utrgvtv BROWNSVILLE – As National Hispanic Heritage Month began on Sept. 15, one small business showed their Hispanic pride by setting the goal to expand along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.
Chirina’s Fish Tacos has been a small business in downtown Brownsville since 2022, but its story actually started in 1956 Mexico. Daniel Gonzalez, founder and owner of Chirina’s, says the restaurant is named after his mother.
“And one of the qualities that my mom has, still has to this day, is that she’s known as a very sweet person,” Gonzalez said. “My aunt gave her the name of chirimoya, which is a fruit in Central America, and it’s very sweet, known as the ice cream of fruits.”
The name developed to Chirina and he decided to use it as his restaurant’s concept.
Gonzalez said coming from Mexican parents and carrying his heritage through his restaurant brings him a sense of pride.
“And she says, ‘Daniel cuando yo les cocino a mis hijos, lo hago con mucho amor entonces lo que tú estas probando en esta comida no solamente son los frijoles, si no es el amor que yo le pongo’ (When I cook for my kids, I do it with love so what you are tasting is not only beans, it’s the love that I put in it),” he said. “And so that’s something that when we cook here at Chirina’s, we pour our love, we pour our gratitude into it.”
Gonzalez said his goal is to grow his business along the U.S.-Mexico border until they reach the capital of fish tacos, San Diego. Like other small business owners, he said one challenge he faces is that of approaching the idea of expansion.
The UTRGV Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides resources for these kinds of situations. Maria Juarez, director of the SBDC, assists small or future business owners with growth or plan development, financial analysis, marketing among other resources.
“We need to support entrepreneurial and economic development in the area,” Juarez said. “So, the more successful these small businesses are, the more economic impact they’re going to have.”
She said 48% of businesses in the Rio Grande Valley area are Hispanic-owned or Hispanic employers so the SBDC provides their assistance in both English and Spanish.
To access the center’s resources, you can contact the SBDC by calling (956) 665-7535.
