26

breakfast. Sometimes if all my product is gone before 1 pm, I leave around 12 pm.

Has it ever gotten violent on the streets?

Not that much at the start, but now for sure, there is way more violence on the streets. Before, it was really just cops arresting us, and that was it. Now I would say they’re pretty much preoccupied.

How did the cops find you?

I was always pretty much in the same spot at the same time. I wanted to move, but I couldn’t because I already had a set group of customers. I thought about moving many times, but the cops were the same everywhere in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Plus, if I moved somewhere different, I would have had to start from zero and find new customers. Which wasn’t something I was willing to do. I felt like I had a responsibility to my regular customers. If I wasn’t there, where would they would go?

Was it hard to keep your business when arrested?

No. When it was just me and my husband running the cart, every time they arrested me, it was around 8 a.m. The cops knew I wasn’t doing anything bad, so they would release me before 12 p.m. While I was in jail, my husband would prep all the ingredients for the tamales, and when I got home, I would just cook them, pack them up, and get ready to head out. What really helped me was, every time I got arrested, I saw it as a motivation instead of a setback.

How did the arrests affect your profit?

I always say that in the face of negativity, you have to find positivity. Many people would have given up after the first arrest, but I knew I was innocent and was doing no wrong, so I kept going. I was out of a job after the twin towers fell, and instead of asking for government money, I wanted to make my own income in a wholesome way. I don’t know if you have noticed, but since the pandemic, many people have been selling on the streets just trying to make a living.

How do you give back to the community and the people that are going through the same struggles you have been through?

I love being involved in my community, because when I am, it’s not only for me, it’s for everybody. My husband always tells me that I like to be in the middle of things like peaceful protests and public speaking, but it’s true. It’s because I’ve always been so involved that I’ve made it so far.

Was owning a restaurant always your end game?

No, I never thought I would make it this far. At that moment [when she started the tamale cart], I just wanted to work and go back to Mexico because my son was over there.

Do you open up the restaurant each day?

In March of 2022, I opened my restaurant. My employees open it up every day because I am preoccupied with both places, the cart and the restaurant, but yes, we are open all seven days of the week at both locations.

Where do you spend more time, at the restaurant or cart?

Since the restaurant just opened recently, I spend more time there. On the other hand, the cart has been open for 20 years. So I’m a little bit more lenient and trust it to survive without my constant assistance.

With inflation, food is getting expensive, where do you buy supplies?

I buy from my surrounding delis and supermarkets. I haven’t really found a cheaper alternative... what I have done is raise prices. For instance, before, tamales used to be $1. Now, they are $1.50 at the restaurant. I used to not charge any taxes, but since January, I’ve had to start charging them.

What prices and food does your menu consist of?

Most of the menu consists of dough. Tamales are made out of corn dough (masa), tortillas are made out of dough, and chilaquiles are made out of dough. Everything has some sort of dough in it, but in general, we have six major sections: tamales which range from $1.50 to $2.00, tacos which range from $4 to $5, quesadillas are about $10, tortas range from $10 to $12, platillos range from $14 to $15, and drinks which range from $1.50 to $7.50.

What is your most popular dish and how do you prepare it?

The most sold dish is chilaquiles, which is fried corn tortillas sautéed with green or red salsa, and topped with crema, cheese, and onions. You can also pair them with many different things like eggs and chicken. If you add extras, the price will go up.

What makes more money: the cart or the restaurant?

The cart makes way more because it’s been there for longer, and it’s way more known.

What’s the hardest part about your job?

Besides the cops, the hardest part [of running the cart myself] was working at night with no sleep.

What are some of your tips for upcoming entrepreneurs?

If you’re in the food industry, always try to sell good food that you made same day. You don’t want to make a lot of product and then end up using it the whole week, because it won’t be fresh. It’s better to make less and be sold out in one day than to reuse products over and over. The customers will know, no matter how hard you try and cover it. Always remember, quality over quantity.

For more information on how you can support street vendors, visit The Street Vendor Project at www.streetvendor.org