Back in 2000, Carlos Gonzalez got hired to wash dishes at the original Pizzeria Paradiso in Dupont Circle in D.C., thanks to his sister who also worked there. Almost 25 years later, he’s worked his way up to the top of the ranks.
“It’s been a journey where I have learned so many things. I mean, I started from dish washer, became a cook, prep guy,” Gonzalez said. “Assistant kitchen manager, kitchen manager, so many things.”
Once he became a full kitchen manager, Gonzalez realized that he wasn’t going to leave the restaurant business. Instead, it became more a matter of whether he was going to open his own restaurant somewhere or become even more involved in Pizzeria Paradiso at the corporate level. But the reality is he didn’t really want to leave, and owner Ruth Gresser didn’t want him to either.
“I feel like Carlos sells himself short sometimes,” Gresser said. “In the first couple of years he started, he proved himself to be a real key member of, at least at that point, the back of the house. He’s a guy with a huge heart and a guy with really high integrity, and he’s really smart, and he’s just a born leader. So I think he started to show who he was pretty early.”
When a second location was opened in Georgetown, she chose Gonzalez to help lead the kitchen there. Since then, two more Paradiso restaurants have opened, and Gresser gives him lots of credit for being an integral part of her company’s growth.
“We really have created this together,” she said.
A ‘natural progression’ to ownership
But soon Carlos will be going at it alone. Describing it as a “natural progression,” Gresser has brought Gonzalez into the fold as a part owner, and the plan is that he’ll fully take over the company in the future.
It’s something that’s been talked about for a while, but only now that the pandemic is really behind everyone is she ready to go forward with it. And after pouring more than 30 years of her life into the business, there isn’t anyone else she could fully trust to take over. And she’s had some offers.
“There have been a lot of people over the many years of Paradiso who have wanted to have ownership or have wanted to help grow the company,” Gresser said. “And they’re not sitting next to me right now.”
But on that day, the two of them were sitting at a table together in Hyattsville, Maryland, and talking about the transition going forward. Gonzalez, 44, and originally from El Salvador, spoke with humility and gratitude about his journey from washing dishes to owning the restaurants. On the other hand, Gresser couldn’t speak highly enough about a man she now considers more than just a co-worker or even a business partner.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I mean, it’s a dream coming true.”
“I feel really fortunate,” Gresser said. “Because not only do I have someone who embraces Paradiso and kind of reflects the culture of Paradiso … to take over the management and eventually the full ownership of this restaurant group, but I got a great friend.”
“For many, many years, Carlos has said to me, ‘I don’t really want to go anywhere else. I like it here,'” she added. “What that says is he likes what, frankly, we’ve created together.”
Gonzalez echoed what Gresser had to say about their friendship.
“To have that relationship, it’s just amazing, and support. You know, over the years, I’ve been learning so much from her. So yeah, it’s just great.”
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