Sabor del Barrio: An article series exploring the Latino food scene in the East Bay ---
There isn’t much that’s changed at La Mexicana since the restaurant’s beginnings in 1932. The tables are key lime, the vinyl booths dull brown, and a framed portrait of the Kennedy brothers hangs over the cashier at this modest eatery on Oakland’s International Blvd. “I’ve ordered the same chorizo enchilada and rice and beans for forty years,” said diner Tom Borst of Oakland. “Although when I was younger I had three tortillas and a chile relleno on the side too.”
Our community has lost a true role model. Terry Alderete passed away on March 21. She was too modest to think of herself as a role model, but that is how I and many people saw her.
In business, Terry was a marketer, an event planner, the driving force behind big community events such as Oakland’s Cinco de Mayo festival. She was a connecter, a volunteer, an achiever - she wanted to see things happen for other people and for the community.
