Who is José Semple?
I was born in Suriname but I lived most my life in the Netherlands(The Hague).
You lived in the Netherlands for a while, why move to Suriname?
Well, the Netherlands was suitable for me and my personal ambitions no more. You are kind of forced to live your life in a certain way.
I dislike that because I really wanted to be in charge of my own life and time.
Be prepared to work more than 15 hours a day!
What is your biggest motivation to start a restaurant?
My biggest motivation is to leave a legacy for my future children. I love a challenge!
Building something from scratch and making it a success is one of the major challenges in life.
How did you come up with the name for the restaurant?
My business partner and I were thinking about a cool name and we noticed that the name ‘Santiago’ is well known in many places.
Nearly every city in the Latin community knows this name one way or the other. There are last names and cities with that name.
What kind of cuisine do you serve at your restaurant?
We serve Latin American cuisine in our restaurant. We serve authentic recipes. Recipes that people would have in their own countries.
What makes Santiago different than any other restaurant in town?
We are a solo Latin American cuisine. Fusion or combo’s with Surinamese food is something we DONT do.
Also do we have the biggest Rum collection in Suriname!
Do you have any advice for people that want to open a restaurant just like you did?
Be prepared to work more than 15 hours a day! Do not start alone and always train your staff adequately.
If you really want to be successful always promote your OWN stuff!
What other dreams do you have?
Building a legacy for my family like I mentioned earlier. The next thing would be having multiple versions of my restaurant around the world.
Also have I always wanted to own a club. It might be my next step. I have many dreams. I will follow most of them for sure!
Does entrepreneurship run in your family?
Yes most definitely! My dad had multiple businesses. My mom is super smart and is usually the one that has the best ideas on how to run the businesses.
Are you going to make Santiago a family business?
Well, my kids should do what ever they want to do. I will never force anything on them.
For now it is a business and my employees are family to me.
What is your opinion of Melanin wonder is it needed in a country like Suriname?
Melanin Wonder is always needed everywhere! People should always embrace their melanin heritage.
I think that Melanin Wonder provides that.