Herydan Maza - From Construction to Authentic Mexican Cuisine at La Taqueria
Jun 05, 2024
Alimond Studio
How does one transform a passion for construction into owning a beloved Mexican restaurant? Join us as we explore the incredible journey of Herydan Maza Hernandez, a dynamic entrepreneur from Mexico City who has made a significant impact in Northern Virginia. From his move to the United States in 1999 and his initial foray into commercial real estate, to overcoming personal and professional hurdles, Herydan's story is nothing short of inspiring. We discuss how he transitioned from his successful contracting business to opening La Taqueria in downtown Leesburg, all inspired by his wife's love for authentic Mexican cuisine.
Peek behind the curtain of Herydan's life as he shares the intimate details of balancing multiple business ventures and family responsibilities while expecting their third child. Discover the strategic steps he and his wife took to ensure the restaurant's success, from navigating the misconceptions of owning a restaurant to leveraging social media for effective marketing. This episode sheds light on the emotional and practical challenges of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, having backup plans, and diversifying income streams.
Concluding with an intimate look at La Taqueria, you'll get a taste of the cherished family recipes that resonate with authenticity and dedication. Herydan's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and passion, offering valuable insights and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in to hear his heartfelt story and be inspired to visit La Taqueria to experience the vibrant flavors of true Mexican street food that have quickly garnered a loyal following.
How does one transform a passion for construction into owning a beloved Mexican restaurant? Join us as we explore the incredible journey of Herydan Maza Hernandez, a dynamic entrepreneur from Mexico City who has made a significant impact in Northern Virginia. From his move to the United States in 1999 and his initial foray into commercial real estate, to overcoming personal and professional hurdles, Herydan's story is nothing short of inspiring. We discuss how he transitioned from his successful contracting business to opening La Taqueria in downtown Leesburg, all inspired by his wife's love for authentic Mexican cuisine.
Peek behind the curtain of Herydan's life as he shares the intimate details of balancing multiple business ventures and family responsibilities while expecting their third child. Discover the strategic steps he and his wife took to ensure the restaurant's success, from navigating the misconceptions of owning a restaurant to leveraging social media for effective marketing. This episode sheds light on the emotional and practical challenges of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of perseverance, having backup plans, and diversifying income streams.
Concluding with an intimate look at La Taqueria, you'll get a taste of the cherished family recipes that resonate with authenticity and dedication. Herydan's journey is a testament to the power of resilience and passion, offering valuable insights and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Tune in to hear his heartfelt story and be inspired to visit La Taqueria to experience the vibrant flavors of true Mexican street food that have quickly garnered a loyal following.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for having me here. This is a first for me. It's a great experience. My name is Eridan Massa. We in Latin America have two last names, so it's Massa Hernandez.
Speaker 2:
Oh beautiful.
Speaker 1:
We keep our mother's last name legally, so it's Eridan Massa Hernandez. I'm originally from Mexico City, born and raised until I was 17 years old, okay, and then I moved to the States, back in 99 oh, and what's the name of your business? So I own a couple of businesses in Northern Virginia, in Lowndes County. I started with commercial real estate about 10 years ago. That's my first business. I'm an independent contractor doing.
Speaker 2:
So that's your main passion.
Speaker 1:
No, no, no, no. That led everything to my expertise kind of thing, right? My passion is to run businesses. That's all I've done, either for myself or for other companies.
Speaker 2:
So you're an entrepreneur at heart.
Speaker 1:
Yes, I don't like to call myself entrepreneur, it's just I'm a business-oriented person, right, okay? But yeah, I'm an entrepreneur. So I started doing commercial real estate about 10 years ago and because I have a very strong construction background, prior to the real estate all of my clients start asking me for ref who to refer to do the build-outs and the remodeling of their offices. You know mainly medical practices, so I realized why I don't open a contracting business and offer an A to Z kind of like boutique service to my customers a package.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so I, I opened a contracting company about seven years ago. Okay, this this year is going to it's actually June yeah, this month is going to be seven years.
Speaker 1:
Congratulations on that and that's kind of like my passion, because I don't have an an an engineer degree. I I'm a business, I have a business degree, but I always get involved with the actual design and finishes of all of my projects. So it it became a passion to me, right, and I've been doing the contracting for about seven years now. And while doing the contracting I met a customer that had a restaurant right in downtown Leesburg and I helped them with the space, I helped them doing the build out, and two and a half years later we came across again and they were relocating and the space was going to become vacant. So another dream of my wife actually it was. It was my wife's dream and then, of course, mine uh, just because it involved mexican food, uh, we, we decided to uh take over the the space here in downtown Leesburg and take a risk and open a Mexican restaurant.
Speaker 2:
And when was this?
Speaker 1:
This was actually last year. Back in February of last year Okay yeah, very recent we just opened the restaurant. We turned one year in May 5th, so Cinco de Mayo was our anniversary. Oh, okay, it all worked out.
Speaker 2:
And what kind of food do you guys have there?
Speaker 1:
So we try to do authentic Mexican street food, which is not very common in northern Virginia, common in Northern Virginia. Ourselves being Mexicans, we have to drive probably an hour to get as close as possible to Mexican food. So we were thinking we hate to drive. My wife's family is very food like they love cooking.
Speaker 2:
Food oriented yeah, kind of food oriented, yes yes, and my mother as well.
Speaker 1:
So we we've, we fuse, we emerge both of our family's cuisine history and put it on on a piece of paper and it became a menu. Wow, like all the old, like family recipes, yes, yes, all the recipes that the majority of the recipes that we have at the restaurant are 100% family created, right yeah, Either from her mom, her grandma, her sister or my mother in my case.
Speaker 2:
Well, I'm relatively new here, but I know how much the ladies here love your restaurant.
Speaker 1:
I know I know that's how we met, that's how I ended up here here. Love your restaurant, I know. I know that's how we met, that's how I ended up here, because they became very, very loyal customers.
Speaker 2:
Yes, yes, I feel like they're and I'm like I need to jump on this, so I haven't had the honor of trying the food yet, but I've heard nothing but amazing reviews, thank you.
Speaker 1:
Thank you, thank you. We tried our best. We really struggled the first year. We tried our best. We really struggled the first year, like any other business, not only food business, but we've had a very, very bumpy road our first year.
Speaker 2:
It's very stressful very hard what were some of the challenges opening up the restaurant.
Speaker 1:
Well, I mean, it's a lot.
Speaker 2:
It's a lot you know from budgeting, from feedback uh, feedback, expectations from uh getting your systems in place, staff, staff always staff.
Speaker 1:
Always every month, we, we literally like just pray not to have somebody to leave or or um, not showing up right or mean. Now, we have to be very flexible with our staff because you know they have families, they have personal emergencies, so we try to cover whenever they can, but still, I have to run another two businesses and my wife cannot be here full-time because we have a full-time family as well. Right, we have three children, and so my oldest is nine. It's a boy, elias. My daughter is seven, her name is Miranda, and we just have a newborn. She's three months old, emilia. So, thank you, thank you. So we have a newborn. She's three months old, amelia.
Speaker 2:
Oh, beautiful name. Thank you, all the names are beautiful.
Speaker 1:
Thank you. So we have a full house now, like a bigger family.
Speaker 2:
And no one's getting any sleep with the newborn. No, actually we are, we are.
Speaker 1:
We're very blessed with our kids, but Amelia, she's been sleeping for 8-9 hours straight every night. The first couple weeks, 5 hours just because of us waking up and feeding. But she's adapting to us. Now it's the third one, so she gets the crumbles and now she has to adapt to our schedule, to our timing, to our activities, because we also have two other children that we're focusing a lot on.
Speaker 2:
All of them, sure, we're busy very busy, yes, in the thick of it, with the kids and your wife's running the restaurant as well and kind of juggling between both, and you're trying to do your contracting business Correct correct and the real estate.
Speaker 1:
You know I do consulting. That's my main job to do consulting for my customers and we get very involved in the building process, so we're always busy. My phone is ringing nonstop, Nonstop, yes, yes, Well, I'm glad we have this opportunity to have a conversation this morning and kind of turn things off for a little bit. It's kind of nice.
Speaker 2:
I want to back up for a little bit. When you said you were born and raised in Mexico City, you moved here at 17. How was that, and what was that like coming?
Speaker 1:
to the.
Speaker 2:
United States at 17?.
Speaker 1:
That's going to be probably a three hour episode or a season, right.
Speaker 1:
But to make a story short, yeah, I was born in Mexico City in 1981. Family of four, my father was in the military for 24 years in Mexico. We got the privilege to travel all over Mexico and Latin America through my dad's work and we had a very normal life until he passed away. He passed away 24 years ago and we had to kind of I don't want to say escape, but it felt like it. When I was 16, I felt like we had to run out of the country because my dad was in the military.
Speaker 1:
The circumstances of his death forced us to leave the country, so we moved to the States in 1999 with kind of like a host family that we had a relationship with in Mexico. Well, my parents right, they worked for the US government and they kind of like adopted us as a family relationship with in Mexico. Well, my parents right, they, they, they were for the US government and they kind of like adopted us as a family. But when we got here, things changed, yeah, and from from from being a foster family kind of thing we became. We felt like we were a servant family, adopted or or not even hired, it's just yeah used yeah kind of thing.
Speaker 1:
So, that being said, I was 17 years old, my sister was 11 and my mother recently. We had a widow and we stayed in the States together for about seven months okay and things didn't work out. So we left that family, we move out of the house and we struggle, my mother's struggle.
Speaker 2:
She was only 39 years old, 38 years old, with a teenager in a preteen yeah, a girl taking care of four kids, yes, yes, yes, the country, yes, in in a different country, right, um?
Speaker 1:
so situations in life made my mother and my sister go back to Mexico in a different situation, and I decided to stay. I wanted to continue my education, so I stayed, with the goal of saving money in two years and then move back and go to college. That was my goal, yeah, and I did all types of trades during those two years until an opportunity came up and I was able to apply for a university here in the States. I was accepted and I did my bachelor's while working full-time during the day and going to school at night.
Speaker 2:
That's not easy, Jeff.
Speaker 1:
No, not easy, and I was supporting my mother and my sister back home. So I was working, studying, and after I finished my bachelor's, I was hired by a big construction company.
Speaker 2:
That's where I started, so that's where the construction comes in.
Speaker 1:
Well, even during college, because I had to make enough money to pay for college and help my family. So I had to work construction and make tons of overtime hours.
Speaker 1:
So I had to work construction and make tons of overtime hours. That was the only type of work that I was able to labor work. I did labor work instead of working as a teenager making minimum wage. I had to kind of like hustle and find my ways to earn more money. Sure Right. So I graduated. Then I got hired by this amazing company and I worked with them for about five years. I was doing project management for them Okay, big construction. So I was involved in a few of the overpass bridges that you see on Route 28,.
Speaker 1:
I was in the management department for a few of those bridges in the area. Yes, that was a great experience and it gave me a lot of fundamentals of you could really learn the business. Business administration. Like I learned the books, Now it's the practice.
Speaker 2:
Well, there's nothing like the hands-on experience, right Like until you really get in there and do it Correct yourself. It's hard to learn.
Speaker 1:
Exactly so. That helped me a lot get more experience on the field. And once that happened, my grandmother became ill, so I flew back to Mexico. My mother was an only child taking care of her mom, so I went back home for six weeks no, for six days, and I stayed for six years yes, trip went well yeah so.
Speaker 1:
So I had to stay a little longer. My grandmother got sick, so I kind of stayed with my mom helping her. Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away and I stayed with my mother and I found an amazing job working for the United Arab Emirates government Down there.
Speaker 1:
I work for the Emirates embassy so I got a contract for another five years with them opening an embassy. They didn't have an embassy so I was hired to kind of set up an embassy and hire people. All the admin work that an embassy needed locally I was in charge. So I got to travel a lot to Latin America. I got to meet Emirates Crown Prince.
Speaker 2:
So this was a huge opportunity. It was, it was, it was a huge opportunity it was.
Speaker 1:
It was. It was a great opportunity. I was very I'm still very blessed with the experiences that I've learned in life, but they've been very, very different, different fields, right.
Speaker 1:
Right, but you've been able to learn from each of those correct and take it to where you are today, right try, try, since you're learning today, I'm learning something new. So, um, but, but it did help me. Like you said, it helped me to, to, to be where I'm at now and minimize mistakes and and assess risks on my businesses and in life in general. Right, so I finished that contract, and I had to finish that contract earlier because my wife and I were expecting our first child back in Mexico and her family is. They live in Chicago, they're from Chicago, the majority of her family so we decided to resign from our jobs down in Mexico and move back to the States. We moved to Chicago, which I hated it. It's too cold for me.
Speaker 2:
Chicago is really cold, but it is king. It's a nice city.
Speaker 1:
Very nice downtown, but when you start going out out to the suburbs it's just a different feeling and and the weather it's just not for us very cool so our son was born in Chicago November and my sister was studying here in Virginia at that time, or she just finished college as well, so we came to visit her and spend Christmas, okay, and You're like, I kind of like it down here.
Speaker 1:
Well, I lived here for nine years before that right. So my wife didn't know this area. She knew Chicago, she knew California and Connecticut, but never Virginia in northern Virginia. So she loved it and she was like, let's look, let's settle here. And I just signed out the contract to stay here and we've been here for 10 years now. Yeah, 20, 2014 is when when we moved back to Virginia.
Speaker 2:
Okay, yes, I was going to say tell me a little bit more about the restaurant that you've opened up, since you've been back so since I've been back, I got into the real estate business Looking for construction work.
Speaker 1:
I was hired to be an agent, so I had to go get my license while starting a family here. That was a very, very tough year for us.
Speaker 2:
When you were trying to get your license and work.
Speaker 1:
I wasn't making any money, I can't get paid because I don't have a license and no commissions. I kind of worked for free for about eight months, six, eight months. We live off of our savings and our. You know, in Mexico, you resign, you get a compensation. So we lived off of our savings for about a year until I started putting money into the pipeline right and finally got my license, my real estate license. And then, two years later, we were expecting our second child, miranda, and I started doing the contracting.
Speaker 2:
More and more.
Speaker 1:
More and more, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Over the real estate.
Speaker 1:
Over the real estate. I did full time real estate for about three years three, four years and I was very successful. The second year and the third year were just successful. The second year and the third year were just increasing. I saw money coming in and helping customers. Obviously it reflects on your commissions, right? So I had an amazing full first year of having my license and then the second year was even better. But then I went back to the construction, which I really liked, and in the coordinating of a project, yeah, and I had more experience doing that than the real estate what did you love about it so much?
Speaker 2:
the construction, was it like seeing the final product? And yes, kind of come together?
Speaker 1:
yes, the moment I walk into a space it could be a residential or commercial space and I start listening to my clients. I already put a power, a presentation on my mind and and figure out what it's going to look like you can walk into space and kind of be like we need to do this. Yes, yes, yeah, so that really fulfills my excitement, sure.
Speaker 2:
You know, I can tell.
Speaker 1:
And yeah, my voice changes when. I talk about that Just because, again, I don't have any design experience but interacting with my customers and listening to what they like and what their expectations are, and trying to put that in reality and go over their expectations, it's what really makes every day a challenge and a satisfaction at the same time. Yeah, you know it. Just, it's very stressful at the same time.
Speaker 2:
But very rewarding.
Speaker 1:
Rewarding yes yes, very, very, very very, and we've been very successful with the contracting that's good contracting. That's good. The network base that I have it's mainly through referrals.
Speaker 2:
So that speaks louder than volumes. Exactly so you have your contracting business and you have the restaurant. Where do you see yourself going with this Big question?
Speaker 1:
Always grow right. I see myself growing and learning. Sometimes in the past couple months my wife and I have just sat down and say let's close the restaurant. It's a lot of work. It's very stressful. It's more stressful than contracting, than construction, and the real estate yes.
Speaker 2:
I feel like that's a misconception. People need to hear right. It's not always as easy or as glamorous as it may seem.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I looked at it. You said it very, very, very right glamorous. I thought you know the fact of me saying, oh, I own a restaurant, it was going to be this glamorous success, personally, right. But there's a point where you say sometimes you have to learn what challenges are worth to fight for.
Speaker 2:
Right Choose your battles wisely.
Speaker 1:
Correct, correct, although I personally don't. I'm sorry. I don't want to give up on the restaurant Sometimes. I just think it's better for my health, for my family, for my finances. I would love to grow. That's the plan, right? When you open a business, you just want to grow and be successful. Sure, I understand it takes time. So I'm giving myself and the restaurant time. Okay, and the restaurant time. Fortunately we have a very small space which equates to smaller rent, but still it's a big expense. When you don't see profits, when you don't see money coming back in to cover your basic expenses, it it really hurts you what are you guys doing for advertising and marketing to bring people in?
Speaker 2:
what's what's working for you, what's not working for you?
Speaker 1:
so again, um, this is a mom and pop restaurant, right.
Speaker 2:
Literally yes, yes, pops right here, yes.
Speaker 1:
And for me, I was expecting for me to be just like a part-time or even just monitoring.
Speaker 1:
For me it was just supervising the face behind it, yeah and just, you know, financing and supporting and organizing and sharing what I know. You know, setting up the business. It was more for my wife to honestly do something besides the house and the children, right. But then two months after we opened we found out we were expecting our third child. So it was so many things coming at the same time it was very tough for her. We really want the restaurant to be successful and I wanted to imitate my business plan. So back to the marketing. It's just my wife doing social media and posts and learning how to use an iPhone.
Speaker 2:
And get the post up. And get the post up.
Speaker 1:
When she's not taking care of the children and she remembers. Oh, I have to post, I have to advertise. We do some specials during the week. Have a strong food industry background to run a restaurant and really be your all or nothing kind of thing. I mean, fortunately for me, unfortunately for the business, this is not my main source of income. So in the back of my head is well, I still have a backup plan, Right? If I didn't have one, I wouldn't be here right now. I'll be chopping onions and cilantro at the restaurant.
Speaker 2:
But how smart of you to have that backup plan, just kind of knowing that you know. Okay, that's diversifying a little bit, correct.
Speaker 1:
That's our goal. My wife and I are business-oriented. She studied business as well, so we diversified our finances and our income. And if this doesn't work which it has to work- it has to work. I will make it work. Let's give our listeners a little shout-out, and say the name and say your street location. Sure. So the restaurant is called La Taqueria, which means the taco joint in Spanish, that's cute.
Speaker 1:
It's authentic Mexican street food. Keep that in mind street food as you can get in Northern Virginia food. Keep that in mind street food as you can get in northern Virginia, because we're located in 15 15 Loudoun Street southeast in in downtown Leesburg. We're open Tuesday through Thursday 11 to 8, Fridays and Saturdays 11 to 10 and Sundays 11 to 5 amazing, so we're gonna come in and see you. We'll look forward to see you there more often, and this has been great.
Speaker 2:
Yes, as we kind of wrap up here, what advice would you like to leave us with, or words of, like a mantra that you live by?
Speaker 1:
Never give up. Never give up. Nothing up, nothing is easy, otherwise there will be restaurants, in my case, or or builders, in my case, in every corner. Right it's it's, it's hard, but it's not impossible right and yes and what I tell friends and people that I talk to. If you're afraid to do it, do it even though you're afraid.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and that's probably the right move.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you already have the no. So if you don't do it, you already have the no. Just do it and try to make it happen.
Speaker 2:
Try to make it happen. Thank you so much for coming in today and thank you for sharing your story.
