(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 3 | View All Season 3 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: February 25, 2010
Mojito Address: 82 Washington Ave Brooklyn, NY 11205
Episode Recap
Mojito Cuban Cuisine was a Brooklyn, New York restaurant featured on Season 3 of Kitchen Nightmares.
The Mojitos Kitchen Nightmares episode aired on February 25, 2010, but the actual filming and visit from Gordon Ramsay happened earlier in May 2009.
It was Kitchen Nightmares Season 3 Episode 4.
In this episode of Kitchen Nightmares, Chef Gordon Ramsay takes us to Mojitos Cuban Cuisine in Brooklyn, New York.
At the Mojitos restaurant, we meet the owners, Marcelo and Katalina.
They are a previously married couple who are now recently separated, which already adds a tough dynamic for Gordon Ramsay to overcome.
Katalina is also known as Kata and I’ll use both names in this post.
The estranged couple are now $300,000 in debt and on the brink of losing the restaurant, which is a big part of why the Mojito Kitchen Nightmares episode exists.
When Gordon Ramsay arrives at the restaurant, he meets Katalina and is updated about the estranged couple’s personal situation.
Upon observation of the restaurant, Gordon compares the interior décor to that of a garage sale with clutter all over the place.
Gordon then sits down and orders the chicken soup, and despite it coming out fast, it is cold so he returns it to be warmed.
The second meal arrives, the black beans and rice, and to Gordon’s disgust it is way too salty.
Gordon has Kata taste the dish and she too agrees that the dish is way too salty.
When Katalina returns the dish to the kitchen, Gordon can hear an explosive fight break out between Kata and Marcelo.
Next to arrive is the tilapia meal and Gordon states that the fish is raw, so he doesn’t even taste the dish.
Katalina returns the dish to the kitchen, and once again, Gordon can hear another explosive fight break out between Katalina and Marcelo.
You can see some of the insane arguments in this video:
Gordon talks to Eduardo, a chef, and Eduardo claims that they always fight like this in front of diners.
Afterwards, Gordon goes into the kitchen to meet the kitchen staff.
He communicates that the food they served him was disgusting and horrible.
Additionally, while he was trying to dine he could hear their raised voices after he had the food returned to the kitchen.
Gordon Ramsay returns that evening to observe the dinner rush.
While seeing how the restaurant works, Gordon can tell that Marcello has no control over the kitchen.
As a consequence, the food moves out slowly and meals are returned from the unhappy customers quickly.
Gordon then decides to check the fridge and sees an outrageous amount of fresh produce, with fresh in front and older produce at the back.
That night Gordon and his team give the restaurant a makeover with decor that is more open and adding a lot of natural light.
The menus have also been cut in half and features new and exciting dishes.
Beyond improving the food, this will also make it easier for the Mojitos restaurant to mange its stock.
The night of relaunch both Katalina and Marcelo decide to stay out front, leaving Eduardo alone in the back.
At first the food is coming out slowly, but Gordon restores order in the kitchen and tells Marcelo to return to the kitchen to help call out orders.
Overall the relaunch night was a total success, and the owners are left happy that the restaurant has a future.
So was the Kitchen Nightmares Mojitos restaurant episode a long-term success?
Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if this Brooklyn restaurant is still open in 2023 and beyond.
Mojito Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Mojito Kitchen Nightmares episode, let’s talk about what happened to the restaurant after Gordon Ramsay and his crew left Brooklyn, New York.
At first, things seemed to be going better for the restaurant.
They put in place new policies to ensure fresh food and limit wastage and the reviews were doing ok.
Not great, though – Mojito only had a three star rating on Yelp.
That’s not horrible, but most successful restaurants usually have at least four stars.
Even though the Yelp ratings hadn’t increased that much, the Mojito owners said that business had increased by more than 25%.
While improved business took some stress off the relationship, Marcelo and Kata were still separated after the episode aired.
For some time, Mojito managed to stay open.
Gordon Ramsay came back and revisited the restaurant in episode 4 of season 4, which was the same revisited episode where he went back to Flamangos and Bazzini, both New Jersey restaurants.
You can see Mojito Gordon Ramsay revisit in this video (the Mojito segment starts at 9:26 – it should start there automatically if you play the video):
Unfortunately, the good times would not last…
Is Mojitos still open?
Mojito Cuban Cuisine closed for good on March 2nd, 2016, which was a little over six years after the Mojitos Kitchen Nightmares episode aired on TV.
They posted on Facebook and said that the Mojito Brooklyn location was officially closed:
In behalf of our entire staff.
We want to thank all our Patrons for 13 years of support and loyalty,
Mojito Cuban Cuisine . Brooklyn location is Closed Stand by for our next Chapter.
All the love
You can read the full post here.
Here’s a picture in case it gets deleted:
As of 2023, the old Mojitos Brooklyn New York City location is occupied by a new bakery/cafe named Le Petit Monstre.
The new bakery seems to have good reviews as it has a 4.5 star rating on its Yelp page.
You can see the new bakery at the old Mojito Brooklyn location in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
Why did Mojitos close?
The Mojito owners didn’t provide specific information about why they closed, but it’s likely that the heavy debt load and strained relationship between Marcelo and Katalina probably didn’t help.
What happened to the Mojito restaurant owners?
A lot of people are wondering if Marcelo and Kata got back together after Gordon’s visit.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like their relationship worked out and they remained business partners.
What happened to Kata from the Mojito Kitchen Nightmares episode?
Katalina, or Kata for short, has appeared on a few other cooking shows since Mojito’s episode on Kitchen Nightmares.
She has appeared on a number of shows including Chopped, Cut Throat Kitchen, and Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell.
Here’s a video where she shared her appearance on Chopped – it’s a bit awkward because it’s sideways, but it’s the only footage I could find:
So, it’s good to see that Katalina is doing well even if the restaurant is closed.
She really seems to have built a successful career in the culinary industry, even if Mojitos Cuban Cuisine didn’t work out.
Kata also shares a lot of posts on the Mojito Facebook page, even though the restaurant is closed now.
She also has a cooking YouTube channel, which is mostly in Spanish (though she hasn’t posted in a very long time).
Did Marcelo and Kata get back together?
Marcelo and Kata did give their relationship another go, but it didn’t work out.
As of 2022, they are no longer together as far as we can tell.
Sometimes that’s just how things work out – I hope they’re both happy in their separate lives.
Final thoughts on Mojito Cuban Cuisine
Overall, I would say that Mojitos Cuban Cuisine had a fairly successful run after Gordon Ramsay’s visit.
While Kata and Marcelo remained separated, they managed to keep the restaurant open for a good six years, which is tough in a competitive Brooklyn market.
However, the restaurant did eventually close in March 2016.
As of 2022, the old Mojito Brooklyn location is occupied by a new bakery/cafe named Le Petit Monstre.
Since the restaurant’s closure, Kata has had a succesful career in the culinary industry, appearing on a number of popular cooking shows including Chopped and Cut Throat Kitchen.
If you want to see another Brooklyn Kitchen Nightmares episode, you can check out our update for Mama Maria’s from Season 6.
In nearby Manhattan, we also have updates for The Black Pearl from Season 2 and Purnima / Dillon’s from Season 1.
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/mojito-cuban-cuisine-brooklynhttps://www.facebook.com/Mojitofanpage/
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Last updated: 2023-01-14 06:41
I found Kata’s personal Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/chefmariakavelez
And here’s another one:
https://www.facebook.com/mariakatavelez
In the original version of this episode Gordon decided “one of you two bickering spouses has to go” and shot Marcelo. Fox made him re-edit the show to cover that up but that’s why there’s so much information about the lovely Kata’s later career and not so much about Marcelo.
I’m a little late, but I’ll say that I like this one, Stendhal.
Also, Katalina went in to be such a success that she bought an island off of Los Angeles and named it after herself. This proves that Gordon made the correct choice as to who should live.
I’ve heard she has a wine mixer that is a bit deal!
Le Petit Monstre in the former Mojito’s location is BOMB. It is a French-style bakery and Cafe, and the best part is it’s VEGAN!!!
Mojoncito’s was fun to watch Marcelo pretending to be straight, and Kata trying to be hot.
Kata maintains a facebook fan page for Mojito Restaurant, in addition to her two personal facebook pages.
https://www.facebook.com/Mojitofanpage
It looks like she never had any children, and she is over 50 years old now.