Perla was born in Belize and moved to the US when she was a teenager. She is half Salvadoran and speaks fluent Spanish! She attended culinary school at Johnson and Wales in Miami, and then received her master’s in hospitality from FIU. Perla managed a few cafes throughout Miami before moving to Winter Haven, and she someday hopes to establish her own hospitality company.
A rewarding part of managing the Dog Dayz Café here at VHA is getting to showcase how fulfilling healthy, organic food choices can really be. Perla wants to dispel the myth that healthy and nutritious foods can’t be delicious. It’s all about creativity.
Perla has one dog, a female Shih Tzu mix named Charlie, and an albino arowana fish. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of Perla’s biggest hobbies is cooking. She’s a foodie, and always looks forward to cooking and trying new recipes. She also collects aprons and cookbooks.
Her favorite quote comes from Julia Child: “The more you know, the more you can create.”
