NOBLESVILLE — During the same week, just two days apart, a Noblesville mom found herself and her husband without a job.
“We have four teenagers,” Angela Garcia said. “So, we’re going to need some income.”
This was the reality thousands of Hoosiers faced when the pandemic began in March. Since then, WRTV has put the focus on ways that business owners are trying to stay open to serve their customers and new business owners who are determined enough to start a new venture during the pandemic.
“I made a post offering chips, salsa, and guacamole,” Garcia said. “I just had no idea that it would take off the way it did.”
Her post on social media quickly had more than 20 comments within an hour from her neighbors ordering food. It was their way of supporting a local family in need.
“It was surprising. I didn’t know many of my neighbors, even though we’ve lived here for five years," Garcia said. "So, to see them rally for you and pull together to want to support you."
When restaurants started to reopen, Garcia’s husband eventually went back to work.
But she had other plans.
“I told him I'm not going to recruit anymore he said 'What are you going to do?' I said 'I'm going to buy a cargo trailer and convert it into a food trailer,'” she said.
Fast forward nearly 11 months later, Garcia has been to dozens of neighborhoods and wineries in her food truck serving authentic Mexican food. She’s officially launched her business, Bien Mexicana.
She’s no longer cooking from her home. American Legion in Noblesville is allowing her to rent kitchen space. Several times a week she offers carryout and curbside orders from this location.
“I would love to have a brick and mortar, but right now it's a little scary with Covid still brewing,” she said.
She worries the restaurant could be forced to shut down and says things are going well right now.
Looking back at 2020, Garcia says the community stepped up in a big way to help her and now she’s not turning back.
“It has been a wild journey to say the least," Garcia said. “It’s been a tremendous blessing.”
