Paulie’s Counter Culture – Matthew Zaldivar

As promised, I am releasing a “resume” of each of my 10 Baristas at Paulie’s, one per week.  We have a talented bunch behind our counter, I’d like to share their stories with you all.

My first subject is one of our longest running employees, Matthew Zaldivar:

Matt Z. or by his restaurant nickname “Micho” has been working at Paulies for over 2 years. Originally from Pasadena, California, Matthew moved to Houston in the summer of 2011. Matthew is married to his wife Amanda and has one daughter, Poppy who was born in August 2013. Matthew is a quarter Spanish, a quarter Mexican and half Cuban. He grew up in a loud Cuban family where love and food was the center focus. Micho is still a Lakers fan, but we don’t hold that against him.

Matthew is also the first person you work with as a new employee. He is head of training because of his patience and understanding. This isn’t the only job Matt’s had in the industry. He’s worked as Barista and cooked pasta in his previous occupations, so naturally Paulie’s was a perfect fit. Matthew also used to be an apprentice electrician and worked in the electrical trade for over 3 years. He’s certified to install solar panels and has had extensive training to work as an electrical lineman. You know those guys who work for Centerpoint that turn your power back on? Yes Matthew has climbed power poles and has worked around high voltage. Matthew also worked at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles for several years.

Matthew spends most of his free time with his wife and daughter either cooking at home or spending as much time outside. Matthew’s main hobby is music. He’s been playing the bass instrument for over 9 years and played in many bands and toured up and down the West Coast. He’s even played a couple of shows with the other musicians that Paulie’s employs, including Paul himself. He’s currently teaching himself Upright Bass and guitar. Matt’s favorite genres include Afro-Cuban, Classic Rock and Classic Country. Matt’s other interests include smoking cigars, gardening, running and learning about/drinking wine.

Stay tuned to pauliepetro.com each week for a new resume.