FORT WORTH, Texas — Pay a visit to Belenty’s Love restaurant in Fort Worth and you’re paying a visit to Mexico. At least, owner Belen Hernandez hopes her food will take you there.
“Yes, it’s very important because it’s my culture here,” Hernandez said.
Born in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Belen says her food is so authentic, customers often forget they’re eating in Fort Worth and often forget they’re eating vegan.
Hernandez has put together an entire menu of traditional Mexican dishes without meat.
“But it’s the same flavors,” she said. “The same ingredients, the same flavors, the same love.”
Hernandez says a lot of people make assumptions about vegan food. She wants to change them, while keeping her Mexican heritage the same.
She says it helps that a lot of Mexican food is already vegan.
“We eat beans, rice, lentils,” she said. “All of that is vegan.”
Many times, even the most macho meat-eaters can’t tell a difference.
“One time, a husband got mad because the wife lied to him and he was like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me it was vegan?’” Hernandez said. “Well, he ate it and he liked it.”
Hernandez used to have a typical Mexican restaurant in Granbury that served meat.
One day, however, her son said he wanted to be vegan and she decided it’d be good to do it with him. Soon after, she switched the restaurant’s menu to vegan and it became so popular, they made the move to Fort Worth.
Since coming to Cowtown, Hernandez says the response has been overwhelmingly positive. So much so, she and her husband just recently opened a vegan Italian restaurant next door called Vida.
Today, the whole family is on board. A family which now includes her community.
For Hernandez, it’s not just a restaurant. It’s a chance for others to get a taste of her culture and the heart behind it.
“Because it’s what we need,” she said. “That means love. Love is everything. If you have love in your heart, you’re open to everything.”
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