Carlos Gonzalez 1965 –

Carlos lives in a Bruderhof in upstate New York with his wife, Berenice, and their three daughters. He enjoys pointing out that his birthplace, Jalisco, Mexico, is where tequila comes from. “And I’m a very Jalisco person,” he adds.

I studied industrial design, and later worked for Volkswagen. Then I did publicity for restaurants and hotels, then opened a restaurant of my own. It was a successful investment, but too stressful. Later, I sold electronics, worked in the tourism industry, and enrolled in a graduate program. I lived in a Jesuit community and did human rights work with an NGO.

I realized that I liked to help people – to serve. It was around then that I got in touch with the Bruderhof through a young woman from the community who had come to Mexico to work in a children’s home.

Today, Carlos has a reputation as the ultimate host, and not just for fellow community members, but for guests from the neighborhood too.

Gathering is pretty much my culture, my background. I love to make margaritas. And to cook: enchiladas, chilaquiles – simple, traditional stuff. Of course, the most beautiful thing is to have time to interact with others, to get to know them. Everything else is superficial in the end. What is essential is the atmosphere, the joy of community. When you receive that, you have received a gift for life. Come by! My house is always open.