Studio Equator was commisioned to create a new Brand & Interior Strategy for a new family bar & restaurant in the Mornington Peninsula's Dromana.
LA ONDA LATIN MEX
La Onda Latin Mex is the place for you, a place for me, a place for us, a flavorsome force based on familia.
It's the place where we can be wondrous and explore new possibilities together... somewhere we can meet to celebrate a new wave of living. Integrated and can sustainably nourished by the love you can taste in our ultra-Latin flavors.
La Onda Latin Mex is a place where we can all be free, where borders dissipate through mere passion and the act of sharing great food... inspired by our collective yearn for yesteryear's simplicity and a modern yet humble revolution. Let us take you somewhere dreams are made of. Where community comes together to be empowered, to savor the fruits of OUR efforts. Where comfort is dished up with local, clean produce and deliciously crafted sensory expressions.
It is time to feast, to love and the time to laugh our way into the next wave of being. Our tactful & powerfully composed dishes interpretations of food, cocktails and experiences that push us forward. The time to transcend our preconceptions of how Latin or Australian cuisine really is.
La Onda Latin Mex isn't just about amazing food. We are about our community, employing and empowering local people... Offering a fair go means taking the time, building & nurturing talent, passing it forward by taking risks to allow others to flourish.
We believe in cultivating leaders and thinkers so they in turn can create more. A TEN-FOLD return on our social and revolutionary investment.
OUR HISTORY
Our story begun over 40 years ago, when the Flores family (familia) resided in the small Central American country of El Salvador. Like many or most Aussies, our familia migrated to Australia seeking a safe and prosperous future.
TRIVIA FACT: In Australian terms, El Salvador is three times smaller than Tasmania with 11 times the population!! Yes, 11 times. that's a lot of bloody pupusas & tacos!
El Salvador has strong links to peaceful yet revolutionary principals. These new "Vibe" (Onda)beliefs are what we offer/bringto the modern Aussie/Australiancommunity. All in the form of culinary experience and flavor combinations unseen by the everyday Australian populace. Belly Laughs are awesome too, its not all serious!
La OndaLatin Mex familia’s passion for laughter (and flavor) grew and was nurtured by culture and old school recipes, passed down from beyond modern memory. The immediate proximity to other neighboring Latin/Central American nations plus regular trips to explore (countries like Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico) and their never-ending cuisines fed our socially wondrous yet culinary awakened spirits.
Hungry to experience how others expressed their lives through sharing food, we set off (many times) in an old beige Datsun... Packed to the rafters. Beyond our horizons we went, at every chance.
It was a hard slog with such food rich cultures. All rooted deep in folklore & amidst legendary stories of Pipil, Aztec and Mayan empires. It was hard not to love the immediate andlocally produced tasty(AF!) treats. All of which were just "down the road" (Aussietranslation; food prepared in neighboring countries within a 600-km radius).
Once in Melbourne, Australia. The Flores family, inspired by the peaceful and diverse local culture, embraced the Australian way of life wholeheartedly. With each family member developing their own passions and interests, all-the-while making their mark on the ever-giving Australia.
Fast forward to 2018, we arrive at the right time and the right place to bring a humble ofrenda (offering/gift)to our beloved and sun burnt lucky country. We could not think of a more magical place to celebrate community, great produce and flavor/cuisinethan Dromana in the picturesque Mornington Peninsula.
FAMILY, CULTURE, CREATIVITY AND PASSION
Chef Roxy Flores secured a role in the newly built Crown Casino where she learned best practices and quickly climbed through the ranks, the military precision and rigors of everyday life in banquets. Where she prepared and served many thousands of people often on a daily basis with the highest quality of food at the centre of her efforts.
1. Being selected to run Kerry Packer's JJs at Crown Casino servicing high profile clients,
2. Heading the Club des Chefs des Chefs - the world's most exclusive gastronomic society, boasting chefs to royalty, presidents and high society. Chef Roxy has hosted the event twice due to popular demand, this is an enduring compliment hailing from the highest of ranks within the culinary society.
Supported by:
Director: Alex Flores Snr, a Civil & Industrial Engineer with an accomplished history and background in fine tuning delicate and complex industrial machinery. Acting as the Executive Director, driving the business from behind the scenes and maintaining a watchful eye on operations while delivering customary "Dad jokes".
Creative Director: Carlos Flores, Founder of the Award Winning Multi-Disciplinary Design Studio Studio Equator - whose long and successful career has focused on designing & creating innovative, highly functional award-winning spaces and interiors for widely diverse and established brands. Carlos brings unmatched subject matter expertise in brand building, business advisory and food retail to the team.
Artist & Textiles Designer: Maria Pizzirusso, Founder of Say Hola - an e-Commerce platform showcasing authentic, thought provoking creations. Maria is a multi-exhibited artist, her collaborations with a plethora of local and international brands spanning across textiles, home decor and private commissions for her global clientele.
Maria brings her experience in corporate development, with a calm mentoring style and wise guidance is invaluable in the creation of unique customer experiences and tactful relationship management.
Strategy & Business Advisory - Alex Flores Jnr, is an established Sustainability & Renewable Energy Technology professional with world leading cleantech brands and a strong track record in developing clean energy power projects.
While passionate about food and La Onda's principals, Alex Jnr brings strong business acumen while applying best practice and sustainable methodology to the vision.
LOVE, BEATS, TEQUILA & TACOS
La Onda's Manifesto, put simply...
LOVE & TACOS!!
La Onda "The Wave" (Latin Mex) originated as a Latin/Mexican multidisciplinary "rule breaker" movement.
Created by artists and intellectuals who embodied the counterculture wave (Onda) or movement of the 1960s. When "onderos" (new wavers) or "jipitecas" (Mexican/Latin hippies) addressed social issues of the time.
Women's & workers’ rights/equality, environmental degradation and antiquated social conventions where challenged through the revision of systemized values & social paradigms. All-the-while proposing and inspiring a new expanded consciousness, encompassing a broader more spiritually equitable social vision... spawn by adversity, empowered by compassion and nourished by community.
This is when the New Wave, the new era of La Onda was born, this is where La Onda Latin Mex sources it's inspiration. We believe that this "Onda" which proliferated globally through many champions from every corner of the world lives today, defiantly.
We are here to celebrate that collective vision that captivated us all, in one way or another. So, we extend our humble enthusiasm and passion to our amazing Australian familia (family).
Because we are ALL part of La Onda. We all LOVE (Love)and most of us TACO (Taco aka food)... those of you who don't, still have time to stop and smell the flavor, taste the love.
Catch yourself reminiscing of those not so distant moments, when your passion for family, for food and just being. Passion for life, for a new wave, your wave comes rushing back.
It's time to allow ourselves to live and eat and share anew, together... our Australian familia. All 25 million of us!!
