CLEVELAND — CentroVilla25 currently houses 20 local Hispanic and Latino vendors, but, its economic impact extends beyond its doors.
Flipping tortillas and filling tacos is an everyday task for Jorge Hernandez.
“I have a bunch of recipes from my grandmother that date before the Mexican Revolution,” Hernandez said. “… I feel really proud of just coming from there and being able to share about the Aztecs, Mexican culture and history.”
Mexico City native Jorge Hernandez is now sharing his favorite childhood flavors as the owner and chef of Flying Pig Tacos. The Mexican restaurant is located inside CentroVilla25, which is a project that’s been led by the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development.
Hernandez said he first connected with the center two years ago.
“I found this amazing organization that they provided me all kinds of mentorship and support and how to create, and just start my business here in Cleveland,” he said.
The center celebrated its grand opening earlier this summer. Since then, Hernandez said, he’s been experiencing a boom in business.
“Where we used to see maybe like 20 or 30 people transactions a day, we’re starting to grow that to 50 to 60 now … just on the kiosk. That doesn’t include what I’m seeing outside from cooking experiences or from catering,” he said.
CentroVilla25 provides micro-retail spaces to Hispanic and Latino vendors. (Spectrum News 1/Tanya Velazquez)
Jenice Contreras grew up in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Now she’s giving back to that same community as the president and CEO of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development.
“Our mission is to build and grow strong businesses in our community,” Contreras said. “We know that small business is the lifeline of this country.”
Contreras said she founded the CentroVilla project a decade ago after noticing a lack of space for local businesses on the city’s west side.
“When you start a business, you make a lot of mistakes because you just don’t know. Our goal is also to resource entrepreneurs, to have the necessary resources so that when they do start to grow their business, that they could be successful,” she said.
Now, Centrovilla25 is making its mark across the state, Contreras said, promoting development in the larger Hispanic business community.
“Sales numbers are growing, paying taxes right over a 10-year span, we’re expected to contribute over $7 million of economic impact in tax revenue that’s generated through vendors,” she said.
Hernandez said the center has provided him and other small business owners a unique opportunity for growth and sharing a slice of what the city has to offer.
“It’s giving them also… an opportunity to see that there’s more to Cleveland than what people think there is,” he said. “Just to see, like the Cuban stand and the Salvadorian or the Venezuelan, I mean, people didn’t even know that there was all these types of cuisines around.”
Building off the success he’s already seen, Hernandez said he has even higher hopes for the future.
“So it’s been said that when you see pigs fly, you can see the impossible [become] possible,” Hernandez said. “That’s where Flying Pig Tacos comes from.”
