Life & Work with Kemmly Prado of Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kemmly Prado

Hi Kemmly, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Kemmly Prado. I was born in a beautiful north-central Venezuelan city called Maracay. My hometown is known as Venezuela’s garden city. I am the oldest of four children.
My parents were a wonderful and extremely hard-working couple. Even though he passed away, my dad is still my hero. He was one of a kind, a man who would win the love and the heart of all those who would meet him. My mother was his faithful companion, his biggest fast and was always by his side.
With four children to feed, my parents had to find a way to make ends meet during a time where things a little hard in my country. That is how they began their journey cooking meals. I grew up with the smell of home-made food in my house, particularly the pickled vegetables, sauces and everything else!
Both of my parents had a very large family, many friends and acquaintances. Every Friday, my mom would meet with her friends to play cards or chit chat. They would talk about their lives, their homes, their families, their dreams and… shared their recipes!
Since Venezuela is a melting pot of cultures, so were their (and our) friends, our classmates, our neighbors… Naturally, my parents adopted different recipes from the various cultures and blended them with the Venezuelan touch.
My dad was also the king of the grill. He loved inviting his friends to our house and always took pride in preparing the best green sauce for the meat, the yuca and salad. He also invited our friends and not only fed all of us, but kept us entertained with his dad’s jokes, his singing, and his smile.
I met my husband Jose when I was 12 years old. We were classmates since middle school. We were best friends and were always together. When we graduated from high school, we each went to different universities but stayed friends. The distance made us realize that we missed each other too much and started dating. When we finished college, at 23 years old, we got engaged and married. We are the proud parents of Daniel and Natalia. Daniel graduated last year from Medical School and Natalia is in her senior year of Pharmacy.
“Grandpa’s Recipes” was born to honor our parents’ effort, their grit and resilience to ensure their four children’s future, and their determination to raise us with a strong faith and family values. Their optimism and their hope have been an inspiration to us and to the “Grandpa’s Recipes” brand.
We are thankful that our customers love our products. For us, a smile or a “yum” or a “this is delicious” is the same as sharing the love my parents shared with their family and friends, and that fills our hearts with gratitude and happiness.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
– Although the recipes are a family heirloom, kept in the family’s recipe book, we also had to ensure our products had the highest standards of quality and met the regulatory requirements. So, the obstacle of changing the formula without losing that original flavor I think was the real challenge we had to face. But we did it and I can guarantee that our product is always fresh and delicious.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My husband Jose and I are both college graduates. I graduated from Law school and became an attorney, and my husband is a Mechanical engineer.
Today we are the proud owners of “Grandpa’s Recipes”! A family business that brings to your homes delicious sauces and pickled vegetables made the old-fashioned way and with a lot of love!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
For those starting their entrepreneurships, their careers, or just following their dreams I can say: never give up! Keep pushing and fighting for that you desire with all your heart until it becomes a reality. Dreams are never too big or too impossible to achieve. It is just a matter of persistence, determination and grit, like the one my parents taught us.
A personal phrase for all of you starting out is “Wish it with all of your heart, work in it with all your strength and give thanks to god with all your soul”

Contact Info:

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