Why She’s Interesting: Torres has fought tooth and nail to keep her restaurant, Mallorca, open despite the devastating effects of the pandemic — all while keeping her original staff. Through it all, she has kept a positive outlook. “I put on my badass chick pants, so to speak, and really made this work for the people that are here and their families.”
Welcome Home: When people visit her restaurant, Torres treats them like guests in her home. “We’re not about fancy lights or fancy clothes … when you come here, you’re going to feel like you’re kind of at your grandmother’s house.”
Representing Cleveland: Torres works double-duty as the president of Cleveland Independents, a group of locally owned operated restaurants. “If you don’t support them, then Cleveland will just look like a homogenized, pasteurized city that doesn’t have a personality.”
Words of Advice: “The most important asset that you have as a human being is your empathy. Because empathy is the seed from which all good things grow. Compassion, passion, honesty, integrity — if you don’t have empathy, you can’t have any of those things.”
Interesting Fact: Mallorca has been thriving in Cleveland for 25 years.
