When Diana Maciel began selling food out of her home in May, she never expected to launch a small business now called Mi Casa. After almost one year making Mexican food from scratch, Maciel and her family are preparing to reopen their business in a new location on Sunday.
Maciel was an event planner and caterer until the coronavirus pandemic started in March 2020. With almost all her business gone, her family suggested she sell her home-cooked food. Her children helped by supporting different parts of the business.
“We definitely didn’t anticipate starting a small business,” said Lulu Salas, one of Maciel’s daughters in a Zoom interview. “It was just something that kind of came with the demand of her food.”
Until recently, Salas managed the business through Instagram where she took orders that were picked up from their home every Sunday.
Maciel said she loves connecting with people by cooking for them.
“It just felt very homey and it’s all in the name,” Maciel said. “We’re called Mi Casa and people were coming to our house.”
As the business grew, the food became increasingly popular among San Jose State students especially because of Mi Casa’s vegan-friendly options.
Mel Chircop, a photography senior, said their experience with the vegan tacos with consomé were incredible.
“The first bite was full of flavor and I just really enjoyed eating it,” Chircop said.
Despite the family’s reputation for great food, Mi Casa was forced to shut down in November after a neighbor expressed concerns about running a business out of their home during the pandemic.
However, the family didn’t let this stop them.
While Mi Casa was closed, Salas fundraised money through raffles advertised on Instagram. The family raised enough money for Maciel to secure proper licenses and a venue.
“That was really something to figure out because we were really comfortable with how we were doing things, but we understand that [working from home] wasn’t ideal,” Salas said.
Mi Casa will be reopening at their new address near Downtown San Jose at 949 Ruff Dr.
The venue is a commissary kitchen, a commercial-grade kitchen where food businesses can work without having to own and maintain the facility themselves.
Maciel hopes to combine Mi Casa with her previous catering and event planning business and expand them together in the future. She said she’s already created partnerships with multiple venues when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
“I’m hoping that now I’ll come back stronger than ever with my businesses because now I have multiple services to offer,” Maciel said.
Maciel, Salas and their family took a situation filled with fear and uncertainty and instead created something positive. Salas said this experience has brought them even closer to each other.
“My favorite part is all of us creating something together,” Salas said “Everybody brings something to the table.”
Maciel encourages small businesses to be authentic and foster support systems that can make a big difference.
“I’m very fortunate to have my daughters behind me supporting me,” Maciel said. “Ensure that you have people who believe in your vision so that you keep going because whatever you’re going to set out to do is possible.”
