Small caterers get a foot in the door at DU

Alejandro Flores, Ruben Valentin and Silvia Hérnandez pose with morsels from their restaurants during a speed tasting event at the University of Denver's Schiol of Social Work. Feb. 25, 2020. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

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Caterer Elena Martinez knew it would be hard to make the numbers work for groups of fewer than 20. But as a new businesswoman, she didn’t want to pass up an opportunity.

So she devised what she calls a buffet in a box: a container of tacos and all the fixings that she can drop off for an office lunch for six or seven people. It takes her little time to prepare and involves no set-up, helping her make a profit on the $60 box.

That’s the kind of entrepreneurial thinking Yessica Holguin, director of Denver’s Center for Community Wealth Building, is trying to foster with a network of food companies owned by women and minorities that includes Martinez’s E Hijole Tacos and Catering. Tuesday, E Hijole, which also has a taco cart, was among 10 caterers that Holguin’s nonprofit brought to the University of Denver so that university staff could taste their cooking and consider hiring them for events.

“Everything we do is an experiment,” Holguin said. “The old system hasn’t worked for our communities. We need to figure out what works.”