Minnesota Governor Tim Walz visited Sol Azteca on Dec. 6 in St Cloud. The governor was received by the Loredo family, who have spearheaded the transformation of a long-vacant KFC into a vibrant Mexican restaurant, and members of the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC), which provided financial and technical assistance for the restaurant.
While at the restaurant, Governor Walz emphasized the importance of attracting immigrants to Minnesota. “[Immigrants] come here, buy houses, pay taxes. I don’t know why some think that’s not a good thing,” the governor said.
“We couldn’t have done this without help from LEDC,” said Ubaldo Loredo, principal owner of Sol Azteca. “This has been a challenging, expensive project – we’ve spent nearly $100,000 in building this restaurant,” he said, “and we’re going to create 12 jobs.”
LEDC Executive Director Henry Jiménez was also on hand. “Access to capital is so important to our community,” he said. “I’m proud we have been able to partner on a project like this.”
Sol Azteca specializes in traditional homemade Mexican cuisine. “We offer authentic Mexican cuisine, not Tex-Mex,” Loredo said. The dining area of is bright, airy and full of Mexican art. Visitors will notice the ornate Aztec sun in the entrance and other sun-related décor. All the tables, chairs and booths were custom made in Mexico.
The house specialty is the Dos Amigos dish, which combines grilled steak with bacon-wrapped shrimp on a bed of sauteed mushrooms, bell peppers and onions and is served with guacamole and pico de gallo.
Sol Azteca is set to open to the public by the end of 2023 and is located at 625 Highway 10 South in St Cloud.
