HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Florida has been ranked the third best state for Hispanic small business owners, according to a September report by B2B Reviews, showing that with the growth of the Hispanic population in Hillsborough County comes growth in a diverse Hispanic business community.
FROM FOOD TRUCK TO FOOD EMPIRE
The success is evident in places like Empire Food Truck Plaza in Town 'N Country, Hillsborough County, where one Venezuelan César Dorante's dream has multiplied into a thriving community of Hispanic-owned businesses.
The plaza represents more than just a parking lot — it's a crossroads of culture, stories and ambition that started with one man's goal and his food truck.
WATCH: Florida ranks 3rd best state for Hispanic small business owners as community thrives in Tampa Bay
Dorante arrived in the area in 2019 and started with a single food truck, Lenos food truck — bringing pieces of home to Hillsborough County through every dish he serves.
"The most important thing is building a sense of community and everyone brings a piece of their culture," Dorante said.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HISPANIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Dorante's success came with help from Prospera, a nonprofit organization that supports Hispanic economic development across Tampa Bay. The organization helps Latino entrepreneurs navigate the differences between doing business in their home countries versus the United States.
"Sometimes a person, had businesses abroad and here, and it's different," said Fabian Yepez from Prospera. "We try to teach them not only how to do business, but how to do business here in the US."
The growth comes as the Hispanic population continues to be the fastest-growing demographic in Hillsborough County. Census data shows more than 1.5 million Latinos moved to Florida from 2010 to 2020, now accounting for 29% of the state's population.
The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in Florida is even higher, with 33% of all small businesses owned by Latinos, according to B2B reviews.
"The days of just construction work, that's long gone," Yepez said. "There's a lot of professionals who come here — doctors, dentists, engineers. Unfortunately, they come at a certain age where they don't want to go back to college to revalidate everything. So what's the next best opportunity they have? To open a business."
BUILDING A FOOD EMPIRE
Dorante and his girlfriend used those resources to transform one recipe into one food truck, then expand that single truck into a food truck plaza. Now they're building a food empire, helping other Latinos become business owners by building and customizing mobile trucks with the same mission.
"I see this as an opportunity to help others achieve their dreams and launch their own food trucks or any other mobile-type business," Dorante said.
The diversity of Latino culture is also expanding beyond traditional offerings. Food trucks now serve Venezuelan arepas, Dominican rice and beans and Brazilian açaí alongside the familiar tacos and Cuban sandwiches — and it's all withing just steps of each other.
"It's nice to see how all this new food is being accepted and people are realizing there's so many more tastes out there than just rice and beans," Yepez said.
"Going back maybe 10 years, you could barely, rarely find arepas here from Venezuela. Arepas now they're all over the place. Peruvian food is huge. And even if you look here a few years ago, you could not find many Peruvian restaurants."
The goal at Food Empire extends beyond business growth to building connections within the community.
"When you connect with people, you learn and you see them differently," Dorante's girlfriend Viviani Fedelich said. "You see the perspective. You see how I do it — it's so beautiful."
The success proves that sharing food doesn't just break bread — it breaks barriers as well.
"This country gives you the opportunity," she added. "So take it. Don't be afraid."
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