We did great there! But the vibes didn’t match what we were about. Businesses that were well known and heavily promoted on huge influencer pages. York Blvd housed some of the most well-known Pop-Ups in LA. We were a bit rebellious in the vegan pop up scene, really. We then started setting up in Highland Park on York Blvd.
After Leimert Park began facing some gentrification issues many vendors were forced out, including us.
At first, We navigated this by finding our own places to set up at weekly. Many of the vegan events that we knew would get us known better were extremely expensive to take part in. We started with VERY minimal funds and found ourselves struggling to find consistent places to set up. We have had no investors, no loans, no financial assistance. Like any other small business just beginning, we’ve faced many struggles and obstacles. We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road? We function as a cloud kitchen at the moment but hope to be open completely before spring of 2022. Working events, festivals and even building our own for-the-community, by-the-community markets in DTLA.Īfter several years of hard work, long days/nights, freezing cold outdoor events and blazing hot ones alike, we have found a home in the Boyle Heights area. We were a pop up only business for a couple of years. This seemed to open even more doors for us. Though the foundation remains the same, and our menu includes many special dishes inspired by our ancestral roots, we have found a really beautiful space of fluidity.
#Hidden flowers stephanie free#
Since then, I have broken free creatively of these rules. I began feeling constricted as if I couldn’t fully express my creative identity or explore other recipes because it wouldn’t fit the mold I had created. But as time passed, my love & passion for creating food deepened. We once wanted to strictly serve food & recipes that were rooted in mesoamerican culture. The idea of what Xochitl Vegan would be has evolved with us. It was a way for us to honor the Flower that was in some way guiding us towards a new life. We were beginning an entire business around one unique recipe, Hibiscus Flowers as an Asada protein. We learned about indigenous languages and that Nahuatl was connected to the lands where our families are from. This experience led us to connecting and learning about our ancestral roots. As I mentioned, during this transition from working a 9-5 to starting my own business, I was experiencing a spiritual awakening. The word Xochitl means flower in the Nahuatl language. I used Tupperware from home, bought some disposable plates and utensils from a neighborhood corner store and we set up for the first time as Xóchitl Vegan at Leimert Park Village. A canopy, a grill, and a couple of plastic tables. We put together what money we had, which was roughly $300-$400, to get the absolute basic things we needed to set up. So, my partner was the first to invest in this business. It was really the only option I could think of. While in this space of high stress, I decided to go for it. I had rent and bills to pay, and my Son’s to take care of. I had to do something to make money quickly. I wasn’t financially stable enough to take that leap. But I was afraid to make such a drastic decision. Maybe starting a vegan catering company or something along those lines. I had thoughts of quitting, had ideas about maybe pursuing some kind of work with food. I was beginning to realize I no longer wanted to work in the beauty industry. Questioning my work, asking myself if I truly felt happy. During this time, I was also going through a deep spiritual awakening. I was beginning to slowly lose interest in my work as a makeup artist. Though the response was great, it was only something we were doing here & there for fun & extra cash. Asada tacos, nachos & at one point or another we began serving tortas as well. That was the only protein on our menu at the time. The idea to even try to sell our food came from a single recipe- our hibiscus Asada.
#Hidden flowers stephanie full#
At this point, we were only setting up to make extra money, I was still working close to full time as a makeup artist. We set up a few times at community events. Hi Stephanie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Villegas.
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