Made in House: Houston is presented by The Speke Originals Network (https://www.spekepodcasting.com/spekeoriginals)

Oscar Gushiken shares how he and his wife built Dulcedo Coffee in Fulshear while navigating COVID, landlord rejection, a full-time career, and the realities of small-business ownership. It is a story of community, adaptation, specialty coffee, and betting on a neighborhood before it was built.

Learn more about Dulcedo: https://www.dulcedo.coffee/

Key takeaways

1. Oscar and his wife opened Dulcedo Coffee in October 2019, just months before pandemic shutdowns.

2. Grab-and-go service, online ordering, and delivery apps helped the shop navigate COVID uncertainty.

3. Exclusive-use lease clauses and landlord skepticism led to approximately 30 to 50 location rejections.

4. Dulcedo took a risk by signing a lease in a new development before the surrounding neighborhood was built.

5. Oscar balances coffee-shop ownership with a full-time job, relying on his wife and a trusted team.

6. The menu has expanded from strict specialty coffee to include customer-preferred larger drinks.

7. Customer relationships inspired signature menu items such as John’s Breakfast and Nikita’s Triple Cheese.

Made in House: Houston is presented by The Speke Originals Network (<a href="https://www.spekepodcasting.com/spekeoriginals">https://www.spekepodcasting.com/spekeoriginals</a>)
Oscar Gushiken shares how he and his wife built Dulcedo Coffee in Fulshear while navigating COVID, landlord rejection, a full-time career, and the realities of small-business ownership. It is a story of community, adaptation, specialty coffee, and betting on a neighborhood before it was built.
Learn more about Dulcedo: https://www.dulcedo.coffee/
Key takeaways
1. Oscar and his wife opened Dulcedo Coffee in October 2019, just months before pandemic shutdowns.
2. Grab-and-go service, online ordering, and delivery apps helped the shop navigate COVID uncertainty.
3. Exclusive-use lease clauses and landlord skepticism led to approximately 30 to 50 location rejections.
4. Dulcedo took a risk by signing a lease in a new development before the surrounding neighborhood was built.
5. Oscar balances coffee-shop ownership with a full-time job, relying on his wife and a trusted team.
6. The menu has expanded from strict specialty coffee to include customer-preferred larger drinks.
7. Customer relationships inspired signature menu items such as John&rsquo;s Breakfast and Nikita&rsquo;s Triple Cheese.

Food writer Megha McSwain goes beyond Houston’s headlines and hot lists to meet the chefs, owners, and neighborhood kitchens shaping the city’s food culture.

Made in House: Houston explores the stories, sacrifice, and pride behind every plate.

Food writer Megha McSwain goes beyond Houston&rsquo;s headlines and hot lists to meet the chefs, owners, and neighborhood kitchens shaping the city&rsquo;s food culture.
Made in House: Houston explores the stories, sacrifice, and pride behind every plate.

Made in House: Houston

Houston is made in its kitchens, dining rooms, bakeries, markets, and the people bold enough to build something of their own.

Hosted by food journalist and storyteller Megha McSwain, Made in House: Houston takes you inside the city’s most compelling food stories, from beloved neighborhood institutions and rising chefs to restaurateurs, makers, and the communities that shape how Houston eats.

This is a show about flavor, culture, creativity, and the business of bringing people together around a table. Whether you are a lifelong Houstonian, a devoted diner, or simply curious about the people behind the plate, pull up a chair.

Houston is made in its kitchens, dining rooms, bakeries, markets, and the people bold enough to build something of their own.
Hosted by food journalist and storyteller Megha McSwain, Made in House: Houston takes you inside the city&rsquo;s most compelling food stories, from beloved neighborhood institutions and rising chefs to restaurateurs, makers, and the communities that shape how Houston eats.
This is a show about flavor, culture, creativity, and the business of bringing people together around a table. Whether you are a lifelong Houstonian, a devoted diner, or simply curious about the people behind the plate, pull up a chair.