A photo of Irene Flores sits on the counter Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at Vero’s Kravingz, Hermiston, during a fundraiser for her funeral expenses.

HERMISTON — Veronica Flores opened her new restaurant Vero’s Kravingz, and soon after closed it for about a week when tragedy hit her family.

Her mother-in-law, Irene Flores Jr., died.

Veronica Flores reopened Saturday, Feb. 12, and immediately hosted a fundraiser to bring in cash for funeral expenses and a burial in Toppenish, Washington. There was a jar for donations and raffle items for a drawing.

A large photo of her mother-in-law was on a stand next to the cash register.

Chacha Flores, Veronica Flores’ wife, was at the register for the reopening. It was Chacha’s mother who died.

“My mom was wonderful,” she said.

Rudy Flores, Chacha Flores’ uncle and Irene Flores’ brother, also expressed his sadness over the death. His sister, he said, was a special woman.

“Irene was a fun-loving person,” he said. “She always brought everyone’s spirits up. If you had a problem, you could talk to her. She could bring you out of a slump.”

His sister always was ready to laugh.

“You could call her with a sad moment, and she’d turn it around and make it a joking moment,” he said.

She also “was really good,” he added, “about reminding you of God and that God’s there for us.”

The family, Rudy Flores said, has had a string of deaths recently. COVID-19 caused the deaths of cousins and other family members, he said. Irene Flores had the disease, but he attributed her death to a busted vein.

“She was a big part of our lives,” Veronica Flores said. “She was always with us.”

The restaurant owner credited her mother-in-law for being one of the people who encouraged her to open Vero’s Kravingz. Irene Flores even created a food, her special enchiladas, which soon will appear on the menu, Veronica Flores said.

Chacha said the enchiladas have been passed down through generations, which make them special in her family.

“Everybody makes enchiladas. They all taste good,” she said. “They all have their own flavors. My grandma and my mom have this unique recipe that they’d make all the time, and everybody in the family loves them.”

The restaurant plans to put the dish on the menu as “Mama Irene’s Enchiladas,” though the owner said she would have to work on the recipe first. As with many home cooks, she said, her mother-in-law did not use standard measurements. Rather, ingredients were measured in “pinches” and “handfuls.”

“Mom’s not here, so we’ve got to perfect it before we let anybody try it,” Chacha Flores said of her mother’s enchiladas.

Compounding the loss of Irene Flores, they said, was that she never was able to visit the restaurant.

Making a dream a reality

Vero’s Kravingz is at 1725 N. First St., Hermiston. It occupies the space the Delish Bistro once operated in.

Veronica Flores, 24, said opening the establishment, her first restaurant, is a life-long dream.

“I’ve always wanted to open a restaurant, even when I was a kid,” she said.

Previous to opening Vero’s Kravingz, she was a night manager at a local McDonald’s. This job, she said, did not suit her. She enjoyed the customers but had conflicts with other management. She said she quit and planned to operate her own business, where she would be responsible for decisions.

Later, she said, she began making food and selling it in her home. She did this until she discovered it was illegal. Then, she made plans to open the restaurant.

Vero’s Kravingz sells mulitas, birria pizza, birria quesadilla, tacos and more. Birria is traditionally made with goat, but Vero’s Kravingz makes it in a modern style with beef instead. Veronica Flores said she learned about it on TikTok, before researching it and making it herself.

She opened Vero’s Kravingz on Jan. 15, and she said business has been good.

“We’ve been busy,” she said.

She added that her restaurant sold all of its food almost every day in the first week. After having this early success, she decided to open for breakfast, serving food such as biscuits and gravy.

She measures her success in more than sales, however, she said. She has family and friends working alongside her, and this has been an enjoyable part of her success, she said.

Looking at the success of Delish Bistro, which is the previous occupant of her restaurant’s space, Veronica Flores said she hopes she can do likewise. She said she wants to grow her business and eventually move into a location with seating.