Christina Pardo: Looking Up a Future That Feels Like Home
Meet 2026 Voices and Dreams Academy participant Christina Pardo
2026 VOICES AND DREAMS ACADEMY PARTICIPANT SPOTLIGHT
For Christina Pardo, hospitality began at her family’s dinner table in Chicago.
Every evening at 6 p.m., her Colombian grandmother, mother, uncle, and family gathered to eat, talk about their day, and spend time together. Her abuela’s cooking brought everyone to the table, and Christina always had a place beside her in the kitchen.
Today, Christina carries that sense of care into Only Meals by X, her Madison meal-preparation business. Drawing on years of restaurant leadership and hands-on kitchen experience, she prepares Latin-inspired meals that give customers something comforting to look forward to.
Her goal is simple: she wants people to open their refrigerator and feel excited about what’s inside.
A foundation in family and food
Christina’s grandmother made cooking something she could participate in from an early age. There were Colombian sausages to make, masa to roll for empanadas, and small tasks that helped Christina feel included.
Those moments gave her practical lessons and a lasting connection to food.
She still remembers her abuela’s advice to taste the rice water before cooking. If the seasoning was missing at the beginning, the finished rice would be bland.
Years later, cooking remained a source of enjoyment and connection. While attending college, Christina made dinners for herself and her friends. When she struggled with focus and motivation, preparing a meal gave her something satisfying to create and share.
That interest eventually became a professional path.
Experience on both sides of the kitchen
Christina began working in various local restaurants and built extensive experience in Madison’s hospitality community.
Her responsibilities grew from serving and managing brunch service to general management. Her leadership experience includes hiring and training employees, scheduling, payroll, food purchasing, cost control, and responding to customer feedback.
Alongside her management work, Christina developed her cooking skills as a prep cook at Estrellón, working with chef Tory Miller and the executive chef, and as a line cook at Camp Trippalindee.
Together, those roles gave her experience with the many details behind a successful meal: preparation, food safety, timing, staff coordination, purchasing and service.
They also helped her recognize something about herself. She loved hospitality, and she was good at it.
A business that began with caring
Only Meals by X grew from a practical act of care.
While managing 1855 Saloon & Grill, Christina began preparing lower-carbohydrate meals for an employee and meal-prepping for herself. When she shared photos of her food on Snapchat, a friend offered to pay her to cook.
Word of mouth brought in more interest.
What began as a personal routine gradually became a business. Christina began developing menus, experimenting with recipes, and preparing meals for a growing customer base.
Founded in April 2026, Only Meals by X focuses on low-calorie, protein-focused meals with Latin-inspired flavors. Christina develops rotating menus, calculates portions and nutrition information, purchases ingredients, and coordinates preparation, packaging, pickup, and delivery.
Her restaurant experience now supports a venture she is building from the beginning.
Familiar flavors, personal service
Christina wants her meals to offer convenience without losing the pleasure of eating something made with intention.
A comforting chicken soup or hearty Mexican guisado can warm up a busy day. Through her menus, she combines her interest in nutrition with the flavors, care, and traditions that first drew her into the kitchen.
Customer relationships are equally important.
Christina believes in being genuine with people and earning their trust through the way she treats them. Her years in hospitality taught her to listen, respond to concerns, and make people feel welcome.
At Only Meals by X, that approach shapes everything from communicating about an order to preparing food customers look forward to eating.
“I cook with intention, care, and tradition,” she says. “I want people to feel at home.”
Growing with community
Christina joined Voices and Dreams Academy to be part of a supportive community as she starts this new chapter.
She knows how valuable encouragement can be when someone is weighing a difficult decision or trying something unfamiliar. By sharing her story, she hopes to connect with people who feel stuck and help them imagine another possibility.
Her journey brings together the lessons of her grandmother’s kitchen, years of professional experience, and a growing willingness to invest in her own ideas.
Christina is building a life she is excited to live—one meal and one relationship at a time.
Hear Christina’s story
Hear more of Christina’s journey at Voices & Dreams Live | Voces y Sueños en Vivo on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at the Goodman Community Center in Madison.
The Community Altar begins at 3:00 p.m., followed by dinner and the live storytelling program at 5:00 p.m.
Celebrate women whose stories connect culture, leadership, entrepreneurship, and the courage to create new opportunities.
About Christina Pardo
Christina Pardo founded and owns Only Meals by X, a Madison meal-preparation business offering low-calorie, protein-focused meals with Latin-inspired flavors. Raised in Chicago with Colombian family traditions, she brings extensive restaurant-management and kitchen experience to her work. She has held leadership roles at Estrellón and Camp Trippalindee Restaurants. Christina participates in the 2026 Voices and Dreams Academy.
Connect with Christina
Website — Only Meals by X:www.OnlyMealsbyX.com
Instagram:@onlymealsbyx
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