How a Phoenix chef turned tragedy into community at her crepe shop

When Lyndelle Sanjuanero Puente was just 30 days old, her parents moved their family from San Diego to Phoenix to look for more work opportunities.

“My parents, being entrepreneurs, loaded the car with clay pots, sculptures and other Mexican art. There wasn't enough room. My older sister Joy actually traveled the whole way to Phoenix inside a clay pot,” Puente says.

When they reached the Valley, the family, including Puente's parents, grandmother, aunt and sister, went to swap meets, slept in hotels, went to Denny’s to order just water and were not used to the heat at all. Two months later, they found a brick-and-mortar store on 21st Avenue and Camelback Road. All six family members lived in the back of the furniture store for two years to save money for a house.

“My parents made it a point that we knew our family," Puente says, recalling the family's trips to Tijuana three or four times each year.

"Having been exposed at such a young age to the realities of poverty in Mexico and in the USA, my parents continued to remind me to get an education, be the best in my field, get ready to work long hours and (that) family will always be there for you,” Puente says.

So she strove for a college education. Puente graduated high school early in 2015, went to community college, and transferred to Arizona State University as a junior. But by her senior year, she had enough.

“I had burned out mentally and dropped out of ASU my senior year. I simply didn’t see my passion for having my own business appreciated in the corporate America industry through business school,” she says.

In the spring of 2019, she decided to go back to community college to attain a paralegal certificate. She discovered an event called “The Big Pitch” for startups or anyone with an idea to start a business. 

“I applied and was selected to represent Phoenix College,” she says.

Through the event, she launched 2nd Freedom LLC, an organization that helps rehabilitate those who have been incarcerated through education, training and work opportunities for themselves and their families. Puente's sister Joy is co-owner of 2nd Freedom and bought Puente her first crepe machine.

Dreams put on pause

In March 2020, the global pandemic put a pause on Puente's entrepreneurial dreams. Her spirit was further crushed when she was sexually assaulted the following fall.

“I was raped on October 24, 2021 around 4 a.m.,” Puente says.

After this traumatic experience, Puente says she isolated herself and fell into a deep depression. She spent her savings, maxed out credit cards and stopped working because she struggled to be in public. Around a year later, Puente says it felt like she finally woke up.

“So I sat up and was like 'What is it I like to do in life?' I don’t want to work for people anymore,” she says.

Knowing she enjoyed making food for others, she decided to pursue a passion rather than a career. She asked a friend to lend her $100 to start a crepe business that would pop up outside her sister's house.

"My canopy broke and I was not prepared for the vendor life, (I) got heat exhausted and threw up. But I stuck it out for a good six hours and made three sales and was so happy about it. Next day, 13 of them. Third day, I sold out and made enough to pay him back,” she says.

Building community and giving back at Olla Olla

Olla Olla Crepes officially launched in June 2022, and since then, has gone from being a pop-up tent, table, machine and generator to a brick-and-mortar store. Puente moved around to several locations first before finding her dream space. She and her team now serve crepes and host community events on the corner of 18th Avenue and Van Buren Street.

Originally she wanted to name the business Cafe de Olla after the traditional Mexican coffee drink. Her sister Joy helped brainstorm and Olla Olla was born.

"It was catchy. I was hesitant but absolutely love that we have a Spanish business name," Puente says.

The creperie opened on Van Buren Street on June 21 this year. Olla Olla has hosted events that are free for vendors to participate in, as Puente remembers the struggle to sell.

“Now we all have a place to come, be comfortable and create and not worry about moving, generator, gas or getting kicked out because X, Y, Z doesn’t want you there," she says.

Puente is married now and she and her husband Jose Puente run the shop with a “good team of five,” she says. More than a creperie, they also focus on community and collaboration. Right now, there are three local vendors inside the store. Olla Olla Crepes also hosts workshops such as paint and sips, cake decorating classes, earring-making classes, night markets, art shows and live music performances.

“We’re always trying to give back to those in need and not thought of enough,” she says. “We target people in rehab, who struggle with alcohol and addictions. We fundraise clothes, food and cater crepes. We try to do that at least once a month. On Van Buren, there’s a lot of addiction, so we make it a pillar. We’re trying to change the neighborhood too.”

With a spacious parking lot and a helpful landlord, the team plans to continue hosting events that bring life to the area.

“Come hang out in our parking lot,” Puente urges. “We’ve had 350 people show up and everyone was having a good time. People were sitting on the floor but everyone was having a good time.”

What's on the menu at Olla Olla?

Along with growing its roster of events, Olla Olla is also expanding its food offerings.

Some delights are savory pizza crepes, build-your-own brunch crepes, lattes, shakes and five flavors of horchata. Vegan options are also available. The Classic French crepe, filled with chocolate and sliced banana and strawberries, and a crepe with a slice of choco flan cake inside were the initial top sellers, Puente says. And the crepes are getting known for their massive size.

“In India they make crepes that big, in New York they put slices of cake on their crepe and in Chicago they are crazy with their flavors,” Puente says, explaining her inspiration.

All of the above can be ordered on Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash and Puente is working on a website. But in the meantime, social media reigns supreme. A prominent local influencer has been crucial to Puente's success, she says.

“Señor Foodie (Bryan Soto) and I went to school together. I kept tagging him for six months in Instagram posts, then he ended up posting. (In) less than 24 hours, I was overwhelmed with the amount of work I got because of his one post," she says. "Everything started to click."

The team goes viral regularly on TikTok now on their own account and has gained a substantial following. Puente hopes one day, to manufacture frozen crepes to sell in grocery stores. In the immediate future, she plans to continue growing her business, fueling her passion and welcoming the community.

Olla Olla Crepes

1748 W. Van Buren St.

If you or a loved one has experienced sexual assault, resources are available through rainn.org or by calling the 24/7 hotline at 1-800-656-4673.