Moses Lucero: Cooking up coolness

On a laid-back Friday the 13th on The Strand, Moses Lucerno was thankful for all his blessings - his many jobs and the people who have helped him along life's journey. He was kind enough to share his thoughts with Humans of Galveston. Here's what he had to say:

Humans of Galveston: Tell us a little about your life, Moses.

Moses: I’m from LA, grew up as a kid in LA and New Mexico, served in the U.S. Army. When I got out of the Army, I didn’t have a career so what was I going to do? So I became a kitchen worker and a baker everywhere. I worked as a baker in LA, Denver, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas and Boston.

Humans of Galveston: When did you come to Galveston and what brought you here?

Moses: I moved her in 2011 from Albuquerque where I was going through a divorce. I needed a place to go and I have a friend here who’s like my stepmother. She’s a black lady who’s a lot older than me and she’s like my mom. She used to babysit me when I was a kid. I needed a place to go and I didn’t even know Galveston was an island. She said ‘c’mon’ down’. So I came on down, and usually I don’t last 18 months at a certain place. So I came down here in 2011 and I’ve been here ever since.

Humans of Galveston: What was your first job in Galveston?

Moses: My first job was at Gaido’s. I’m a cook also. I’m not just a baker. But that didn’t last too long. And I worked at The Beach Hut when it was here on 7th and Seawall. And then I worked at the Galvez (Hotel) for a minute doing laundry.

Humans of Galveston: How did you go from being a baker to doing laundry?

Moses: I didn’t know the people. I didn’t have connections, so I took what I could get. I was living with family and I had to make a couple of bucks to try to help out. My stepmom just turned 76 and she’s strong. She would kick your ass. I swear to God. (laughs)

Humans of Galveston: So here we are on Jan. 13 standing on The Strand. What’s going through your mind?

Moses: Work is just slow, man. It’s wintertime and that’s the way it is. People are just chillin’ right now. It’s going to get better but right now it’s been dead.

Humans of Galveston: Throughout each of your stops and challenges, and the opportunities you've taken advantage of, do you get better each time?

Moses: That’s an interesting question. A lot of people here have helped me out ‘cause I’m a sweet, nice guy more or less. I can get evil. But they have helped me. You confronted me because you thought I was kind of like cool. The Strand in Galveston is bad-ass like a motherfucker because so many people have helped me when I was a little bit down and out.

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Published by Bobby Stanton