By The Big Magazine Staff
Iconic founder of Yuca’s Hut in Los Feliz, Socorro Herrera, died on Dec. 23,2024, her family announced via Instagram.
A memorial service is planned to honor "Mama YUCA'S Herrera" for 1 p.m. on Jan. 25.
At 89, Herrera dedicated 48 years to creating delicious tacos, burritos, tamales, and cheeseburgers, which earned her a prestigious James Beard Award in the America's Classics category.
Yuca's is a staple in LA, cherished by residents for its genuine, straightforward, and incredibly tasty tacos, burritos, and tortas. With two spots in Los Feliz and Pasadena, this family-owned treasure has been delivering robust flavors and generous servings since 1976.
The restaurant’s website notes, Herrera “didn’t have an elaborate plan in sight” when she opened the restaurant on April 1, 1976. Instead, she had “only the dream and need to share the delicious flavors of her Yucatán and bring a little piece of her home to Los Angeles.”
Socorro first saw the 8-by-10-foot space — originally a shoeshine booth — in 1976, it was “enough for me,” she recalls in a Los Angeles Times interview.
The stand started out by selling hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, falafel and steak sandwiches — remnants from the menu of their predecessor, a Middle Eastern joint. Eventually, the menu items changed to reflect Socorro’s Yucatecan roots.
Socorro "Mama YUCA'S" Herrera will surely be missed by Angelenos and the Yuca's Hut legacy lives on with her daughter Dora Herrera and Margarita Herrera. Find Yuca’s “The Hut” at 2056 Hillhurst Avenue, Los Angeles, 90027 and Yuca's Pasadena at 1075 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena.
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