Mother-daughter duo brings a taste of culture to the community at Cafecito

What started out as a food truck in Fort Worth's Southside has transformed into a gathering space for families, friends and the community.

Cafecito currently functions at 401 W Magnolia Ave, where W.F. Laurence Fine Flowers once stood. The pink sign sits atop the vintage flower shop sign, and is now a beacon of unity and good, authentic Mexican food.

Cafecito co-founder Cinthya Duran believes that the food brings people together. 

"I think we need to try to celebrate being Hispanic and find our seat at the table," said Cinthya Duran. "I think it's very important that we celebrate who we are, our culture, and where we come from."

It's a journey that started with an idea from her husband, Adrian Duran, during COVID.

 
As a family that enjoyed breakfast, Cinthya Duran said she hadn't found anything in the area to compare to her mother's cooking. 

"It was an obvious next step to ask my mom if she wanted to do it," she said.

Cinthya Duran says her mother, Yaneth Sanchez, had always wanted to own a restaurant. So they set out on the journey together, in a small food truck off 8th Avenue near Baylor Scott & White.

The mother-daughter duo worked side by side, sometimes working 14-hour days, during what Cinthya Duran now remembers as "the good days."

Eventually, Cafecito moved from their small food truck to a counter service space inside Funky Town Food Hall, not far from their original spot.

"Our grand opening was crazy," Cinthya Duran remembers. "We filled up the entire space. And every weekend, honestly, we would fill up the entire food hall."

"We really wanted to bring those authentic flavors to the community. And the biggest compliment that we still receive is when they have our cafe de olla or mole or whatever menu item, they say, 'Oh, this brings me back to my grandma's table' or my 'mom's table.' That was one of our goals at the beginning. So I love to hear that."

Then, Cinthya Duran and Sanchez took the next leap for their business. Moving into a brick-and-mortar full-service restaurant.

"That was a big, scary jump," said Cinthya Duran. "But it was something that I really, I had this vision to serve the community in a beautiful space. So I wanted to have those authentic flavors, but I didn't want it to be like a hole in the wall."

"It's true, a lot of hole in the walls serve the best food. But I wanted to be really good, authentic food, but in a beautiful setting where people could come and celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, all of the special occasions. So that was my big motivation for this space."

Cafecito now offers a bar, a coffee bar, and an expanded menu that surpasses its initial food truck menu. 

"I think we have created such a lovely space for the community to come," said Cinthya Duran. "I especially love, because of all the pink, I love seeing all of the girls come through. Having a girls' day or, like, the mom and daughters coming through. So it's really a special place."

Pink tacos, pink chilaquiles, and more pink foods in the vaults make Cafecito unique.

As a mother herself, Cinthya Duran hopes to be a role model to her own daughters.

"I want my daughters just to be proud of me. Kind of how I feel about my mom. Especially they're really young now, but, as they continue to grow and, you know, see all of the work that it takes to build something and run something."

"I want them to, like, know that anything is possible and that they can go and chase their dreams. And I'm gonna be right there supporting them 100%."