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The Story
Behind Our
Kitchen!

Our mother’s story. Maria “Nena” Arechiga grew up in Culver City with her family, consisting of 11 siblings: a father who was a gardener and a mother who was mostly a stay-at- home mom but also worked part-time cleaning homes. Her mom, whom we call Mamalicha, would prepare Papa’s, our mother’s father’s, lunch, which most times consisted of potatoes and eggs wrapped in fresh, handmade flour tortillas. Our mother would tell us how she would look forward to the days when her father would bring home leftovers and share them with her. Fast forward to her opening Tacos Villa Corona, located in Atwater Village in Los Angeles. She began serving the more traditional Mexican foods such as tortas, sopes, tacos, tostadas, and burritos. Most may know that the start of a new business takes time to build and may even be a bit slow in the early years. At that time, she prayed and reflected. She began to remember her treasured memories between herself and her father and those delicious homemade burritos that bonded them together. In those moments, she was inspired by God to add those cherished memories of her father’s burritos to the menu, hence the birth of our papa’s burrito. She truly credited God for those memories and inspirations that led to her success.