by Shawn Nowlin
Kat Pascal considers serving the community she grew up in to be her life’s calling. Ambition, she noted, is the key to making any idea work.
Pascal’s journey from local youth to successful restaurant founder has had plenty of obstacles. Having a strong support system and being ambitious has allowed her to overcome any hurdle in her way.
Born and raised in Roanoke to parents from Columbia, it was at Hurt Park Elementary that Pascal learned how to speak English. Certain memories from her youth never left her.
While other options are available, FarmBurgeusa is best known for its Columbian-inspired, farm-to-table burgers. The restaurant has locations in Roanoke’s Grandin Village and Vinton. Because “FarmBurgeusa” is a made-up word, Pascal understands when people have difficulty pronouncing it.
The management team behind the popular establishment consists of Pascal, her partner Jimmy Delgado, Ashley Overbay and her spouse Andres Pascal – Kat’s sibling.
“We started with just a dream and vision five years ago. We love being here and are beyond grateful that people choose to spend their hard-earned money with us,” Pascal said. “Surviving the pandemic as a small business certainly has not been easy. Without support from the community, we would not be here.”
Rare press grills used by staff members at FarmBurguesa speed up cooking times. “Our employees are cross-trained so the people that build the burgers can also go and take orders and use the point-of-sale system. If we ever run out, they can go in the back and start making the sauces too,” she added.
Recently, Pascal received the Social Entrepreneur Award from Junior Achievement, the nation’s largest organization dedicated to giving young people the resources they need to own their economic success, according to its website.
To celebrate their fifth anniversary, the eatery hosted Cinco de FarmBurguesa where cheeseburgers and waffle fries could be purchased for just $5.
“I think it’s important to be a member of the community that you serve. People of all ethnicities support us, which is a wonderful feeling. I also want to make sure that I am supporting them too. There’s a lot of give-and-take there,” Pascal said. “With ‘Farmburgives,’ our two restaurants donate to local nonprofits.”
As one who regularly eats at the Grandin Village location, Jamal Williams says he was not surprised when he learned of Pascal’s recent award. “Some people are just gifted in what they do. I think Kat falls under that category,” Williams said. “She is class personified as are her staff. I’ve never had a bad experience.”
Three years ago, Pascal started the Latinas Network. Today, the organization has hundreds of Hispanic women working together to accomplish goals, both big and small.
Additional information about the eatery can be found at farburguesa.com.
