From Her Mother’s Kitchen to Gerard’s Shelf: Rose Nunez Guzman and The Green Pig

The phone would ring after school.

Rose was nine years old, home in Redlands. On the other end of the line was her mother, calling from work with that night's instructions.

"Okay, you're going to get the pot. You're going to wash the chicken."

Then came the rest: water until it covered the chicken, then onion, garlic and salt. Put it on low. I'll be home soon. Some nights it was peel the potatoes. Whatever was for dinner, Rose started it.

Before the phone calls, she watched. When Rose was small, there was a stool next to the stove, and she would climb up on it to watch her mom cook.

That girl on the stool is Rose Nunez Guzman. Today she and her husband, Joe Guzman, run The Green Pig, the Redlands catering business they co-founded, complete with a food tent and trailer. Now she is taking the next step: her salsa, in jars, coming soon to Gerard's Market.

Zacatecas, Sonora, Ensenada, Redlands

Rose's mother was born in Zacatecas. Her father was born in Sonora. Both ended up in Baja California and grew up in Ensenada, where they met.

In 1965, her mother moved to Los Angeles. The two had already dated, but after the move they didn't see each other for about four years. Then they ran into each other at a party in L.A. They married in 1968.

In 1973, with Rose on the way, the family moved to Redlands. Rose's aunt already lived here, and her father had found work as a truck driver hauling logs.

Her brothers were all born in Southern California. Rose was born in San Bernardino, and Redlands has been home ever since.

"I was born in San Bernardino, but raised in Redlands my entire life. I never lived anywhere else."

She grew up on Lugonia until she was twelve, when the family moved to Clay Street. Her mother worked at the orange packing house near Redlands High School.

"You Would Listen"

By the time she was a teenager, Rose was cooking most nights. When her mother was home, she showed her how things were done and told her what she wanted made the next day.

Her mother has always told her why she trusted her with the kitchen.

"I just trust you, because you would listen to everything I would tell you, and I'd come home, and everything always tastes good. You always did exactly how I told you."

Learning to cook was also learning to work. In Rose's house, those were the same lesson.

"My parents were always about, you have to work, work. You have to work hard for your money."

She took that seriously. Her first job was at Popeyes. She told them she was sixteen. She was fourteen. Whenever her boss asked for her school work permit, she said she'd forgotten it and would bring it tomorrow. Tomorrow never came.

"When I started working, it was like, okay, now you can buy your own clothes."

She has worked ever since, including more than 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service.

Chile Verde, Then Burritos, Then Parties

The Green Pig didn't start as a business. It started with a pot of chile verde Rose brought to work. Everybody loved it, and they kept asking for it.

Then the requests grew. Will you make burritos for us?

"I was like, 'Sure, why not?' That's extra money, right?"

Then came parties. Will you cook for my party? For years, Rose cooked for whoever called. It was never planned, never permitted and never licensed. It was just Rose saying yes.

Then she started dating Joe Guzman, now her husband. He loved her cooking, and he noticed how often other people wanted it too. One day he asked why she didn't start selling it.

"I'm like, 'Ah, I don't know, Joe. You know, I work.'"

Joe didn't let it go. He told her he thought she should try, and that he would help her.

"Honestly, I never thought I was gonna get to where I'm at. Joe pushed me to it."

Next they needed a name. Rose noticed she didn't see chile verde much of anywhere, and everybody loved hers. So she asked Joe what he thought of "The Green Pig," because it's green and it's pork. Joe liked it. So did her kids.

"Joe was like, 'Okay, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right.'"

Together, they got their permits. They got a trailer. They got everything they needed, and in 2023, Rose and Joe opened The Green Pig as co-founders.

They have never had to advertise.

"Everything went word of mouth."

A Recipe in a Jar

About a year ago, Rose told Joe what she wanted next: to make salsa, jar it and sell it.

The recipe is her mother's, with Rose's own twist. There are three: Mild, Medium and Hot.

Ask her what makes it different, and she doesn't talk about secrets.

"I use all fresh ingredients. I don't cut corners. I do it the same every time."

Then she adds the part her mother taught her without ever putting it into words: "You have to cook with love."

When Rose brought her salsa to Gerard's, the people there tasted it, including general manager Julie, and they wanted it in the store. Gerard's carries products from many local vendors, and for Rose, this was the door she'd been hoping for.

"That's opening the doors more for me."

Now she's working through the details: the barcode, the labels, the final touches on the jar. Gerard's is the first step. Her goal is to eventually be in Stater Bros. and other major stores.

For the Generations

Rose is close to retiring from the Postal Service. The Green Pig isn't a hobby to fill her time. It's something bigger.

"My goal is to do a generation. I want my kids to be okay. I want my grandkids to be okay. And I know that it's not all about money, but I also know the struggle."

She knows what college costs. She knows what it takes to build a good career. She wants her family to have a head start on both.

When it came time to pick a photo to go next to her salsa at Gerard's, Rose already knew who should be in it: her and her mother.

The girl who climbed onto a stool to watch has become the woman whose family recipe is going on a store shelf in the town where she grew up. The instructions are still the same: fresh ingredients, no shortcuts, the same way every time.

And cook with love.

Follow The Green Pig on Instagram at @the_greenpig_est.23. Rose's salsas are coming soon to Gerard's Market in Redlands.