Meet Maria Lourdes Aviles | Owner/Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Lourdes Aviles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria Lourdes, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
That this country opens the doors for people to reach their goals and be successful. I received my passion from my ancestors in the culinary industry. What better way to learn a comfortable living for me and my family doing what i love the most. It allowed me the flexibility to be there when needed due the flexible work schedule while providing for them. With my families help we reached that dream of mine of owning my own restaurant. After opening our doors over 34 years ago our place is still family owned and operated. Since the thought entered my mind i never doubted that success would follow.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are different from others in many ways. For example, we are truly authentic in all we do from top to bottom. We do not use preservatives, canned goods, or frozen meats. All of our marinades and sauces are made from scratch. I am most proud of where I am in my culinary journey and my passion has continued to grow over the decades of having the restaurant. I believe I have reached this point with hard work and perseverance. I received all the support from my family which gave me the confidence to succeed which made the highs and lows come with ease. Along the way I have learned that if you do anything with love and passion you will reach the stars and achieve any goals. I would tell anyone to never give up no matter what others say, if you believe you can do.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would suggest visiting Sedona with the beautiful scenery and weather to escape from the heat in Phoenix. I would recommend Lulu’s Taco Shop, my restaurant just North of downtown Gilbert. Afterwards there are plenty of shops and stuff to do at night. Phoenix has plenty of walking trails available to enjoy the cool breeze in the early mornings.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to my mom. She showed our family a passion of cooking with her homecooked meals made from scratch with love every day. She also instilled a good work ethic in all of us which allowed us to get to where we are today.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LulusTacoShopAZ

Yelp: Lulus Taco Shop