Hi! My name is Erika Araujo and my business partner is Istra Avila.  We are two Mexican women dreaming to open a social business culinary project. When we talk about cooking, its flavors and aromas that emanate from it, we should also think about the recipes and history that made it possible.  In history, humanity has gone through migration and cultural exchanges that have created authentic and unique flavors. it's for that reason that food plays a pivotal role in the identity of nations around the world, and that is particularly meaningful for immigrants in Canada and everywhere. Istra and I are immigrants from Mexico. Istra is a financial analyst and I am a nurse and a professional chef. We are two women that after migrating to Canada never imagined that the culinary heritage of our mothers and grandmothers would lead us to the path of cooking and promoting Mexican gastronomy in Toronto. Each one of us was in different ways trying to create a place where traditions and flavors could bring a taste of the country that we left years ago and we still miss. It's this shared vision and passion for Mexican cuisine that brought us together to create Mixi Culinary Project. Mixi comes from the Nahuatl word Mixihui, which means "giving birth". We picked this name because we like to create and give birth to new ideas. In Mixi Culinary Project, our vision is to create a place that brings together women from different parts of life and give them the chance to work on their ideas and dreams by share recipes, flavors, anecdotes, and above all, allows them to create and work together in different projects. In order to achieve this, we are planning to open our new kitchen space to different groups of women that want to prepare their favorite dishes and share them with the public. This will help them to gain experience and generate an income, receive mentorship from a professional chef and promote their traditional food. Just like is the case of many projects, we are currently facing some difficulties and need your support in order to overcome some of the challenges that we are facing. When we signed the lease for our commercial space, this included some equipment and we were told by the landlord that all the equipment and features were in good condition and running well. However, a safety inspector that we hired found two major issues that are serious enough to jeopardize our opening day for safety reasons. The first problem that we have is that the electrical connection is a complete mess, making the space unsafe for commercial purposes and we need to hire an electrician to fix all these safety issues. Our second issue, it’s the exhaust system in the kitchen that is not working. We found out that it didn’t have the motor, which is very important because it helps to extract the smoke from the kitchen. The landlord refused to take the responsibility and cost of fixing these problems was pretty much that same as our budget to renovate the whole place. We are now stuck in the middle of a renovation process and going through different inspections, all that while still paying rent and despite not being able to open yet. Mixi Culinary Project has been our dream for a long time and now it is the right time to make this dream a reality and open our doors. Despite the size of our business, we are going to make a big difference because we are going to promote traditional Mexican food while empowering migrant women in Toronto by creating a space for them. Unfortunately, as we mentioned it before, getting to open our space has been a bit more challenging than expected and we ask for your help. We believe that dreams come true and in the good heart of people, your donations and efforts are sincerely appreciated and we can not wait to see you! In the upcoming weeks, we are having several events and fundraising activities to get the funding that we need to put our beautiful project back on track! Please help us to open the doors of our business and share with your friends and family! Follow us on MixiCulinary Project on Facebook, and Chef Erika Araujo/ Ixiim Toronto on Facebook and Instagram to check my previous work. Our  Mixi perks: $5 -$10     Our undying gratitude $20              10 % Off  and 2 Free cans of pop in your two first visits $30              Birthday membership.(one time only) Show us that is your birthday and you will eat and have a drink for free. $40               20% Off and 4 Free cans of pop  in your  two first  visits   $80             30% Off and 4 Free cans of pop  and one Guacamole Free in your  two first  visits Our " VIP Donor Appreciation Party" to thank our biggest sponsors with any donation of $100 and more $100   be part of our VIP thanks party where we will give a Free buffet dinner, music and a lot of fun. $150    if you want to come with a guest to our VIP thanks party where we will give a Free buffet dinner, music and a lot of fun. $250   You will enjoy of  a Private Mexican Dinner with Chef Erika Araujo in your home or at our place after we open it, with 3 menus of 4 courses options to choose for 4 guests( booking date and time directly with Chef Araujo and pick from her 3 menus, one menu for the 4 guests)   and you will be at our VIP Donor Appreciation Party with a guest as well. $300   Corporate Sponsor as a recognition of your support we will posting your company logo in all our publications for the next 6 months and of course be part of our VIP Donor Appreciation Party with one guest. Our Fundraising events: Our Mixitamaleluca Fundraising,  where we will sell tamales of all flavors and other exotic creations. (date and time will post very soon) but you can still pay for your food in advance. $10 dollars special sale (2 tamales and atole or 3 tamales to choose on our Tamale Fundraising. https://www.facebook.com/events/445332246004452/?ti=cl We are also launching a Mexi Rock Taco Party $3 dollars each taco.  ( date and time will post very soon)  If you buy 5 tacos ONE drink is FREE( one can or ONE cup of hibiscus water )