In 2010, the dream of Reem’s was born at the doorstep of a street corner bakery in Beirut, Lebanon. Founder Reem Assil says, “The scent of za’atar, yeasted bread, and sweet orange blossom syrup right out of the oven and the sounds of laughter and chatter in Arabic all around me conjured up memories of my childhood and my yearning to create home and community in the US.”
Category: Immigrants
Ana Guerrero, FirstGen_Resilience
Ana Yessica Guerrero is a social entrepreneur who dedicates her life to empowering first-generation Latinx students to reach their full potential. She is a proud immigrant from Mexico City and grew up on a ranch in Goleta, Calif. As a first-generation student herself, she had numerous aspirations and goals. Ana was an eager and determined scholar, yet she received little academic guidance and a lack of resources.
Elfie Weiss, Hotcakes Bakes
Elfie’s father used to work as a pastry chef when he was a young man in order to pay for his dancing lessons at the Paris Opera. Elfie’s father shared with her his love for preparing the essential bread and “sweets of life.” Elfie trained primarily with her father as well as in Paris’ renowned bakery Gerard Mulot and Laduree.
Milagros Escuela, MamaArepas
Milagros Escuela is the owner of MamaArepas, along with her husband, Fidel Lozada. They have worked tirelessly to bring Venezuelan Arepas to every dining table in South Florida since 2015. Made out of corn dough, Arepa is a typical food in several Latin American countries. It is different in each region and is very important in the traditional Venezuelan cuisine.
Mina Wilcox, Art Mina
Mina Wilcox comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Her grandfather was a printmaker, and her parents ran a restaurant in Japan. So, with her husband’s encouragement of her artistic abilities, and despite the challenges of having English as her second language, she decided to open her own business in 2014. Art Mina features her beautiful hand-printed artwork on California Eco-Friendly items.
Reina Morales & Agustin Gomez, Tingo’s Plumbing
Despite the language barrier, Reina Morales and Agustin Gomez have been able to bring their business to success with the help of the New Women’s Business Center.
Jorge Ochoa, Leonora Goat Dairy
Meet Jorge Ochoa, owner of a goat dairy farm called Leonora Goat Dairy. Jorge grew up in Mexico where his family has a rich history of working with animals on a farm. When he came to the United States, he wanted to carry on his family’s legacy and start a farm of his own. He heard about our services on the radio, and reached out to us to be a co-pilot in his new venture.
Yordanos Asmelash Haile, Asmara Cafe
Asmara Cafe specializes in traditional brewed Eritrean and Ethiopian coffee and food such as chicken kilwa, foule and sambusas. Owner Yordanos Asmelash Haile is a first-generation American having immigrated to the U.S. from Eritrea in East Africa. She aims to highlight her cultural flavors through the menu at her coffee shop.
Lupita Vidals, Producciones Arcoiris
Dreams like those of Lupita and many more; resilient, brave, hard working women who fight every day in solidarity so that their cooperatives and/or businesses can continue to move forward.
Marcos Murrilo, Tapa the World
Marcos Murrilo came here from Mexico in 1996. His first job in the U.S. was working at Tapa the World restaurant in Sacramento. There, he was the executive chef for 11 years. Marcos created several of the specialty dishes that are still on the menu today.