The Amigas behind Aromas Cafe: Get to know the owners of Eureka’s Latina owned cafe

Tucked in a corner of one of the busiest streets in Eureka is Aromas Cafe, a Mexican and American fusion restaurant operated by Marisol Madriz and Adela Rodriguez.

After first meeting at a small jewelry shop in Arcata over twenty years ago, the two owners have been inseparable. With years of experience in the food and beverage industry, the Latina duo have made their dreams a reality after Rodriguez’s husband happened to stumble upon an ad for their current location on Craigslist last year. 

“We were always just talking about, like, Oh, we should put a place for food or something. But it wasn’t our goal necessarily, it was just like a dream,” said Madriz. 

Marisol Madriz is originally from Mexico City and came to Humboldt in 2001. She operates the front of the house and her responsibilities consist of making drinks, taking customer orders, food prep and accounting. She occasionally cooks, but explains that both she and Rodriguez are always busy doing other tasks while working. 

Adela Rodriguez is from Apatzingan, Michoacan and came to the United States in 2003. She runs the kitchen and bakes everything in house from choco flan to gluten free almond cake. Coming from a family full of cooks, Rodriguez has many years of experience in the kitchen both culturally and professionally. 

Madriz and Rodriguez acknowledge the importance of running a Latina owned business. Specifically, in the context of growing up in a culture where it’s often remarked that women should be in the kitchen. For them, it’s about empowerment. 

“It’s very important for other women to see that we can do it, I mean, all the time women are working, all the time we are cooking, and we don’t leave the house,” said Rodriguez. “Women are cooking all the time and we never take, well, any incentive.”

With the hopes of influencing other women, they have expressed how open they are to helping other people get started on their business ventures. 

“We’ll tell people, we can tell them what we did first, what we did later, where we failed, and what we have to do again, and all those things, because it’s important to help the other women, and if they get that inspiration, I’ll be happy to help them,” said Madriz. 

Aromas Cafe offers a little bit of everything for their diverse clientele. For breakfast their menu offers crepes, bagels, biscuits and gravy and burritos which come with your choice of bacon, sausage or chorizo potatoes. For lunch they offer chilaquiles, club sandwiches, chicken or spinach enchiladas and occasionally tamales. During dinner customers can enjoy mimosas, beer, or a limited wine selection on weekends and weekdays. They also sell local products such as Angie’s chai or Bootlegger Bagels. 

You can taste Aromas Cafe at 1651 Myrtle Ave Eureka, CA  95501. Open every day from 6:30-4:00p.m. They offer catering by phone order at (707) 798-1612.