Over in the small town of Everson, amongst some warehouses and a gas station, there lives a well-loved food truck. Specifically, a Mexican taco truck. Juanita Lopez—the founder, owner, a first-generation immigrant, and single mother of five boys—is the hard-working mind behind everything this family-run food truck stands on. Her youngest son, Aaron Garcia, and her niece, Camila Lopez, are typically the only two employees you will see in the truck alongside her.
Lopez’s cooking career began in her youth, when she was responsible for caring for and feeding her three younger brothers at age 10. This is when she started making homemade tortillas. Years later, she began working on a farm that vended at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market. Lopez wanted to bring Mexican food to the market in 2013 after noticing a lack of representation. Thus, the truck was born and opened in 2017.
Since then, Juanita’s has been a well-loved staple in Everson. They have lots of loyal regulars who enjoy their delicious menu of burritos, gorditas, tacos, huaraches, and more. Now, after immense support from his mom and his love for cooking, Garcia has opened his own food truck. Also under the name “Juanita’s,” this truck is a newer, sleeker version of the original truck, with a slightly changed menu and a location in downtown Bellingham. This new Juanita’s opened in mid-June, and Lopez couldn’t be happier.
“I’m feeling so proud,” says Lopez.
Garcia’s love for cooking started young, when he would cook pancakes for his friends in the morning after sleepovers. After working at multiple restaurants and getting his culinary arts degree from Bellingham Technical College, Garcia decided that it was time to follow in his mother’s footsteps.
“We were already thinking about replacing our food truck because it’s so old. We went to visit this company that makes them in Oregon, and for the price, it made sense to buy one, especially if I want to continue what my mother’s doing,” says Garcia.
Garcia wanted to keep some menu items the same from the original food truck, especially the foods that are traditional to Mexican culture. Juanita’s sells tamales, gorditas, guaraches, and pozole at the farmer’s market, and he wanted to continue to sell these corn-based foods in his own truck.
“For a few of these foods, we do our own nixtamalization, which is the process of making corn digestible. We soak it in baking powder for 12 hours, and then we grind it ourselves to make flour. I want to carry that, but also implement it in different ways by including new items but keeping some of the same,” says Garcia. “I want to go into more authentic Mexican food, selling things like tlacoyos.”
Lopez and Garcia share the same goal for both food trucks—to serve good food to the community, and to broaden people’s understanding of Mexican food.
“I want people to think of Mexican food as more than just tacos and burritos,” says Garcia.
Juanita’s is at every Bellingham Farmer’s Market. Alongside this, they’re excited to announce that with the upgraded food truck, they will be attending many local events! Check out their website for more information.
108 Nooksack Rd., Everson, 360.746.9386, juanitas-comida.square.site
Photograph by Aaron Garcia
