Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month Spotlight | Eva and Mayra Chavez
During Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month, Eat. Learn. Play. celebrates influential Hispanic and Latino/a leaders in the Oakland community who are doing fantastic work supporting our mission of providing access to the three essential pillars of a healthy childhood — nutrition, education, and physical activity.
Meet Eva and Mayra Chavez, the mother-daughter duo behind family-owned El Huarache Azteca Mexican Restaurant in East Oakland. For Eva and Mayra, this month provides representation for the Latino/a community. Through the pair’s deep-rooted love for their hometown and its diversity, they’re able to share their Mexican heritage, through food, to the community they love.
El Huarache Azteca is one of the 130 local Oakland restaurants that helped serve over 2 million meals to the Oakland community through our partnership with World Central Kitchen.
Continue reading about Eva and Mayra’s work below, and stay tuned this month for more profiles of our friends in the Oakland community.
What do you love most about Oakland?
Eva: When I first migrated to the U.S., Oakland gave me a home away from home. Leaving my native country and my family behind in Mexico was one of the hardest things I have ever done, and Oakland gave me comfort. Oakland gave me strength. I love the diversity Oakland has. I love that my kids were raised in Oakland by Oaklanders. Oakland is a place of opportunity, and it has made my dream a reality of being able to own my business. I am Oakland Proud.
Mayra: Oakland is home for me. I rep Oakland everywhere I go with so much passion and attitude. I am a product of East Oakland and I am who I am because of that and so much more. I love that Oakland is so unique in its own way and that there is so much diversity that makes Oakland so beautiful. Being able to drive along E14 and see the different neighborhoods and the art that represents the communities that live there is priceless. I love that Oakland has taught me so much about the world and that it has also challenged my own ideals and has made me a better person because of it.
What does Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month mean to you?
Eva: As a Mexican woman, Hispanic Heritage Month means independence because it falls on Mexican Independence Day. As a Mexican woman living in the U.S., all of the Latin American Communities have representation, and there's a bond that brings us all together. Representation matters, and having a month dedicated to the Latinx community means that we are a step further into ensuring we are represented in this country, and our voices are being heard.
Mayra: I second what my mom says about representation. It also means to me that there is still so much work to do. The Latinx community was one of the communities with more Covid-19 deaths and it demonstrated that our work is not over.
What does it mean to you personally to be able to support the local community through your work?
Eva: It means that I feel a part of this community, and to see the satisfaction in people's faces is priceless. It means that I am contributing to making my community a better place. El Huarache Azteca can make an impact in our community by providing authentic food to the community.
Mayra: My parents taught me that to do something out there in the world and make a positive impact, I have to start at home and to reiterate, Oakland is home for me. Aside from helping my mom run a business after my dad passed away four years ago, I have also worked for local officials in Oakland Government and ensured that the community I grew up in has a voice and creates change for themselves. As a Small Business Service Manager for The Unity Council, I am making sure that our small businesses move towards the 21st Century and grow their businesses. This is how I am able to support my local community.
How is your organization helping kids and families in the community amid the pandemic?
Eva + Mayra: Since April 2020, El Huarache Azteca has partnered with World Central Kitchen and Eat. Learn. Play Foundation in providing a balanced meal to hundreds of families in Oakland. With this partnership, we have provided over 10,000 meals to Oakland. We were able to bring all of the staff back to work and keep our doors open during the pandemic. We have also partnered with The Unity Council, Community Kitchens, High Roads Kitchen, and Good Good Eatz and provide meals to OUSD Schools, Hospitals, Unhoused Communities, Shelters, Libraries, and others. In addition, we have continuously spread the word about getting tested and vaccinated because our community really needs it.
Connect with Eva and Mayra
Have a question for Eva or Mayra?
Connect with them here.
Check out El Huarache Azteca by clicking the link below.
