By Crystal Harrell
As Valentine’s Day draws near, you and your sweetheart might be looking for a way to spend the love-filled holiday. The Indio Food Park is having its grand opening on Valentine’s Day weekend, starting on Friday the 12th through Sunday the14th. After opening weekend, The Indio Food Park will be open every Friday through Sunday for the rest of the year.
The Indio Food Park is a small business incubator that helps new and existing businesses to build their company and expand their reach. It’s also a place where entrepreneurs share a collaborative work environment that includes mentoring and networking. The Indio Food Park hosts various food vendors including pop-ups, carts, and food trucks. Inside the Park, they carry ceviche, shrimp cocktails, and a variety of hand crafted Aguas Frescas.
There is also a unique Bar At Indio Food Park where you can create your own Chavela by choosing one of the many local Chavela mixes, pick your own beer of choice, and select from various toppings. The Indio Food Park is home to different local vendors located inside the restaurant as well as in the beer garden. Even though this Friday marks opening weekend, The Indio Food Park has been known for putting on several innovative events around the
Coachella Valley, such as The Coachella Food Truck Park, Foodie Fridays at the Indio Grand Marketplace, as well as the being the first people to bring food trucks to Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella. They have also participated in events such as STREET by Flat Black Shop.
Erick Becerril, owner of The Indio Food Bank, decided to create this small business so that vendors would not have to rely on just special events, which are difficult to come by during the pandemic. The Indio Food Bank is a permanent home for new and existing small businesses in the Coachella Valley.
“My fiancé, Irene Piñon, is a local attorney that works in immigration and workplace law and has a passion to help people in the Coachella Valley. Her expertise and support coupled with my background in Public Administration helped us become the voice of many people seeking information as to how to build their business. We built this location out of the love and support we have for our community,” explained Becerril.
“The Coachella Valley is home to the most entrepreneurial people in California. Our small business networking group consists of thousands of businesses that all work together to support one another. This small business incubator has been long overdue and thanks to the support of the City of Indio Council and staff, we have a home.”
The safety precautions being taken during the pandemic for The Indio Food Park include sanitizer stations, needing mandatory face masks to enter, having employees screened daily, social distancing, and only outdoor eating as mandated by the Riverside County Public Health Department.
The opening weekend of The Indio Food Park aims to continue to give hope and support to people of all ages that their vision can come to fruition. Becerril and his team look forward to seeing new businesses find avenues to brand their company and sell their products. Attendees of the event can expect to see performances by local talents such as Pepe Prays, Mills, DJ AD, Manada, OBLUE, and Mystic, among many others.
Most loyal customers know The Indio Food Park as CV Food Trucks, as they have built the company around helping street vendors become legalized. They have expanded their resources to help merchandisers, artists, and musicians, as well as find ways to incorporate their talents to help one another.
“We look forward to supporting all our local talented friends. This Valley is the most under-rated place for art, music, and food. We are here to help keep the Coachella Valley on the map,” stated Becerril.
The following are some of the vendors that will be at The Indio Food Park at different times throughout the week. Not all of the vendors will be present each weekend: Amigos, Angry Emu Sauce, Big Wheel Books, Blackbelt Spices, Bread Song Bakehouse, California Dreaming Candle Co, Ciros Indio, Coachella Valley CARE, Crafts Made Unique, Croux & Co, Eat Seedy, Emmy’s Vegan Sweets, Experimental Concepts, Ferny’s Mix, Flat Black Shop, Fit Daisy, Fresh Out the Basket, Gleam Coffee Roasting, Gllamex, Hawkins Burgers on Wheels, Heavenly Confections, Kali Churros, Kuma Catering, Lala’s Waffles, Crepes & Shakes, Leopard Spot Design, Living Prodigy, Luigis, Slush Life, May God Prevail, Maya Ali & Co, Michelada Love, Milu Handcrafted, Mix 38, Nessa’s Scrubs, Nick’s Pizza, No Bad Nomad, Pearson Cajun Food, Roomfetti, SA Floral Designs & Photobooth, Scoops & Sweets, Snacks on the Go, Sundaze Best Apparel, Tacos El Cisne, Tacos El Javi, The Best Cookie PS, The Clay Aesthetic, The Desert Patisserie, The Great Design Studio, The Groovy Charcuterie, The Melbourne Boutique, Unique Just Like You, Warm N Fluffy, and Yllianna La De Las Quesabirrias
“I would like to personally thank my fiancé Irene Piñon for all her hard
work in helping build this amazing business all while becoming a licensed
attorney for the State of California. I would also like to thank my brother
Jonathan Becerril for all his work in designing and building the park,” said Becerril.
In addition to Becerril’s acknowledgements, The Indio Food Park would like to thank the following people for all of their help and support: The Becerril Family; The Piñon Family; all of the volunteers; City of Indio City Manager, Mark Scott; Assistant City Manager, Scott Trujillo; Economic Development Director, Carl Morgan; Marketing Director, Brooke Beare; Projects Specialist, Karen Hawksworth; Community Development Director, Kevin Snyder; City of Indio Councilmembers, Mayor Elaine Holmes, Mayor Pro Tem Waymond
Fermon, Glenn Miller, Oscar Ortiz, and Lupe Ramos Amith; City of Indio Building & Safety Staff; Planning Department Staff; Finance Department Staff; City of Indio Fire Department; Blue and Cathleen from Gap Signs; Angel & Alex Chavez from The Indio Podcast Center; DJ AD Carlos Acevado; HEAT; Coachella Valley C.A.R.E.; Pete from Flat Black Shop; The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce; Diana Soto; Blue Hills Studio; OC Tile; and last but not least the sponsors, Max Built Customs,
Martinez Brothers Landscape, Royal Quality Landscaping, Pipeline
Insurance. Becerril would also like to thank the SBDC and SBA for all their
hard work in helping small businesses.
For more information about The Indio Food Park, visit www.indiofoodpark.com or email eat@indiofoodpark.com.
