- [Narrator] "Yes!

We're Open" is made possible by... (upbeat percussive music) - [Narrator] What would you like the power to do?

At Bank of America, listening to how people answer this question is how we learn how we can lend, invest, give, and volunteer to ensure the Sacramento region remains vibrant and vital.

Bank of America is proud to support public television.

(upbeat funk music) - [Narrator] Coming up on "Yes!

We're Open," discover the inspiring journey of a chef bringing modern comfort food to the Sacramento region... - I love it, love it.

(upbeat funk music) - [Narrator] A couple turns their love for wine into business... (upbeat funk music) And meet two brothers carrying on the legacy of their late father.

(upbeat funk music) It's all next on "Yes!

We're Open."

(upbeat funk music) (bright percussive music) - My love language is food.

I love taking this raw product, and then, creating a dish.

(bright percussive music) This is a form of art, right?

The plate is the canvas, the food, that's the paint, and we trying to create a art piece and present it to hundreds of people a night.

(indistinct) (bright percussive music) Everything that I put on this plate, everything that I produce is a part of me going to you to say, "Man, I love you, dude, come sit down, let's break bread together."

It's just that simple to me.

(bright percussive music) We're in the suburbs of Sacramento, California, in the wonderful city of Roseville.

(bright percussive music) Q is me, of course, I'm Q, Chef Q, and then, 12/27, that's my birthday.

My 50th birthday is when I opened it.

(loud clattering) Two spicy pastas.

(bright percussive music) We describe it as "modern comfort food," so what we've tried to do was take the Southern region food, the Southern food, pair it with California fresh ingredients.

(bright percussive music) I'm pulling on those flavors and I just wanted to kinda mix it all up and just see what happens.

(gentle guitar music) My inspiration, it comes from me growing up in the South.

(gentle guitar music) My city is Cross City, Florida, extremely small community.

We had about three, maybe four stoplights going down the center of town, everybody knew everybody, and I joined the military, so that's really how I got out of there, if you will.

I served seven-plus years in the United States Navy, I loved it, man, I gotta travel the world and see many, many, many different countries, and it was just absolutely a blast.

(gentle guitar music) When I got out of the military, I was really trying to find my way, trying to see what I was gonna do, I knew I wasn't going back to Florida, so trying to figure out what my next step was.

(water spraying) I found a job, started washing dishes at a hotel down in San Diego, and that was my, you know, really introduction into the lifestyle of culinary arts, but I loved it, I really enjoyed washing dishes.

(gentle orchestral music) For me, the kitchen, it resembled a family, and I think, at that time, at that age, I definitely needed that, so that's really what stuck out to me, and then, just learning food.

(upbeat funk music) My school was the school of hard knocks, my school was jumping into the back pocket of some awesome chefs and asking tons of questions, learning on the fly, I read tons of cookbooks, watched tons of cook shows... - Drain most of the fat, you only need about two tablespoons.

- A little bit of lemon zest really adds some nice flavor.

- But no culinary school for me.

I couldn't afford it.

(laughs) - [Narrator] Turned out Quentin had a knack for the culinary arts, which runs in the family.

- My mom, she was a magician, I mean, she made something out of nothing, so I stayed in the kitchen a lot with her, helping her out.

Just fond memories, right?

She taught me a lot.

So she was my first culinary teacher, if you will.

(laughs) - [Narrator] He took on a variety of culinary jobs, steadily gaining experience and honing his skills as a chef over the years.

- I worked for the state penitentiary system, I was a guard/cook in that system, and then, I started working in Hollywood, in LA, so I got to be on-set with a lot of sitcoms and TV shows, so it just kinda kept, you know, snowballing.

(upbeat funk music) - [Narrator] Along his culinary journey, he met a woman who would end up by his side through every step and play a pivotal role in where he's at today.

His wife, Tamara.

- My wife didn't have to join me here in this crazy business called the restaurant, but she chose to.

I remember like it was yesterday.

When I sat there and I told my wife, I said, "All right, babe, I wanna do me, I wanna open my own place," and I looked at her and I said, "Are you okay with that?

Are you with me?"

And in the fashion of my wife, she goes, "Let's do it."

- Because he wasn't happy, he was just not content because he had his own vision, and he couldn't do his vision in another man's house.

He said, "Either I do my own thing now, or I'm never gonna be able to do it."

Well, I'm about life and having a great life, I was like, "Let's go.

Let's do it."

- The reason I wanted her to be a part of this with me is because I can trust her.

She has my back.

- I have the honor, and he's still laughing about it, of being his general manager.

I hope you feel the pride that we have to have you as part of our team, that you have that same pride that you're a part of a growing entity.

He's the artist, and we're all the supporting cast.

If an artist gets bombarded down with too many things, it's gonna stunt their creativity.

I need him to keep creating, so that's what I feel like my job is.

We're at 117, we have four large parties, and other than that, it's gonna be a great night, it's five o'clock, one, two, three, and... (people clapping) Showtime, everybody.

- [Quentin] We're live.

(gentle harp music) - We both do what we have to do to... You laying down this track, I'm laying down that track so that the train can go on that track and get to the destination.

(indistinct) Don't stop the train.

- You know, I would tell any married couple, every... You gotta define your roles.

You just...

I think that's it, there's zero competition, I can't do what he does, and he doesn't want to do what I do, so yeah, that's what works.

- Yeah, it makes it easy because, you know, I... You know, truly, like, being in her company, and then, you know, at least here, I can tell her what to do, I can't do that at home.

(Quentin laughing) - Yeah, that became the... - Can't do that at home.

- Yeah, so literally, we decided... Or maybe I should say I did, that, you know, he's the captain of the ship here, period.

I don't know nothing, so I have to ask him everything, so he loves that.

- Listen, for five years, I've had her listening to me.

- Yeah, yeah, so I now listen and... - Yeah, he... Oh, full advantage.

(laughs) So I'm happy I can be his work wife and his wife, and that we can connect even more, so yeah, it's made us much stronger.

I was able to get into his world and understand it better.

I saw the depths of his creativity and it humbled me to know his gift was that great.

(gentle piano music) So I knew he could cook, but I didn't know he could create.

(gentle piano music) It definitely made me that much more proud.

- I love her love.

I love the fact that she thinks that everyone around her can succeed and be that greater person and the greater version of themselves.

You may not have enough faith to believe it yourself, so I'm gonna grab onto that person's faith.

It's kinda like swinging into that lake.

You don't know if that rope can hold you, but you believe in it enough to grab it and swing, and then, you have enough faith, and you let go, and now, you're swimming in the lake.

That's what her words do to not only me, her kids, family, but everyone around her, so yeah.

- Wow.

Show me some sugar.

(gentle piano music) - [Narrator] Since opening their doors in 2019, Chef Q and his restaurant have made quite a name for themselves in the Sacramento region.

They recently relocated to a new larger space in Roseville.

- [People] Congratulations on your grand opening!

(people cheering) - [Narrator] Another step forward in Chef Q's ever-evolving culinary journey.

(ethereal orchestral music) - And I believe that the success, if you will, that has come is only for me to reach out and be a blessing to families and kids in the community.

All right, guys, today's the day, we out here, man, we doing it.

We have food.

From day one, 10% of the proceeds go out to feed the less fortunate citizens of this area, and last year, we helped feed 60,000 families with the donations coming from this restaurant.

We just trying to make their life a little bit better.

(gentle piano music) And I've been at local high schools giving lectures to show young black students that, yeah, you can do it because I've done it, so that's what's really important for me because my journey in this culinary world wasn't easy, it was not easy, man, so I had to prove myself, in other words, constantly, just to be sitting at the table, so to be that role model, if you will, to be that person that that community can look up to... (gentle piano music) I have to.

I have to.

What's up, guys?

What's up, guys?

everybody good?

Dreams do come true, but man, you just gotta do it.

Trust in your experience.

Trust in the years that you've been doing your skills and your task, and just go for it.

There's gonna be hiccups, there's gonna be bumps in the road, there's gonna be hills to climb, man, but I tell you, the journey, man, it's amazing, and when you can partner with someone you love and care about, that makes it even much better, like, that's just great.

(gentle piano music) (bright orchestral music) (relaxed guitar music) - [Dina] There's not very many Latino vineyards or wineries.

(relaxed guitar music) We are Latino, and so, we really wanted to focus on something that reflected who we are... (relaxed guitar music) And to also put it out there to our people because the people that are working in agriculture making this amazing wine and taking care of our vineyards are Latinos.

(relaxed guitar music) - It just gives us a bigger appreciation for all the people that do that day in, day out.

(relaxed guitar music) - And so, we're excited to be the owners of Vino De Oro Vineyard and Winery.

(relaxed guitar music) (gentle piano music) The vineyard looks great, but, you know, every time I'm walking up this steep slope, I wonder, why did we plant on a steep slope?

(John laughing) - We should have bought the flat ground, but that's what makes the grape so good, right?

- [Narrator] Fine wine takes time.

That's something husband and wife John Avila and Dina Santos have kept in mind as they've grown their vineyard and winery, Vino De Oro.

- Our vineyards are in El Dorado County, in an area that is designated as being renowned for the soil and for the ability to grow good quality grapes for wine.

(grape plant snapping) - 90% of great wine is great grapes.

(upbeat orchestral music) We pick the fruit in the fall, crush it, press it, ferment it... (upbeat orchestral music) Then we put in a barrel and let it do its job for a year, two years, and then, we keep them in the bottle for another year or two years before we release them.

(upbeat orchestral music) (wine pouring) - So we focus mainly on Spanish varietals.

(relaxed guitar music) Spanish wines are generally kind of lighter, more elegant, smooth wines.

Not only are the Spanish wines that way, I think, innately, but we make the wines the way we like them, the way we wanna drink wine.

(relaxed guitar music) - I don't think we're terribly similar, I mean, I'm definitely bossy, I'll just admit it.

(laughs) I'm bossy and John is very patient, so that probably works really well together.

- So when she tells me, "Go in the brewery..." "Vineyard, it needs to be pruned," I'm like, "Okay."

- I do get things done and John will attest to that.

(laughs) - Yeah.

- Pick your weapon.

(relaxed guitar music) (John laughing) - No, my weapon is this.

- You like this one?

Okay.

- I think you've got a little bit of ying and yang.

It works.

(laughs) I think the grapes are gonna be really good quality this year, even though they came early.

When we bought the property, the plan was just to have a area where we could escape our jobs.

(gentle orchestral music) We love the wine business, but we both have our day job, so my day job is a...

I'm a criminal defense attorney.

- So I've been in IT for all my adult life, pretty much.

Currently, I'm working with the Department of Technology here in the state of California.

We should start seeing the different colors in the vineyard.

- Oh, I love the fall in the vineyard, it's so beautiful.

This job helps me with my day job of being a federal criminal-defense attorney because it's stressful, you know, people are trusting you with their lives, literally, and, you know, here, working in the vineyard, it's kind of an escape for me.

It's a good balance with those two worlds.

(gentle orchestral music) - [Narrator] So just how did an attorney and an IT professional learn the art of wine-making?

They credit their wine-making neighbors, who they quickly befriended.

- And then, before you knew it, we were helping out our friends at their vineyards and wineries, and taking care of their tasting room or helping them at special events.

- And it came to the point where we were like, "Hey, we've done everything, we've done the growing, we've done the picking, we've done the making-the-wine, marketing, selling it, might as well do it ourselves, we have the land, and we're young, so let's go for it."

- [Narrator] They went for it in 2013, planting their first vines with the help of their family and friends.

(upbeat orchestral music) It wasn't until 2019 that the winery was officially established, but the road to success is rarely easy.

Opening a tasting room was anything but smooth for these two.

They had secured a spot at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, a popular hub for boutique wineries, but their timing?

(upbeat orchestral music) - In March of 2020, so perfect timing, right?

- [Person] The World Health Organization officially declares the outbreak a pandemic.

- [Person] The whole population of California are under new orders tonight.

- We direct a statewide order for people to stay at home.

(upbeat orchestral music) - So that was a big challenge to get it off the ground.

- But, you know, luckily for us, fine wine ages perfectly, so it all worked out in the end.

- Thank you everyone for coming out to the Old Sugar Mill.

Meet one of our newest members here, Vino De Oro.

(people cheering) - [People] Three, two, one!

(people cheering) - I have no regrets going on this journey.

I think it's been, you know, a lot of work, but we are one of the few Latino-owned vineyards and wineries in California, so that motivates me to succeed because there should be more of us.

(upbeat orchestral music) - And what motivates me, really, is just the excitement and happiness that we bring to our customers.

- [Dina] She was the first one that started it all here at Vino De Oro.

- We basically put our...

Literally our blood, sweat and tears into growing the grapes, making the wine, and to be able to serve it to them and see that immediate feedback?

(indistinct) That's motivating.

- Yeah, I definitely think makes it all worth it.

(upbeat orchestral music) - [John] So I think we're gonna have a great vintage.

- [Dina] I think so.

(upbeat orchestral music) Another great vintage.

- [John] Another great vintage.

(bright orchestral music) - This is my dude, this is my brother.

- We're brothers.

(Marichal laughing) - Been knowing him all his life.

(people laughing) - He's the older brother, I'm the younger brother.

- [Marichal] Our father was a master barber for over 50 years, so we actually grew up inside of the barbershop.

(upbeat percussive music) (light switch clicking) - We noticed how the barbershop operates not only as a barbershop, but as a business and as community, so that kinda gave us the idea later in life that the barbershop is that community place.

It helped direct us to where we sit at now.

(people laughing) (upbeat percussive music) (jazzy piano music) - What's up, my man?

- How're you doing?

(indistinct) All right.

Yes, sir.

- So what's been up, man?

- Nothing, taking it easy, how about yourself?

- (laughs) I'm doing cool, man.

If you look good, you feel good, right?

I've seen so many people come in down on their luck, not feeling well about themselves, and they get their hair cut and they look in the mirror, and their whole world change.

(jazzy piano music) There we go.

(jazzy piano music) So we make sure that when people are coming into the shop, that we give them our utmost attention and we give 'em the best service possible.

- I grew up in New Jersey, like, 14 miles out of Manhattan.

- [Marichal] And the other thing, I think, that's very important is having a listening ear, and that's the part we play.

- How's the family doing?

- Family's real good.

(jazzy piano music) Mom's is good, sisters, brothers... - That's good.

People are willing to express everything from family, to job, to whatever it may be that's bothering them.

- [Person] Yeah, another thing is people stopping.

- And it's a relationship thing too.

- Yeah, I think he hit the nail on the head.

These type of relationships that are built here, you know, are amazing.

So you had to talk to your younger self.

What would be some advice that you would give your younger self?

- You know, nothing's really that serious.

The most important thing is to be in the moment, and not be in such a hurry to get ahead of yourself.

I come here because I feel a sense of family, I feel a sense of community.

It's a great environment.

(indistinct) - Just being able to serve the community, I think, is a huge piece, right?

And I feel that I play the part in society that needs to be there because we have so much negativity around us, to see people reach, you know, happiness is key, and one of the ways that we were raised.

(gentle piano music) - [Narrator] They credit their parents for instilling a love for bringing joy to others, and it was growing up in their father's barbershop where Marichal and Rodney learned the craft of barbering and what it takes to run a business.

(gentle piano music) - So we would leave school and come to the barbershop to help out.

He was doing everybody's hair, all the main players in the community would come in, so we watched our father have a really huge connection inside of the community, and we learned how to be entrepreneurs as well.

(gentle piano music) (relaxed jazz music) - [Rodney] I think, with entrepreneurship, you just have to be ready for anything.

- Yeah, but I think that's what I like about it, right?

I like the whole... - The up and down and the... - Not knowing what's able... - What's around the corner.

- What's around the corner, right?

- It's an emotional up and down, it's an emotional wreck.

- But I think life is like that, right?

And don't... - Don't get frustrated by the failure because in order... - Yeah, because failure is... - Is a part of success.

- Is a step to success, right?

Now, you can make a better step and you can be successful in trying again, so it's okay to fail.

- A smile.

- A smile is success, that we're putting something in place that other people can enjoy.

- Do you think that we should maybe turn the chairs, you know, maybe have some haircutting happening while we're...?

- I mean, we can bring it in, yeah.

- And then, we can put the TV out in the back as well, so people could be in front and out.

- Yeah, most definitely.

- I'm kinda like the one that may come up with ideas and things like that, Rodney can be the enforcer, right?

He's the one that I can lean on when I come up with these crazy ideas sometimes, and he'd be like, "You think that'll work?"

And I'll be like, "Well, check this out, if we do it like this, this and this," he'll sleep on it and he'll call back, he'll say, "Yeah, let's do it," so yeah, this is my man.

We should go with the gold.

- With the gold and black, or...?

- With the gold, no black, yeah.

(gentle piano music) It's more than just the brotherhood, it's also a friendship that's there, so we've always been close, you know?

And I always made sure he was okay, he's always made sure that I was okay.

Yeah, man, that movie last night was crazy.

- You said it was pretty good, though.

- [Marichal] Yeah.

- He's always been an influence for me as far as I've always looked up to him as "Big Brother," that's "Big Brother," and as we got older, I thought it would change, but it hasn't changed.

It still gives me someone I'm able to lean on, and someone I'm able to talk to and trust.

What y'all think about the Kings this year?

(razor whirring) - [Person] I think they gonna be nice, man.

- We've always kinda been in business together, whether it was the rap group or whether it was a community newspaper called "The Master Report."

- [Narrator] But in the end, they were drawn to the same path their father had paved, and they worked alongside him for over a decade until his passing in 1998.

(gentle piano music) - So he did get a chance to see us take over the barbershop and keep it going.

- Keep it going.

(gentle piano music) - [Narrator] After the loss of their father, their mother joined them in the shop, helping to carry on the family legacy.

(gentle piano music) - And it was like, "How can we even make it greater?"

We would put music in there, we would put poetry in there.

We even had some comedy that we would also have in the shop, which would invite the community out and be a part of, and then, we started doing the free haircuts in the park, and at schools and community centers, and those type of things.

(gentle piano music) - [Narrator] Shortly after their mother's passing in 2021, the brothers deepened their commitment to the community even further.

Today, they're part of a growing national network of black barbers who serve as frontline mental-health advocates through the Confess Project of America Barber Coalition.

- With the Confess Project, they go around and they train barbers how to detect people that may be facing some type of a mental health crisis, and then, we give 'em resources, making sure that they're able to go to a clinician that will be able to help them with any type of mental health issues.

- It makes you feel real good inside because it makes it seem like, "Okay, I'm not just a barber standing behind a chair, I'm someone who's standing behind a chair actually helping out society."

Being a man of color, we're kinda tied as like, "Hold your chest up, stick your chest out, don't show any feelings," due to the fact that you don't want anyone to see you not be a man, so now, it gives 'em a chance to break down from being that, "I'm all-powerful, superhuman," being, to, "These are my feelings," so it opens that door for everyone to understand that everyone needs help, everyone needs someone to talk to.

(gentle percussive music) - To be able to work with the Confess Project, I think, you know, that our father has created a foundation for us to stand on and to grow.

(gentle percussive music) - And I think that's the biggest thing is, like, all those standards are still there and the foundation still stands as it once was.

(gentle percussive music) - [Narrator] "Yes, We're Open" is made possible by... (upbeat percussive music) - [Narrator] What would you like the power to do?

At Bank of America, listening to how people answer this question is how we learn how we can lend, invest, give, and volunteer to ensure the Sacramento region remains vibrant and vital.

Bank of America is proud to support public television.