As part of our mission at El Futuro to nurture stronger Latino familias to live out their dreams, we want you to know more about Azteca Grill. Azteca is owned by Victor Apolonio and his family, who came to the US to expand their opportunities.
We asked Victor about his origins, his dreams, and his hopes for the Latino community that we both serve. Check out his response:
How did Azteca Grill begin in the community?
We came to the US from Mexico in 2000. My mother always had the magic of cooking. Back then, we decided to sell traditional homemade food driven by the dream of cooking for ourselves and for our Latino community.
We started with great enthusiasm. We rented the kitchen from the business next door – a small kitchen, but it had what we needed. Later we saw the place next door was free, and we decided to take it. From then until today, we serve traditional homemade Mexican food so our clients feel at home.
What attracted you to the El Futuro mission?
The first time I heard about El Futuro was from a client who was a patient at the clinic. I was impressed by all that they do for the Latino community. I decided to reach out and was fortunate to meet Luke and many other people who work there. My family has served as volunteers, and I feel that we are very close to them. I like the support they give to Latinos on mental health issues, and I want to be part of it.
Why is supporting Latino mental health important to you? And how does Azteca Grill support the cause?
Culturally we think that mental health is not important, but when you get here, you realize that it’s an essential issue and must be treated. Thanks to El Futuro, we can help more Latinos through the food we serve, so when there are events involving the community, we try to provide our dishes and be present for them.
What is Victor’s dream as a Latino living in the US with his business and family?
My dream and that of my family is to see our business grow and continue helping more Latinos to feel at home. The restaurant is a family business, we all work here, and it is our livelihood. Every day we wake up with the encouragement that our community knows us more for the food and not just for the name. It is simple! We don’t sell what we don’t eat at home. That is what sets us apart and what makes us feel close to other Latino clients.
Is there anything else you would like us to share with the community?
We cook by flavor and not by following a recipe! Our Latino community inspires us to continue helping and contributing with our dishes to improve the mental health of all those who need it.
To the entire community that still doesn’t know us, we want to say that in this restaurant, we offer the opportunity to feel at home again, a warm environment and above all with a lot of Latin flavor.
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD