New shop open for business in Mendota

By BRANDON LaCHANCE

Staff writer

MENDOTA – When you look into the ice cream cooler at La Esquinita De Oro Ice Cream Shop, you’ll see a flavor called “Ugly Ducky.”

The name partly came from the blue turning black and the ice cream not looking as colorful as predicted. The other part came from the customer the ice cream was made for as the Lactose Intolerant patron wanted ice cream but couldn’t enjoy any of the available options because they’re made with milk.

Once he saw it and loved the taste, he called bestowed the name everyone sees in the cooler.

This is just one example of Salvador and Leticia Hermosillo putting in the work for what they want to do, make people happy with ice cream.

“We started thinking about an ice cream shop four years ago. We wanted to make something, have our own business, and stop working for someone else,” Leticia Hermosillo said. “My family and his family, everyone has always had their own business and worked for themselves.

“We thought ice cream would be a good idea. I didn’t know how to make ice cream, but you can learn. You can always learn how to make something. If it doesn’t work, we can do something else.”

The new ice cream shop located at 1206 Sixth Ave. in Mendota was designed, built, and created with much more than the intent to provide sweet treats.

La Esquinita De Oro will be open year-round. Instead of having to wait for the summer months to enjoy ice cream, customers will be able to have a cold treat any month they wish.

The Hermosillos understand there are different health factors in terms of sugar quantities and others, so they are making sure to add ice cream any and all consumers can consume.

And the biggest, most important factor behind the shop is it’s about family.

“We needed to be together again. I don’t want to work and not be with the kids after school anymore,” said Leticia of the Hermosillo’s six children. “When I started to think of a business idea, I first thought about our family being together and running a family business.

“When you work out of the house, you have to leave your kids for so many hours. I didn’t want to do that anymore. Sometimes the kids don’t want to work. Sometimes the kids do want to work. But, we’re together.”

Salvador Hermosillo is from Mendota but moved to Chicago when he was eight.

While he was in the city, he met Leticia, and the couple decided to move to Mendota to be close to his family, which still lives in the town.

He might say, “I’m just a dishwasher,” but he is involved in all decisions and the manual labor as Salvador and Leticia work hand in hand.

“She started watching videos on YouTube and decided, ‘Hey, let’s try it out. We didn’t know anything about ice cream, but we watched more and more videos, and here we are,” Salvador Hermosillo said. “In Mendota, there isn’t much here for kids. We decided to offer something sweet. We’re in a great location and great parking.

“We’re figuring out ice cream, but we still have a long way to go.”

There are more plans in the works.

Since they want to keep it open year-round, the Hermosillos are thinking about adding coffee, hot chocolate, crepes, mini pancakes, and waffles to the menu.

Structurally, there are blueprints in the works for a deck and a car port to allow room for outside tables.

As the ideas boil and plans are put into action, Salvador and Leticia have had help from friends, family, and members of the community. Without someone always there to put together shelves, build something, pick out paint colors for the walls, or to wire the lights, they may not be as far along as they are.

Although work is involved, the Hermosillo family is together and with their friends.

Plus, there is always a minute or two for a break to try out the latest ice cream creation.