By Reynaldo Mena
Her mother was in labor. The city was Guadalajara. One after another, the hospitals refused to admit her. They were desperate. They had one option left, they called a pillar of the family, Santiago ‘Chago’ Laguna.
Upon hearing the news, he took off his lab coat; he was working in a laboratory at the time, and went in search of them, they needed his help. His boss told him he didn’t have permission to leave.
“I’m not asking for permission,” he replied.
This is told by Moka Laguna, the Public Relations and Marketing Manager of the popular Tortas Chago. She shares this story because it shows many things: the family strength that has managed to break down several barriers, and the struggle and persistence of the Laguna family.
Moka’s mother was a single mother, which meant that from a young age, Moka sought her place in the family nucleus and faced many challenging moments.
“Chago is like my father; he has always been supporting me, believing in me,” she says.
The little girl grew up with her grandmother and her uncles; her mother worked just like everyone around her.
“That spirit of struggle and work has always characterized us. I had to go to a boarding school when I couldn’t take care of myself yet. I didn’t see it as a punishment, but as a necessity I had to face,” she shares.
“I felt grateful; I had the privilege of attending a boarding school, maybe other girls didn’t. Although I have to confess, there were moments of profound loneliness,” she says.
If during the week that isolation got to her, the party arrived on Friday afternoon when her mom or one of her uncles came to pick her up.
“I remember arriving home, and everyone would hug me, they had gifts for me, they always showed me their love. I understood even more that the boarding school was not a punishment,” she adds.
Boarding school taught her to interact with many people, and it allowed her to make friends.
Her passion was music, her great companion. Two things were born there that later shaped her path: public relations and the world of entertainment.
“One Christmas, one of my uncles gave me a walkman, he recorded some cassettes with 80s music that I loved. That device was my faithful companion in childhood. It connected me with my family. I carried it everywhere; at night, it was like a pillow, always by my side,” she says excitedly.
“I felt very loved; I felt them and wanted to understand them,” she adds.
Moka was a very sensitive child from a young age.
“I cried for everything; as a child, I didn’t understand why I was so sensitive, I had to learn to defend myself,” she says.
If things didn’t go the way she wanted, she wouldn’t give up; she would look for another path.
“I wanted to be part of the folk ballet, but they didn’t accept me. I didn’t like it, but I wasn’t disappointed. I directed my energy toward the choir; I loved singing, I could sing the Ave Maria in Latin,” she shares.
By the time she reached the sixth grade, she was more independent. She could take care of herself; her mother and uncles could work, and she could provide her own meals.
“In Mexico, you learn to take care of yourself,” she says.
That’s when she began to face new challenges; her mother didn’t like to stay in one place, she always sought other places where better opportunities presented themselves.
“She was like a nomad,” she says with a laugh.
They moved to Fresno and then to Nevada.
“It was a shock, arriving in another country, another culture. I saw my classmates with a similar last name to mine but they didn’t speak Spanish; it was very strange for me. English was a challenge, but I learned it very quickly,” she says.
Moka says she’s a very dreamy woman. From a young age, she knew she wanted to work in something related to the media, and she was also fascinated by cinema.
“I didn’t like to limit myself; I saw myself traveling, I have a lot of curiosity about things, I’m very creative,” she adds.
Moka didn’t adopt manual labor as part of her life. She has always been close to the family business, to Chago, but her focus is on how to project them with the technological tools that come her way.
Cultivating her friendships, focused on her studies, she and her mother went to Nevada. There, a painful event occurred that marked her once again. Her mother fell ill, almost died, and Chago, her uncle, came to the rescue again.
“There I was by my mother’s side, and my uncle, traveling from Guadalajara to rescue us. All these incidents in the family are what have made us stronger,” she says.
They returned to Guadalajara, where she studied Communication Sciences.
“I worked in the mornings or on weekends and studied in the afternoons. Work is part of the sacrifice, as they say, ‘if you don’t fight for it, you won’t appreciate it,'” Moka comments.
By joining her uncle Chago, she fulfilled one of her dreams, working as a professional alongside the person who had supported her all her life. “I want you to soar high,” Chago tells Moka from time to time.
“Being a very sociable person has been a great help; my true friends become my siblings. Here comes another piece of advice that has stayed with me, choosing the right people to be close to,” she adds.
She has always been close to her uncle Chago; even when she was studying, she would travel to California to help in any way she could. There are also criticisms, but despite being a sensitive person, she has learned to handle them.
“I live in a very diverse family, and I’m a little different. Maybe some wonder what I do, even though they don’t see me doing physical work all the time, I focus on promoting and managing relationships for Tortas Chago. Loyalty is one of my virtues,” she confesses.
By 2012, the business was growing, the era of Facebook had begun, and Instagram followed. Moka anticipated and started creating content that soon caught people’s attention.
“Artists began to approach us; they had heard that the sandwiches were very good and came here. One of the first groups that came was Montez de Durango. Imagine! The Duranguense dance was popular at the time, they were the kings of showbiz, and they were already looking for us,” she says with a laugh.
More artists joined in.
“As a public relations professional, you have to believe in the product you’re selling; Tortas Chago is not just food, it’s also nostalgia, culture,” she says.
Every day, Moka thanks God for the opportunity she has been given to contribute.
“Things have worked out for me, maybe not in the order I wanted. I have taken Tortas Chago to important Hollywood events, and many more are coming. I have this sensitivity because I suffer from clinical depression; I know I have to take action. Be well accompanied. Going to therapy is as fundamental as going to the dentist,” she reflects.
“We need to end the stigma that successful businesses can’t be run within families; effective communication is all that’s needed,” she concludes.
