Westlake's Doña Bibi's Restaurant scales back Honduran dish festival amid immigration concerns
WESTLAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- After growing an annual festival celebrating a staple Honduran dish, a SoCal restaurant has decided to scale back amid fears over the Trump administration's immigration actions.
The kitchen at Doña Bibi's Restaurant in Westlake was bustling on Memorial Day.
"We've been serving Honduran food since 1997," said co-owner Sara Mena.
The restaurant is beloved and known for its "baleada," a staple Honduran dish. The baleada features a hand-made folded flour tortilla with beans, Honduran cream and cheese inside.
"You can put meat, chicken, avocado, eggs, anything you want," said Mena.
When the current owners bought the restaurant from its previous owners, they decided to grow their baleada celebration. Mena explained that, like in Honduras, it takes place in June.
"We normally have traditional games outside in the parking lot. With the festival, we have a lot of music that celebrates our culture and, of course, a lot of different food," she said.
But this year, they decided to scale back.
"Based on all the different social issues, immigration issues going on, we want our staff, our customers, our community to feel safe," Mena explained. "We're trying to avoid people to perhaps maybe see any police presence that will make them feel uncomfortable."
The decision addresses immigration concerns in the community, which have been heightened under the Trump administration.
"One of the things that we actually as a restaurant did at the beginning, we were giving our customers the red cards here," said Mena.
The cards outline an individual's constitutional rights. After careful thought, Mena said it didn't feel appropriate to host a big festival. Instead, they're planning a more intimate celebration inside.
"We understand what our people and our community is going through," she said.
The Baleada Day celebration will now take place on Sunday, June 8, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Doña Bibi's Restaurant.
