Dora Herrera ’80, who moved from Yucatán, Mexico, to Belize to Los Angeles as a child, chose a college as far from home as possible. “Three thousand miles was perfect,” says Herrera, who says Brown was her “Don’t Say No” era. “I was game to try anything interesting that came my way.”
She took African drumming classes and played on four sports teams, never having participated in organized sports. “Before hockey try-outs, I told the coach I had one problem—I didn’t skate,” Herrera chuckles. Four years later, she was named player of the year.
To help pay for Brown, Dora’s mother, Socorro, started Yuca’s restaurant in the Los Feliz neighborhood of L.A.—serving Yucatán fare from an 8 by 10 foot former shoeshine shack. At first they’d wave cars over and offer them double their money back if they didn’t like the food. “We felt like we had to educate everyone on what true Mexican food was—as opposed to just five pounds of cheese on top of the lettuce,” Dora told Pasadena Magazine last fall. Soon an article appeared in the L.A. Times and Yuca’s took off.
After graduation, Herrera, who had vowed never to work as a cook, returned home to join Yuca’s, thinking it was temporary. She’s still there, 45 years later, serving up Mama’s beloved traditional recipes for soft tacos and burritos: cochinita pibil, carnitas, carne asada. And she’s kept Yuca’s unassuming vibe, even as locals have been joined by foodies and Hollywood stars like Cameron Diaz and Kristen Stewart.
Over the years, Dora—nicknamed “the mayor” of Los Feliz—has helped launch a business improvement district, a neighborhood advisory council, and an organization to steward a nearby 4,000-acre urban wilderness. She’s been part of programs for entrepreneurs. “I’m always interested in learning how to better run Yuca’s and love helping other small business owners thrive,” she says.
Keeping up her athletics, Dora played on travel soccer teams for 20 years and ran two marathons for AIDS.
In 2005, Yuca’s earned a James Beard Award for both its cochinita pibil and its community involvement. “Mama’s dream blossomed into a community gathering place and destination for foodies,” says Dora. “People started calling us Chefs Dora and Mama.” Oprah has called Yuca’s “the best burrito, evah!”
Yuca’s cooked for first responders during the pandemic and served 2,000 VIPs at 2021’s Super Bowl. “We rocked it,” exclaims Dora.
In 2017, she launched a second Yuca’s in Pasadena. Dora is currently planning for the retail launch of Yuca’s salsas, drafting Yuca’s Recipes for Success cookbook, and launching a Latina Hiking Club. “New opportunities, bring them on!”
