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Tortilleria La Familiar in San Jose serves up a taste of home
Fresh, warm, tortillas to go: in Mexico, youd find them on any corner. But in the Bay Area, there is a surprising void. As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, KTVU takes a look at a family-run business in San Jose trying to fill that gap with what may be the only fresh tortilla food truck in town.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - At Tortilleria La Familiar in San Jose, they serve a taste of home. Each warm, fresh tortilla comes with a side of nostalgia.
"I think it's more the smell. A lot of people always comment on the smell like I'm standing in line and I can smell it, and it just throws me back to when I was little living in Mexico," says Gishelle Alvarez, one of the owners of Tortilleria La Familiar.
But unlike Mexico, tortillas like these are hard to come by in the Bay Area. Not many are making them like this: from masa, to machine, to your hand in a matter of minutes.
"There's some in the Valley. Right now, in the Bay Area, we are the only ones, I believe," she says referring to her truck.
That's why the Alvarez family launched their business: to fill the void. But it wasn't easy.
It required special equipment built in Mexico, but to U.S. specifications. Then, they had to perfect their process. And perfect it, they did.
"I was raised getting homemade tortillas and these ones are the closest ones I have found," says Alexis Sandoval, a customer.
Tortilleria La Familiar opened their truck last year and already has a devoted following.
"I come here very often and I just live close by. I like it because I like fresh. So I come in probably two, three times a week," says another customer, Valerie Lopez.
"Almost every day. If not, I try to buy at least four pounds to try to last me two to three days. We have a big family, so four pounds usually lasts us like a day and a half," says customer Natalie Mendoza.
They're in a new fixed spot along Story Road now. And while you'll see a steady stream of customers on weekdays, on weekends you'll find a line. Still, people say it's worth it.
"And its convenient to not have to make tortillas at home when you can just come and buy them. And warm! Like right now just with some cheese and salsa sounds so good," Mendoza says.
So good, in fact, that some people just can't wait. "A lot of folks they come, they get their tortillas and they eat it on the spot," says Alvarez.
And there are already expansion plans in the works. They hope to have a second truck in a second location by the end of the year.
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