Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Vela.
Ana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My husband Mario and I moved to Chicago from San Antonio, Texas almost ten years ago, After the move, we went searching for our comfort food—breakfast tacos—in Chicago’s great Latinx neighborhoods, but we couldn’t find the flavor profiles and ingredients that we grew up enjoying. We especially missed breakfast tacos, and after talking to some other people from Texas and learning that they also missed them, we decided to bring them here ourselves!
My career has been in Educational Publishing, and I have worked for large companies such as Pearson and National Geographic. I used my in-depth knowledge in product development methodology and applied it to the food industry. That was a big undertaking, so we started small with a Smart Car “food truck” in 2015 as a way to get people to start tasting our food. We wanted to represent our Mexican culture and introduce authentic flavors to this market, so we curated our menu based on Northern Mexico and San Antonio flavor profiles.
The response to our breakfast tacos was amazing—people were excited and so supportive. Our tacos were in high demand, so we began catering corporate meetings and events, then selling wholesale to local coffee shops. Customers still wanted us to have a storefront, so we started thinking about the expansion. When I saw that 512 Main Street was available, I knew the tiny space would be a perfect transition from the tiny food truck, especially for commuters because it’s a block away from the Main St. CTA and Metra stations,
The storefront also allowed us to further our mission to showcase our Latino culture by partnering with other minority-owned businesses, like Back of the Yards Coffee Company and Sweet Temptations Bake Shop.
We’ve been open in this space since November 2017 and feel so welcomed by the people of Evanston, Texas transplants, and people discovering breakfast tacos for the first time. I continue to be surprised by the response—so many Texas transplants have traveled far just to visit our shop. I love meeting customers like that. Knowing that they’re missing that little bit of home like we were, and knowing we are able to make their hearts and bellies happy is a great feeling.
As business owners, we are becoming more involved in our community. I am a founding member and President of the Evanston Latinx Business Alliance. And my husband Mario is on the City of Evanston’s Commission for Equity and Empowerment.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course not! Opening a business is hard work, especially in the food industry. I wanted to be as prepared as possible, so I did a lot of market research and business planning even before we opened the food truck, and again before we opened the storefront. But all the research in the world still doesn’t prepare you for the hiccups along the way.
The process to open the taco shop was more complicated than I expected. We had hoped to open in the summer of 2017 but didn’t end up opening until November 2017. Not only were we significantly delayed, but we were over budget, which was stressful because I invested my savings in the taco shop. But in talking to other entrepreneurs and business owners, I learned that everyone has these challenges—I was not alone. And my husband, partners, and family and friends were so helpful in keeping my spirits up and getting us to that opening day.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Amanecer Taco Shop – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are the only company serving authentic Texas-style breakfast tacos to Chicagoland. Our breakfast tacos start with freshly-cooked organic flour tortillas, are stuffed with a variety of breakfast fillings like eggs, meats, beans, and cheeses, and topped with fresh salsa. We keep them simple and delicious—using fresh ingredients, cooking our own beans, and preparing the tacos fresh each morning using traditional methods. The menu highlights the most common flavor profiles in northern Mexico—Monterrey—all the way up north to San Antonio.
As a Latinx business, we are proud to showcase of culture through our food, language, music, and cultural traditions. We strive to be a role model to other minority-owned businesses and our youth as they look for examples of successful people they can relate to.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our tiny taco shop is our prototype. If our concept goes well, we plan to expand our taco shop to Chicago next!
Contact Info:
- Address: 512 Main St. Evanston, IL 60202
- Website: amanecertacos.com
- Phone: 847.644.3575
- Email: ana@amanecertacos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanecertacos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanecertacos
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/amanecertacos
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/amanecer-taco-shop-evanston-3
Image Credit:
Isaac Joel Torres, Monica Kass Rogers, Libby Van Why
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