Inspiring Conversations with Natalie Lara of Tortas El Aguila

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Lara.

Natalie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We started Tortas El Aguila September 2019 after a dear friend started working at a brewery blocks away from my parent’s house.

Both my parents are from Guadalajara, Jalisco and also some of the best cooks I know. They (as do I) express themselves through food and food is definitely our top love language. My siblings and I have been lucky enough to have had access to these delicious tortas throughout our childhood (and adulthood) and I have been lucky enough to have learned the recipes working alongside them while starting and growing our pop up- Tortas El Aguila.

When the opportunity presented itself back in 2019 it was fast, scary and beautiful all at the same time. We were shocked at selling out within 2 hours and our hearts couldn’t have been happier. We couldn’t stop there so we kept it going and felt ready to see where this would go so I would reach out to different local businesses that hosted pop ups through instagram and would do my best to go in person. I wanted the folks that ran these establishments to try our food, meet me and decide if we were a good fit to collaborate with. I have friends who also have pop ups and would kindly recommend us to different places which got us so many amazing opportunities that helped build strong relationships.

My parents are close to retirement and are ready to slow down and enjoy rest, travel and have taken a step back from working pop ups. From time to time they will pop in to hang out and help out. They’ve expressed so many times how in awe they are to witness the growth of our business. They never imagined folks would drive a distance, stand in line or pay a certain price for their DELICIOUS food, or see the worth of their food and their labor. And that’s when my siblings and I stepped in to remind them that they are worthy, that we are worthy.

I’m very grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to start a small business with them, learn and execute this dish with their recipes and get to know them more. This pop up has been very healing and has allowed me to do one of the things I enjoy most; connect with folks through food. Food brings people together and it’s shown me how powerful this can be and how we can build a very strong community that looks out for one another.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This was different in many ways from what we’ve ever done so of course we faced a number of challenges that ultimately helped us grow and do things differently. Working with family is both beautiful, difficult and we also had many moments when we didn’t see eye to eye and disagreed. And because of those moments we became even more motivated to make healthy changes that helped grow our food pop up and allowed us to eliminate behaviors and other things that weren’t working. It also helped us grow our relationship with one another and become closer, which is most rewarding.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We’re a food pop up business and we make Tortas ahogadas inspired by Guadalajara, Jalisco home of the torta ahogada and where both my parents are from. A torta ahogada consist of a birote salado (sourdough bread) filled with refried beans, carnitas, drenched in a tomato sauce (non spicy) and a very spicy chile de árbol based salsa. You then top it with onion and of course, some limes on the side. This dish is one of the most popular dishes in Guadalajara and hard to come across which was one of our main motivators in starting our pop up.
I think every food establishment has their own thing that sets them apart and makes their product special. We are lucky to live in a city that has so many delicious restaurants/ pop ups that provide delicious and special cuisines.
Our pop up is special because these our my parents recipes that bring them a lot of joy and makes them feel close to home and bring back loving memories. We love that we’ve been able to have amazing opportunities and share our food with our beautiful city.
We make this dish with so much love and with some of the best birote salado out there made by our dear friends at Gusto Bread in Long Beach. The connections made through this journey have been so rewarding and we continue to look forward to growing our pop up and connecting with folks.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The pop up community I’ve experienced has been amazing and we all are eager to grow and help one another grow.
It’s been great making connections and everyone has been great at sharing resources, tips and tricks based on their experiences.Between that and just going for it and starting something you’re passionate about, will help with growth, learn your business, build relationships and honestly, that’s the best way to learn, in my opinion.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortaselaguila?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==