TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — We've heard the story: A college student gets booted from school, turns to selling drugs and goes to jail.
But as WTXL ABC 27's Brittany Barnett found out, this story really does have a happy ending.
"You have to have drive and you have to have faith and believe in yourself," said Luis Guerrero, the owner of Great Plates. "If you don't believe in yourself, nobody will."
Guerrero hasn't always been this positive.
"I got into a little trouble when I was in college," said Guerrero. "I started to goof off at school and it led to my grades dropping... then to me loosing my financial aid."
That's when he turned to selling drugs to make up the money, a decision that landed him behind bars.
"When I was in prison, I did a lot of thinking, reading and planning," Guerrero explained. "I knew that once I got out... I knew I would have a record. I knew that it would be a challenge to make a living."
That's when he turned to an old passion of his: Cooking.
"I was like, 'Use your God-given talent, which is cooking," Guerrero said.
He used what little money he had from food stamps to cook up items and sell them to friends and family. Guerrero then saved his money and was also able to get a loan from a bank to open up Great Plates, a Southern style restaurant here in Tallahassee.
Guerrero isn't stopping here. He has big plans for the future of Great Plates.
"We are trying to find a location where we have more parking, more seating and a location where we can get the orders out faster because the traffic is continuing to increase," said Guerrero.
A dream that at first seemed impossible is now a way of life for Guerrero.
