Community Highlights: Meet Cyndi Macias Adams of CulinaryTXDiva

Cyndi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My love for cooking and making salsa started when I was 9 years old working and waiting tables in my family’s Mexican restaurant. I would work on the weekends and after school, all while juggling my school work.

At times, I would get into trouble because my job was to be out front taking the Customers orders and serving them, and I would always wander back into the kitchen watching, asking questions-how much of this and how much of that especially when it came to making the “hot sauce” or salsa. My mom had a delicious salsa recipe that was passed down by her mother, and grandmother, and this is what we served our Customers. I would help by washing the peppers, measure out the seasonings, and place the salsa in bowls.

Due to unfortunate family circumstances, the restaurant lasted only a few years, and grateful for the memories and all that I learned in my younger years.

I grew up, got married, had 3 wonderful children and started working for an awesome Commercial Airlines. During that time, I became a single mom and would always dream to do something in the culinary world -as my passion for cooking and creating always remained from when I was a little girl. After my children became grown and specifically when the pandemic happened- I felt the time had come to do something about my dream. I took cooking classes and achieved a few certifications -Private Chef and Catering, as well as getting my LLC under CulinaryTXDiva.

I started selling meals, catering for family, cooking for friends and having them try out my new recipes. I was kind of all over the place trying to find my niche.  One morning, my daughter Ryane looked at me and said  “Momma, your salsas are really good.”Why don’t you go that direction,  make your salsas and sell them?” I was instantly inspired, and here we are!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No, I can’t say it’s been a smooth road; however, it hasn’t been entirely bumpy either. I would like to say the journey has been uphill, downhill, with a few curves, and a couple of forks in the road. Ha-sounds like a rollercoaster!

The salsa industry is pretty competitive and trying different marketing tips and tricks on the various social media platforms. I truly want to offer my customers an amazing experience that they want to share with their family and friends.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started my own online Company CulinaryTXDiva in May 2020 selling delicious homemade salsas and tortilla chips. I make my salsas in small batches and fresh to order from local produce, Farmers Markets or from my garden- I am actually growing my own peppers!

We have a heat and spice level for every pallet and our three main varieties are – Salsa Rojo, Salsa Verde, and Salsa Asada Habanero. We also have seasonal salsas like Ghost Pepper, Mango Habanero, just to name a few. I always have my creative cap on and love to experiment with all kinds of peppers and come up with different flavor combinations- I’m also making Mexican Pecan Pralines with a little spicy kick. If they make the cut, I place the items on the website  (salsa store) to give our Customers continued variety.

What truly sets our company apart from all others would be the robust and unique flavor of each salsa, AND they are inspired by family recipes, so you know you are getting the real deal. We also make our own signature tortilla chips which you won’t get anywhere else in terms of crunch and freshness. They are one of a kind and our customers love them! We also have “Diva Sprinkles” which is a special chili-lime seasoning to sprinkle on your chips that take the flavor to the next level.

I take great pride and care in the preparation of the CulinaryTXDiva’s Chips and Salsas to bring the Cantina Restaurant experience to your home. Our mantra – Life’s too short to have a bad bowl of salsa.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Yes, I would love to! I am in the preliminary stages of collecting family recipes to create a CulinaryTXDiva Cookbook, and with God’s great grace, will hopefully have it published in the next one to two years.