Today we’d like to introduce you to José Brito.
Hi José , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My discovery of cooking as a career began when I was 18 years old. I traveled to Portugal to visit my uncle, who owned a pizzeria, and he gave me the opportunity to work alongside him. That experience awakened my love for the culinary world.
The following year, I returned to Venezuela determined to study and truly immerse myself in this profession. Through hard work, I graduated and later traveled to Spain, where I completed internships at a Michelin-starred restaurant. After that, I returned to my country and opened two restaurants that meant everything to me: one called Brito’s and another called Carmen’s.
Due to the growing insecurity in my country, I was forced to leave Venezuela with my family, leaving behind everything I had built, and start over in America. After more than a decade here, and a long journey working in restaurants in New York and Austin, I was able to bring my dream back to life, this time in the form of a food truck called Brito’s.
Brito’s shares a fusion of my heritage with American cuisine, inspired by this beautiful place that is Texas. It is where I can bake my own bread, prepare arepas made with fermented corn, and create breakfasts that blend Andean traditions with the spirit of Texas. Even with the challenges, it brings me joy and a deep sense of purpose to cook with care and attention to detail for the people in my community.
One of the greatest pleasures in life is sharing food, and being part of those moments pushes me every day to keep growing and becoming better.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been easy. Starting over always hurts your ego in some way, but it also leads you to discover new versions of yourself, and those almost always turn out to be for the better helping you grow and learn. Learning a new language, not being able to spend as much time as I wanted with my children and my wife, starting again in a field I had already conquered has been challenging, but looking back and seeing all the goals I have been able to achieve has taught me the value of patience. It has also shown me that the time you invest in yourself, when you step back and look at the bigger picture, is what truly makes the difference in reaching your goals.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Brito’s is a small food truck built around care, routine, and community. We focus on breakfast, burgers, arepas and more, food made from scratch, using simple ingredients and techniques we truly believe in.
What matters most to us is not how many items we sell, but the people who come back. We love recognizing familiar faces, having short conversations about daily life, and becoming part of our customers’ routines. In our culture, you know your baker, your butcher, your pizza maker and that sense of closeness is what we try to bring here.
Brito’s is not about being just another food business. We want to be a place people trust, a small but meaningful stop in their day. We believe life is built in the small details, and food is one of the simplest ways to share them.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
One of my first bosses in Venezuela was a great chef, and I was really fortunate to work with him. He taught me how important it is to have a good mentor—a person who shows you why it matters to do everything with full attention and care. In the culinary world, learning from someone experienced helps you grow not just in technique, but in how you think about food and how you approach every detail, because cooking is very personal, like art; everyone has their own way of seeing it. 
Also your education should never stop. You have to keep learning on your own, always doing your own research, watching chefs who inspire you, and connecting with the concepts and ways they see food. You can’t wait for knowledge to come to you, you have to go after it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Britos.atx
- Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/uYGSVy9rKbrALSYy5
Image Credits
@eldash512
@optik_studios
