Today we’d like to introduce you to Celina Lopez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Celina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Cruzita’s Deli and Cafe is an intergenerational vision between my mom and I. Having been born and raised in Southeast Los Angeles, I experienced the lack of access to fresh, healthy, quality foods. I also understood the importance of having a public space that welcomed and reflected the community we wanted to serve. I received my BA in sociology from Cal State Long Beach and began to explore the power of food in promoting social justice and transforming communities after college.
My mom worked in the food industry from restaurants to the food grocer industry for over 30+ years. She was also conscious of the food disparity that existed between our inner cities and the wealthier white west side communities she worked at for many years. We combined our experiences and skills together and founded Cruzita’s with our mission of providing a healthier alternative and cultivating community through good food and coffee. With the help of our research, family, friends, and colleagues, we were able to officially open our doors in February 2015.
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?
Any small business owner/ entrepreneur will tell you that it is NOT a smooth road. As a first generation small business owner there are many things that you have to learn on your own and as you go. Also, resources are scarce and you have to learn to work with what you have.
Providing quality food for everyone is a challenge while competing with big business and our current food system. All these challenges are REAL and threatening, but so far our community has welcomed us and continues to support us. It really takes a community to bring a vision to life. Support your local small businesses!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cruzita’s Deli and Cafe story. Tell us more about the business.
Cruzita’s Deli and Cafe’s motto is “quality for everyone.” We are intentional in our location and in the way our space reflects the community we serve. We welcome local artists to feature their work on our walls. We host our monthly Common Ground Open Mic where we present our featured artist and welcome other community members to share. We are committed to serving fresh, quality, and organic when possible ingredients.
We specialize in making cold, hot sandwiches, salads, and serving organic, locally roasted coffee.
We are proud to have developed local partnerships that help our local economy. We currently work with our local farmer’s markets, homeboy industries bakery, and local coffee roaster, Patria Coffee (Compton, CA). We are committed to working with other local small business sharing a similar vision. We are proud to be a homegrown, women-owned, first generation, Latina small business set out to serve our community the best way we can.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We definitely feel lucky to be able to run a business in the community that we are from! However, we are aware of the continuous work, sacrifice, and emotional labor it took to get here. I would say having a strong, independent, hard-working mother, is definitely our good luck charm. She is the soul and backbone of Cruzita’s. A mother’s love is revolutionary. I don’t know if Cruzita’s would work without her.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7121 State St.
- Website: cruzitasdeliandcafe.com
- Phone: 323-835-6175
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @cruzitasdeliandcafe
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cruzitasdelicafe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cruzitas-deli-and-cafe-huntington-park
Image Credit:
Cesar Cervantez, Felix Quintana, Ana Garcia
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
