El Taco Real, a new taco shop in Richfield, Minnesota, was one Minnesotan's dream since he immigrated to the U.S. 14 years ago.

Oscar Ramos wanted to bring the flavors of his hometown, Guanajuato, Mexico, nearly 2,000 miles north to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

"I was trying to do something for my own. That's how I got here" said Ramos. 

He was 19 when he came to U.S. with a friend, thinking he'd stay for six months. That turned into 14 years and counting. 

"I kept working, working, never quit my job," he said.

He worked in construction, which took him around the country. He even owned his own business in the industry. Then, Ramos landed in Minnesota with his wife, an American citizen, and two kids.

"One day you realize, 'Well, I'm doing good, but what's next?'" said Ramos. 

"Next" was something he'd thought about for years: cooking for the community.

"I'm very proud of them," said Lizbeth Ortega, who's best friend's with Ramos' wife, Hemi.

"I always cooked at home. My dad died when I was 9," said Ramos. 

Ramos says he owes making his dream into a reality to someone special.

"I owe it to my mom" he said. "She has a business in Mexico, so she put me in the business, and what do I know?' I know how to run a business."

For everyone who has the same dream, Ramos says, "stay humble, stay important."

"We're doing something really great for the community, it's not just another taqueria," he said.

"I'm so proud of you, you've come so far," his wife, Hemi, told him. 

Ramos hopes El Taco Real takes off and he'll own his own cantina one day, too.

Ramos used Minneapolis-based Mise En Place restaurant consultants to help him make his restaurant dream a reality.

El Taco Real opens to the public on May 8.