Starting a business from the ground up isn’t easy during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for the owners of a Mexican food truck in Vernon, getting started was a feat made possible by the people closest to them.
Mi Taqueria Mexican Cantina had its first day of operation Wednesday, Aug. 5, stationed alongside a pair of other vendors in the parking lot of the Village Green Hotel on 27th Street.
For Amaya Ormaechea and her husband, John Green, it was a long time in the making.
“Five years ago I met my husband and he asked me, ‘what is your dream.’ That’s what drew me to my husband, he always asked me what my dreams are, what I want, what I need,” Ormaechea said.
Her dream to build a Mexican food truck from scratch was met with an unfortunate obstacle last year, when her husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
The couple purchased a trailer shortly before the pandemic hit, and got to work — a process Ormaechea said helped them through a difficult time.
“It’s helped that he was going outside every day and (working) on the trailer,” Ormaechea said.
Green is now in remission, and with the stand open the two are grateful to the other business owners they share a lot with who helped them along the way: Lorne Beckett (Green’s business partner and owner of Ogopogo Concessions) and his wife Jennifer Beckett; Ryan Carlos, owner of International Perogies; and Heath Anderson of Uncle Buck’s Lil’ Donuts.
Green also thanked Vince Nickel and the staff at Interior Health.
“These are the people who have supported us and gave us all our positive thoughts and encouragement,” Ormaechea said.
“I’d also like to thank my husband for all his hard work on the trailer,” she added. “I’m proud of his strength… without him, there wouldn’t be a Mi Taqueria.”
The pair bring decades of experience to their latest venture. Green has been in the Vernon restaurant business for 25 years, and Ormaechea in the Lower Mainland for about as long.
Mi Taqueria, International Perogies and Uncle Bucks will be at the Village Hotel Parking lot for the summer season — or as long as weather permits — Wednesday through Saturday.
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