WIMAUMA - Dining out in Wimauma is about to get a whole lot better.
That's because 11 women and one gentleman from Enterprising Latinas just completed an eight-week course to become certified, licensed food service entrepreneurs.
Right now, dining options in Wimauma consist of McDonald's, a few taco stands and some Mexican restaurants. Imagine, however, a restaurant that offers home-cooked southern cuisine, a bakery featuring home-made bread and fresh cakes, a small diner featuring soul food and a place to get custom-made Sangria with a personalized take home bag.
All of these dreams may soon become reality for the "students" who completed the "Wimauma Eats" program, an opportunity offered by Enterprising Latinas. Vanessa Hornedo, the director of business development for the nonprofit, originated the idea for this program when women kept coming to her asking for help in getting their businesses started.
"This wasn't a culinary program where we would teach them to cook," Hornedo said. "These women were already excellent cooks. This program brought them the guidance and organization skills to develop their own business. That's why we're here."
The class met once a week for eight weeks and different speakers presented information crucial to the process of opening any type of food service such as catering or a restaurant or food truck.
"We had people from the Small Business Development Center and people who do business mentoring to talk about branding and imaging," Hornedo said. "They answered important questions like what does it take to start my own business? How do I get the licensing? Who do I call? How much is it going to cost?"
After the first class, these women (and one gentleman) had a clear picture of the difficult journey that lay ahead for them. "This takes a lot of personal investment," Hornedo continued. "We wish that we could get someone to loan us all the money we need, but it doesn't work that way. We have to start out with our own money, our own time and energy, and develop a business plan in order to maybe get a loan or an investor or a partner."
Did you know that a basic food truck starts at about 500 and a free membership to the SouthShore Chamber of Commerce. This will give her the networking and support she will need as she begins her food business featuring southern style cooking.
Brown was once a migrant worker who learned the love of cooking from her mother.
"This is such a blessing, this whole experience," she said. "I never thought I would be living my dream to do catering and own my own food truck. I know now that I can put one foot forward and go do what I need to do."
As the keynote speaker for this special ceremony, Yaterah McDaniel shared her story, which mirrored the story of her fellow participants.
"We're all saying the same thing," McDaniel said. "We want to have more for ourselves, our families and our community."
McDaniel had never heard of Enterprising Latinas until she lost her job. With a 2-year-old child, living in an apartment with lots of bills to pay, she had no other option than just to try to find another job. She was introduced to a staff member from the organization who recognized that McDaniel was the kind of woman it sought, and she was invited to join this program.
"I found this amazing opportunity with Enterprising Latinas and here I am today ready to have my own bakery, bake my bread, and join this team of powerful women who want to live out their dreams." McDaniel's new company is known as Y Bread.
Enterprising Latinas founder and CEO Liz Gutierrez spoke to the graduating class at the opening of the ceremony about how success doesn't come just from wishes, but from putting the work in.
"Every journey starts with a dream and you all have decided to make something wonderful happen," Gutierrez said. "Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, 'Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.' I believe that because it has been true in my life. The fact that we are all here is an example of the universe conspiring to make something great happen."
Contact Kathy Straub at hillsnews@tampabay.com.