Boston Community / Boston Team / SPEL Stories

With La Cocina VROCC, Veronica Robles expands her center’s mission to empower Latine entrepreneurs

By hola | Published July 15, 2026 | No Comments

Before Veronica Robles started the Veronica Robles Cultural Center in East Boston, she was pursuing a career as a mariachi singer in Mexico City as a teen. 

Once she was older and moved to the United States, Robles eventually arrived in East Boston, discovering a large Latine population in need of its culture. “The children were a little lost,” she said. “I noticed that, and I started bringing programming where they could learn about who they are, where they’re coming from.”

That was more than a decade ago. Since then, the center she cofounded with her husband, Willy Lopez, has evolved into an organization with a full-time paid staff who serve 400 to 500 children a year as well as older community members. 

The center, also known as VROCC, recently established a new initiative called La Cocina VROCC, a culinary incubator in East Boston’s Jeffries Point neighborhood. Colorfully decorated with Latine handicrafts, it offers a space for participants in VROCC’s Cultural Entrepreneurship Program to cultivate cooking skills and sell their cuisine to the public.

With Eastie’s Latine community under threat from ICE enforcement and rising housing costs, which have forced out many residents in recent years, Robles said Latine cultural programming today is critically important. 

Robles shared with us VROCC’s vision for breaking down economic barriers facing Latine creatives while fostering stronger communities centered on love, mutual support and economic growth.

How has the organization evolved since it first began?

We started with the dancing and music and our classes for children. Then we started serving their families, giving them advice and resources because they wanted to open their own businesses.

In our home countries, we usually have a tiendita, a home business or a side gig, in la casa or we sell little things here and there. We started to create an area where we were serving these constituents that were asking for ways or information to open their own business, small business, arts and crafts, making handmade accessories and things like that. 

Then we started helping artists sell their work, be exposed to wider audiences and also get paid. Since I am an artist, I started teaching them how to do it. Where to go and how to get ready to get bookings and be more professional. They could be serious about their work as an artist. That component became a big piece of what we were doing; that’s when we expanded it.

We now have an area that is specific for them. We call it the Latino Cultural Entrepreneurship Program. What we do now is teach workshops throughout the year. Then, we help them sell or promote their services through our outlets. 

One more thing that we expanded is to produce events. Now, we curate and produce our own events that draw a lot of people. Thousands of people come. We also work with our partners to activate different spaces. People come to us to help to get to the community and to spread the message about what they’re doing. We also have a radio show that broadcasts throughout the state.

How did the ideas for the Latino Cultural Entrepreneurship Program and La Cocina VRCC come about?

Through the kitchen and the many ideas that we have explored is to do food pop-ups. From chefs that want to be part of the community to the entrepreneurs that are being part of the workshops, if they have an idea, they can try it here. They can put it out there for the community to try and see the impact of their business in the community. 

Because of the need for the kitchen with the permits, not only for us, but for the entrepreneurs, and then evolving to create a community. Because it’s not only about making business, but it’s about continuing to create community and continue to bring people together.” 

What are the plans for this program?

We’re exploring the opportunity to buy the building. I think it is important for us to have a place that is not too big, but is what we need … We really want to continue to do the work in the long term. If we don’t think long-term, we won’t be able to achieve what we want to achieve — which is to make sure that the kitchen is available for the community. Also, I think it is important when hard times come, and people don’t have enough to eat…Last year, we offered free lunch for people.

We are often pretty logical people, and it’s not like you have to be poor. No, things happen. Sometimes you don’t have anywhere to go. You may be outside trying to find that job, but you can’t, you don’t have money to buy food, you don’t eat. I think those are the things that I would like the kitchen to be able to help with. 

La Cocina is a place where people can come and create community, and when they need it, it’s here to help them.

What are your biggest concerns for the community right now?

Housing. Even if we have staff that we pay, we can’t pay enough for them to pay the rent. You know what I mean? It’s like we have a lot of work, but I don’t have a lot of money to pay them. 

I lose talent because I can’t afford to pay them. They go to other places like restaurants or cleaning jobs. I wish we could have more money to continue to pay what the artist or the arts administrator deserves; it’s complicated. So it’s complicated to balance out their lives with that. 

… If you don’t have a home or you cannot afford to pay the rent, you can’t do anything else. I think that’s the biggest challenge right now, not only for us but for everyone. 

What positive message would you want to share with the Latine immigrants going through challenging times at this moment? 

We have to stay calm … Once you are hit with that stress, you have to relax and see what is around you. What are the opportunities? Not “What is the problem?” We know there is a problem. Now, what are the opportunities? 

There is always an opportunity and a problem. Look around, be part of a community, join a group — whether it’s a sports group, or an arts group or a volunteer group.

You have to be part of something. If you volunteer and share your love and your work at some activity or initiative, people who you’re serving will give back to you when you need it. You have to give. You have to show up. Because when you need it, people will come to you. 

… Stay calm, stay firm, look for the opportunities, ask questions and go to your local elected officials. You don’t have to have papers. If you have, that’s good, but you don’t have to be documented. People will help you. Just go there and ask questions. Reach out to your local city councilor or your local representative. There is always a community group. Join the groups and be part of it.

As part of Eastie Weeks, Hola Cultura, VROCC and Eastie Farms invite you to join us for Gathering in the Greenhouse—Stories of East Boston with Veronica Robles, July 22 at 6:30 p.m.

– Story by Chabelli “Latina Bohemian” Hernandez

– Copy edited by Findlay Drabant and Valerie Izquierdo

Recent Stories