NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Priscilla Curiel is the owner of National City's Mujer Divina, a coffee shop that offers more than your typical tall mocha frappuccino. From churro lattes to Mexican coffee and even burritos — this place has a wide selection of coffees that makes Latinos reminisce about old family recipes.
Curiel was inspired by her Mexican roots.
She's from Tijuana and considers herself a “fronteriza” or border child who grew up going back and forth from Mexico to San Diego. However, Curiel said she sometimes felt that being labelled as a cross-cultural mix wasn’t always painted in a positive light in the early 90’s — especially with a broken immigration system.
She said one time she got in trouble in school in San Diego based solely off expressing herself in Spanish.
“I got suspended for speaking Spanish," she said. "It was like detention for a week just because I would think in Spanish and I had to say it in Spanish."
Since then, she’s pushed back on stereotypes and misconceptions about her culture. She has taken control of her Latina power and continues to share a little taste of the perfect blend of these two regions.
“It snapped one day since I love burritos," she said. "I decided to mix coffee with a Mexican specialty."
Curiel said as a growing Latina businesswoman, she is forced to work twice as hard as others in the industry — and she is. In a few months, she will open a taco shop in Chula Vista.
Mujer Divina is open every day 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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