[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]eet Gabriela “Gabby” Lázaro, the woman being dubbed “The Queen of Tamales” in Downtown Los Angeles. Her journey from dishwasher to street vendor began after the pandemic forced her job to cut back on staff.
Like other businesses, the cocktail bar The Wolves had to shut down and close their doors due to COVID-19. In April, co-owner of the bar, Isaac Mejia was forced to make the tough decision of laying off staff with Lázaro being one of them.
“We had to lay off a lot of our employees which is roughly around 23 to 24 people and that was tough and hard on everyone, we downsized and closed for a while,” said Mejia.
Shortly after being laid off Lázaro tried applying to other jobs but had no luck.
Before the pandemic, she would make extra cash by cleaning houses and had two houses that she would always go to. But like other housekeepers during this time, she was told not to come in anymore. So, with no job in sight, she turned to what she knew best, food.