? ¿Qué fue lo más difícil de adaptarte a un nuevo país?

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https://thegloballatinfactor.com/

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