You’ve probably seen street vendors all around North Hollywood, from eloteros and fruit stands to food trucks and churro stands. In North Hollywood, we have all sorts of businesses, big and small, and street vendors are a great example of small businesses.

These small businesses are supported by many in the community, and for a good reason: street vendors do what they do to earn an honest living and to support their families. In addition to their honest living, they provide our community with a glance into different cultures and their foods. 

Street vendors have been around for a long time, and most can recall seeing certain ones such as eloteros stationed outside of schools, especially elementary schools. They can be found walking around small streets around in the NoHo area. 

For example, there is an Elotero almost daily outside of  Maurice Sendak Elementary School at 11414 Tiara St, North Hollywood, CA 9160, who mainly sells elotes, esquites, raspados, chicharrones de harina and mangos.

Eloteros have been around for a long time, you might remember them from long back to elementary school years. 

Maria Rodriguez, a Senior at North Hollywood, supports street vendors, especially eloteros;  “The elotero I always go to always passes by the street I live in. I love getting raspados and elotes from him. I grew up buying from the street vendors in NoHo, I correlate them with my childhood memories. I’m sure many people do, which is why I  respect them for their hard work. Of all the street vendors, the elotero is definitely my go-to.”  

Many Huskies at NoHo agree with this statement and find that eloteros really are the go-to snack when they run into one. 

Additionally, fruit stands are also a great example of street vendors that have been around for a long time. You can usually find them around parks, or by streets where they can easily be spotted by people driving by. 

Fruit Vendors have carts where they store and prepare their fresh fruit. Toppings such as tajin, chamoy and lemon can be added according to your liking.

One notable, popular fruit stand is located on Victory Blvd, next to Victory Vineland Recreation Center. Lisett Garcia, a Senior at NHHS, is a frequent customer of that fruit stand, she has been going there for years. 

“That stand has been there for so long. The woman who sells always has fresh fruit on her;  it’s amazing how she has been able to keep a stable business all these years,” Garcia exclaims her surprise at the woman’s fruit stand and its stability, despite all the competition on that same street. 

In addition to these street stands, food trucks are also seen all over the North Hollywood area, and you don’t have to drive far to find one. La Sierra Tacos is a Mexican food truck that sells everyday items found in all Mexican food trucks such as tacos burritos, quesadillas, and tortas. 

Although this food truck is relatively new, its delicious food justifies how well it has been doing, with frequent satisfied customers.  La Sierra Tacos is located in front of Tiara Street Park, 11480 Tiara St, North Hollywood, CA 91601. 

Favio Ugarriza, a senior at NHHS, expresses his content with street vendors, saying “Well, personally, I love street vendors. They make delicious food while being out there every day – I respect them, they’re out there selling all day. While working, they’re not in the best conditions, however they hustle through it.” 

Ugarriza, as a street food fanatic, has recently discovered La Sierra Tacos and now eats there often and is delighted by all the food there. He adds, “It’s incredible to see how a simple taco from a taco stand could taste ten times better than a popular seller. Finding this taco truck has been a pleasure, I will definitely stick around with La Sierra Tacos for a while,” he says.

Furthermore, at night, most street vendors go home, and there are usually only a few businesses open; one of which being churro stands. If you’re looking for a place that sells sweet food, Chiki’s Churros is the place to go.

This spot sells churros, crepes, waffles, and other delicious sweet foods. This specific street stand only sells on weekends, and they are located at 6625 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Chikiz Churros are also available for private events or where they are solicited. 

A senior here at North Hollywood High, Yuliza Santiago, alongside her parents, opened up her business to be able to make some extra money for herself.  

Santiago expresses that “I was motivated to open this little business because I wanted to make extra money doing something I like. My parents and I decided to give the churro stand a try, fortunately, it has been going well. I like being my own boss and not having to work under anyone. It’s reassuring to know I have my parents with me, and we do plan to continue with this for a while.” 

Street vendors are an essential part of the community in North Hollywood and will continue to be so for a long time. There is nothing wrong with being supportive of street vendors especially since they work hard for their income. We should continue to be supportive and respectful of these jobs, because without them we wouldn’t be able to experience a taste of the different cultures that surround us in our community.