One of the City's Best Food Trucks Launches Brick-and-Mortar, Adds New Cafe

For many food truck owners, the ultimate goal is to transition from the road to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. In Denver, a growing number of food trucks have successfully made the leap in recent years including Kikés Red Tacoswhich found its permanent home in 2023 after three years in the mobile food business; and Mama Jo's Biscuits and BBQ, which is set to open soon in the former Steve's Snappin' Dogs.

Now, our 2023 Best of Denver pick for Best Food Truck/Cart is moving into a brick-and-mortar of its own.

On Sunday, February 2, Maz will officially debut at the Assembly Student Living, a student housing community at 3900 Elati Street. The festivities will kick off at 1 p.m. with a blessing and a performance by an Aztec dance group. From 2 to 4 p.m., there will be a DJ and specials on food and drinks. The event also marks the debut of a new venture from Maíz owner Maria Rangel: Good Vibes Cafe.

Before launching Maíz in 2021, Rangel spent more than eight years working in the EMS field. Burned out and searching for a new path, she found inspiration in gorditas, a dish she had never tried until her mother-in-law introduced her to the deep-fried version popular in Chihuahua, Mexico. "The first time I took a bite, I was in love," she recalls.

With encouragement from her father, Rangel took a leap of faith: she cashed out her 401(k) and enrolled in a business course at the Mi Casa Resource Center. But getting Maíz on the road was no easy feat. Securing a food truck took a year-long battle against a fraudulent fabricator, and once she was operational, Rangel had to quickly master the complexities of running a food business.

But four years in, she's excited to take the next step. "I came here for the students' move-in day. They just had me come out to serve the families and kids moving in. I met the general manager of the building and that's kind of how my contact started with this place," Rangel recalls.

At the time, another food truck, Vegan Van, had been operating out of the Assembly's dining hall. "I was following [Vegan Van] and they had posted that they were moving out of the Assembly so I reached out .... and they scheduled me to come take a tour with the general manager."

That tour led to an avalanche of ideas. "This kitchen is massive, and I just saw so much opportunity here," Rangel says. "The ideas started sparking, I could open a coffee shop, I could do so much. I mean, the possibilities are endless. ... We also have a bakery in the back so we're making our own masa — fresh masa right here, has been like a dream of mine, and now we have the space to do that."
Flooded with excitement after the tour, she submitted a proposal and discussions with ownership soon followed. After closing out her food truck events for the 2024 calendar year, Rangel took over the lease on January 1.

This new venture isn't just about expanding Maíz, it's about creating a community hub. Deeply passionate about empowering her community, Rangel collaborated with local artists to help transform the space. "I had an artist, Moe Gram, come out and paint her murals on the wall," she says.

Her commitment to supporting local talent extends to branding as well. "I worked with all women, women of color. The person who designed the logo for Good Vibes Cafe is Selecta C. She's a DJ in the community and also works with URBN brands," Rangel adds.

Having worked tirelessly over the past couple of months to create her own space, Rangel is excited for the grand opening on Sunday. "My main goal is to get us up and running smoothly. For now, we'll serve all of our usual entrees — the gorditas with six different fillings, our crunchy tacos and tostadas, and fresh agua frescas will always be served. I plan on incorporating our masa and the nixtamal process, that's probably the next phase. Then we can do tamales, we can do flautas and enchiladas. I plan to take it all the way," Rangel says. Additional Maíz offerings will include breakfast burritos, bowls and sandwiches.

Good Vibes Cafe will cater to a different palate. "We will serve hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders and fries. My main goal is to make food accessible to everybody again. It's gotten so crazy and I just want to make food accessible. I'm hoping to just start making a change in things, like offering American comfort food, Italian foods. Good Vibes Cafe will be a whole plethora of things."

While she's excited, Rangel is also candid about the challenges of this new venture. "Starting another business while actually opening a brick-and-mortar is terrifying," she admits. "I mean, I invested in an espresso machine. I feel like Maíz is locked down, that's easy for me, it's muscle memory. ... But incorporating this other business is something I really don't know much about. So, I'm really looking to the students who have a lot of experience and getting them on board."

She continues, "It's scary, especially in this economy. I feel like all the restaurants in Denver are closing. The cost of the minimum wage has gone up, and it's just a lot."

Still, she's staying focused. "I'm trying to block all of that out and just focus on celebrating this amazing accomplishment and making it successful," Rangel concludes.

Maíz and Good Vibes Cafe are located at 3900 Elati Street and will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday starting February 2. For more information, follow @maizdenver on Instagram.