La Poblanita re-opens 3 months after food truck stolen

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- After their source of livelihood was stolen from them in the middle of the night, one family is back cooking up Mexican cuisine for the people of central Ohio.  

And while it's always exciting when La Poblanita re-opens their windows in the spring, this year means a little more. 

"It took a lot longer than we expected," says Chris Soriano. "A lot of things are on backorder, and it just took a lot longer to get a lot of things that we needed because we had nothing left in there." 

After three long months, Soriano and his brothers and their mother Marcelina are officially back in business. 

"The community really came together. We owe them a lot, to be honest," Soriano admits. 

Marcelina has been cooking for as long as Soriano and his brothers can remember. 

La Poblanita has been a staple for many in central Ohio for nearly 10 years, but back in December the food truck was stolen from its home on Indianola Ave. 

"I kind of had to see it for myself. So, once we came and saw that it was really gone, that's when it really hit," Soriano recalls. 

The community was there to support the Soriano's from the start. 

Donations not only helped pay for the food truck's tow after it was taken, but it also helped them re-build all that was stolen. 

"Thankfully, we had the GoFundMe set up. That helped a lot with the cost of sourcing all this stuff. But wage wise, it was tough," reveals Soriano. 

The community raised nearly $80,000 to help keep the Soriano's on their feet.  

It just means a lot that they really care about us and wanted us back that much," says Soriano. 

For the Soriano's, every dollar was a piece of hope when they needed it most. 

"Expecting a lot of customers. I hope so. They were telling us on Instagram that they were coming out in groups. So, we'll be waiting," Soriano smiles. 

La Poblanita is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.