{"id":5061572,"date":"2023-03-09T05:18:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T05:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/?p=5061572"},"modified":"2023-03-09T05:18:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T05:18:55","slug":"sweet-connections-la-michoacana-plus-offers-little-village-a-community-commonground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/2023\/03\/09\/sweet-connections-la-michoacana-plus-offers-little-village-a-community-commonground\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Connections: La Michoacana Plus offers Little Village a community commonground"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>IL Latino News covers the <a href=\"https:\/\/nhlatinonews.com\/latino-news-network-pivots-focus-to-social-determinants-of-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social determinants of health<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/nhlatinonews.com\/5058656-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">democracy<\/a>. Collaborations like the partnership with  is integral to the health of news and the health of democracy.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Economic stability<\/strong>\u00a0means that people have the resources essential to a healthy life. Factors affecting economic stability include affordable housing; employment that provides a living wage; things that support employment, like worker protections, paid sick leave, and child care; and access to reliable transportation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For husband and wife Angelo Villagomez and Edith Galvan, opening up La Michoacana Plus in Little Village brings them a sense of joy because it became a place where youth can laugh with friends, do homework or enjoy some ice cream.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome kids come in here for half an hour, eat one thing and then just hang out\u2026It\u2019s turned into a way of giving back to the community,\u201d Villagomez said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">La Michoacana Plus franchise opened this month and offers a variety of treats such as paletas (ice cream bars), michelaguas (fruit flavored drinks), esquites (a corn dish), and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The history of the franchise stems from California and is separate from other La Michoacana ice cream shops across Chicago, Villagomez said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For customer Jose Antonio Reynaga, he said visiting La Michoacana Plus with his family is a tradition and a way to reconnect with his cultural roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_62865\"><a href=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/62863\/focus\/sweet-connections-la-michoacana-plus-offers-little-village-a-community-commonground\/attachment\/img_0742\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/IMG_0742-900x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62865\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The California-based franchise opened its first Midwestern branch this month in Little Village on 26 st. Hours are 10 a.m.- 10 p.m., seven days a week. (<a href=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/staff_profile\/una-cleary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Una Cleary<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a way to return to Mexico,\u201d Reynaga said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Little Village residents are 81% Latino and 75% Mexican and Mexican American according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.enlacechicago.org\/little-village-today#:~:text=Little%20Village%20residents%20are%2081,that%20are%20a%20direct%20result.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enlace Chicago<\/a>&nbsp;and around 18% of businesses are restaurants according to a 2012&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/littlevillagechamber.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012-Little-Village-Economic-Development-Impact-Study.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">market analysis<\/a>&nbsp;done by the Little Village Special Service Area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the first Michoacana Plus on 26th street, Villagomez said he wanted to create a restaurant that is different from the rest of businesses in Little Village by giving it a \u201ctwist\u201d with its bright colors, food and vivid ambiance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s important because most of us like to try new things, having something that\u2019s out of the ordinary is definitely something that is really good for us,\u201d said Liz Gonzalez, La Michoacana Plus employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_62866\"><a href=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/62863\/focus\/sweet-connections-la-michoacana-plus-offers-little-village-a-community-commonground\/attachment\/a-5\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/a.-900x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-62866\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">La Michoacana Plus offers a variety of sweet and savory snacks and treats including michelaguas a fruity drink, nieves de agua, a sorbet ice cream and dorilocos chips topped with pork rinds and hot sauce. (<a href=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/staff_profile\/jacqueline-cardenas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jacqueline Cardenas<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a mix of younger and older employees, Gonzales said she enjoys the environment and the people she works with.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMost of us are pretty young and we get along pretty well,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cThe elder people treat us like their own kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Little Village Academy, a local elementary school on 26th street, brings to the restaurant people from all ages, from students showing them their report cards to 30-year-old parents who want to get something to drink, Villagomez said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"427\" height=\"640\" src=\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/8C075C12-709A-46EB-8366-BCAE8AE2CB9E.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5061573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/8C075C12-709A-46EB-8366-BCAE8AE2CB9E.jpeg 427w, https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/8C075C12-709A-46EB-8366-BCAE8AE2CB9E-200x300.jpeg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Una Cleary<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Villagomez and his wife started planning their grand opening around two years ago, though it hasn&#8217;t been easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Villagomez said he balances general contracting, construction, the franchise and being a father to his 18 month old daughter.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since opening up the franchise, Villagomez said younger clientele have asked him for business advice through social media.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he is always happy to help because growing up, he didn\u2019t have anyone to guide him on how to run a business and believes it\u2019s easier said than done.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wish I had someone when I was younger,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hispanic-owned businesses grew about 8.2%, from 346,836 in 2019 to 375,256 in 202, and made up about 6.5% of all businesses, according to 2020&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/stories\/2023\/01\/who-owns-americas-businesses.html#:~:text=Hispanic%20Ownership,employed%20about%202.9%20million%20employees.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Census data<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to ask questions and show up\u2026put yourself out there,\u201d Villagomez said to advise young Latino entrepreneurs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond a business opportunity Villagomez gets excited and finds joy in seeing kids come into the restaurant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy heart was like damn this makes me happy,\u201d Villagomez said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The couple plans to open up three more locations in the Chicago area in the future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cover Photo: La Michoacana employee Liz Gonzalez enjoys the unique atmosphere that the store provides for the community. The store is something out of the ordinary for Gonzalez.&nbsp;(<a href=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/staff_name\/una-cleary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Una Cleary<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5061575\" width=\"356\" height=\"323\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jackiecardenas_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jacqueline<\/a>&nbsp;is the editor-in-chief of La DePaulia, DePaul University\u2019s Spanish language newspaper. She is a multimedia journalist and the event coordinator for the university\u2019s National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) student chapter. Jacqueline is a first-generation Mexican-American who aspires to diversify the broadcast news industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/hortencia-zavala-scholarship\/?viewAsMember=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hortencia&nbsp;Zavala Foundation<\/a>&nbsp;(HZF)&nbsp;fellow in the 2022 class,&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/malatinonews.com\/meet-the-fellows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Journalism Camp: covering race, ethnicity, and culture<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/688D1540-8D17-47C8-9077-34E708BE8938-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5061574\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Una Cleary is the Focus Editor for The DePaulia, DePaul University\u2019s newspaper. She is a multimedia journalist majoring in Political Science who is passionate about local and national politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Twitter:@unacleary_<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Publisher\u2019s Notes: Illinois Latino News (ILLN) and La DePaulia are&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/illn-and-depaul-university-announce-partnership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">partners&nbsp;<\/a>in best serving the Hispanic-Latino community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read the Spanish language version of Sweet Connections: <em>La Michoacana Plus offers Little Village A Community Commonground<\/em> by clicking on <em><a href=\"https:\/\/depauliaonline.com\/62787\/ladepaulia\/la-michoacan-plus-ofrece-dulce-conexiones-en-la-villita-es-una-manera-de-regresar-a-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">La Michoacana Plus ofrece dulces conexiones en La Villita: \u2018Es una manera de regresar a M\u00e9xico\u2019<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IL Latino News covers the social determinants of health and democracy. Collaborations like the partnership with is integral to the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5061577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[835,219,260],"ppma_author":[231,834],"class_list":["post-5061572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","tag-la-michoacana-plus","tag-little-village","tag-small-business"],"acf":[],"mb":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC.png",1501,1001,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC-768x512.png",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC-1024x683.png",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC.png",1501,1001,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2023\/03\/0FC09FFC-8DEE-4596-88BA-A3236BBC71FC.png",1501,1001,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"LNN","author_link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/illn\/author\/jermainesmith\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"IL Latino News covers the social determinants of health and democracy. 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