BEGINNINGS
Hello! My name is Ulises Barajas, and I’m originally from Sacramento, California. I moved out to Boston to study hospitality, and that’s where my passion for the hospitality industry began.
INTRO TO HOSPITALITY
The most memorable establishment I have worked at is Four Seasons One Dalton in Boston. FS forever changed the standards I hold for myself and for every hospitality establishment I walk into. I previously worked at Kimpton Hotels before FS.
TRAVEL
Most of my travels have been within the continent of Asia—Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan. Besides the above, I wanted to better understand the place my parents came from, so I explored Mexico as well. Although I can’t choose a favorite, Japan will always have a special place in my heart because I lived there for almost 1.5 years!
1st: my close friend, Ashmita, took a photo fo me next to the fountains in Singapore; 2nd: I took a cooking course by myself in Taipei; 3rd: I got to know Noah—a horse raised in the mountains of a small town outside of Sapporo, Japan; 4th: standing in front of the Mexican flag that’s displayed at Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City.
COFFEE + TEA
I’d say I can’t go a single morning without a cup of coffee. Whether that be a black coffee, or my go-to oat milk latté (with George Howell espresso beans!), coffee has always given me the energy needed to persevere through the day. And, after living abroad in Japan, tea has become a daily necessity as well (mugi-cha, if we’re being specific).
1st: a soy pistachio latte I ordered at the Ashikaga Flower Park cafe in Tochigi, Japan; 2nd: Picking coffee beans at Matayoshi Coffee Farm in Okinawa, Japan; 3rd: experiencing a 45-minute coffee experience at XLIII Coffee in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; 4th: taking a small lesson on the art of matcha curating with the staff at Aman Kyoto in Japan.
HOSPITALITY MEETS LOVE
One of the best parts of hospitality is that you will never know what, or who, it might bring into your life. I first met my partner while studying Japanese in Tokyo, Japan. We met at my favorite restaurant outside of Tokyo, 大衆つぐつぐキッチン, which I used to frequent often for the omurice and vibes. And since then, we have traveled to five different countries together!
1st: selfie taken at the 2024 Sapporo Snow Festival; 2nd: we both tried snowboarding for the first time in Hokkaido; 3rd: an interactive art display at the National Gallery of Art in DC; 4th: dressing up for a dinner at the Janu hotel in Tokyo, Japan.