Mireya Villa’s love for cooking is rooted deeply in family, with all of her dishes originating from recipes passed down from her mother.
Originally from Coahuila, Mexico, Villa moved to Fort Worth over 20 years ago. She has spent several years working as a housekeeper, but with push from her husband, Villa opened her own food truck side business, Doña Cuca Tacos y Gorditas, in January 2020.
The recent launch of a Northside Community website is giving her and other local businesses a platform to outreach even further.
Doña Cuca, Villa’s mother, originally started her business in Mexico when her family moved from Coahuila to Monterrey. Doña Cuca taught Villa the family recipes that inspired her to open up the food truck when she moved to the United States.
Villa has reached and gained support from people around Northside who stop and buy her food, she said.
She sets up her food truck on Saturdays and Sundays at 4301 River Oaks Blvd.
Northside Community is a Facebook group founded in 2015 by Fort Worth native, Arnoldo Hurtado, with the goal to engage the neighborhood and build relationships. The group wants to tap into the community’s energy, focus, and passion to positively impact the lives of everyday working people, according to their Facebook page.
The official Northside Community website launched in March to create a small business directory that highlights small businesses throughout Northside.
“So far we have 22 [businesses] and it’s a very small number for a directory, but that’s OK,” Hurtado said. “We’re really trying to foster relationships and make those significant.”
The Fort Worth Report sat down with Hurtado to share why he decided to launch the site with help from contributors, and his goals for the website. Business owner Mireya Villa also shares how the website has helped her business grow.
David Moreno is a spring fellow reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@forthworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, by following our guidelines.
