Content warning: Mention of rape/sexual assault
At Olla Olla Crepes, the crepes are as big in size as they are in flavor. With their signature, Mexican-style 14-inch crepes paired with a calendar overflowing with local events, the downtown Phoenix creperie has become a place where food, culture, and community flourish.
Located on Van Buren Street, the establishment offers a variety of dishes, including vegan options. From sweet ‘fresnana’ crepes served with horchata to savory huevos rancheros and ‘crepizza,’ Olla Olla combines aspects of Mexican cuisine with the French pastry in a refreshing twist.
The creperie first opened its brick-and-mortar doors over the summer of 2024. But Olla Olla’s journey took years, owner and founder Lyndelle Sanjuanero Puente explained.
In Sept. 2019, Puente received a crepe machine as a gift from her sister, saying that this is what initially spurred the idea to pursue the project. However, only a few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to put her business plans on hold. Those plans were prolonged even further when, in the following year, Puente was sexually assaulted.
Puente explains that she struggled with severe depression and isolation following the assault. Due to her declining mental health, she was forced to stop working.
“Originally, I wasn’t working anymore. I had stopped working for months since I had got raped in Oct. 2021,” said Puente in an interview. “And I just stopped doing everything. I didn’t tell anybody. Because I’ve always been like that, like ‘I’ll figure it out on my own.’”
After spending the remainder of her money, she then had to return to work, so Puente contacted a former coworker of hers before getting hired at a Walmart Warehouse.
However, after about two months, she still grappled with anxiety and issues with concentration, leading her to quit. But Puente had a game plan. After leaving Walmart, she reached out to a colleague she had met there to share her proposition.
“I was like, ‘Hey. It’s embarrassing. But can you loan me $100? I’m broke, and I want to sell crepes. And it’s gonna work out,’” she said. “And he didn’t hesitate. And I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh!’ He didn’t understand that those $100 were like the world to me. And so with $100, I was able to just get it all going.”
Puente used the $100 to begin selling crepes outside of her sister’s home near 53rd Ave and Camelback Road. She began building a loyal customer base but was forced to find a new location after receiving a letter from the city. This didn’t stop Puente, though. Luckily, her mother and sister had recently bought a building off of Van Buren Street, where she was able to relocate the business.
After years of hard work and even an opportunity to sell crepes all the way across the country to New York City, Puente secured a brick-and-mortar location for Olla Olla to call home. Puente says that one of her proudest moments as a business owner was actually obtaining the building.
“I used to be in shared spaces the whole time. Before, it was shared because my parents had their iron business, and then my mom had her immigration business. And then I was just selling crepes,” she said. “And now here, it’s just us, our own designated spot. That’s when our shows started getting bigger because everybody knew now. They’re like, ‘Oh, we know where to go now.’”
Olla Olla has been heavily involved in hosting local events, especially live music and performances. The creperie has had numerous different concerts and benefit shows and has increasingly become a staple venue for local artists.
“It’s a great place. It was very sick, very DIY,” said musician Victor Clark in an interview. Clark is the vocalist and bassist of the local band Baller, who recently played their first show at Olla Olla Crepes.
The laid-back and welcoming atmosphere combined with the well-lit and ample performance space is especially popular amongst more underground genres and acts in the Valley.
“It’s definitely gotten a name for having shows here,” said another local musician, Chris Cheng, in an interview.
Puente explained that while initially Olla Olla was just planned to be a creperie, she was delighted that it had also evolved into a community event space and venue. As Olla Olla caters to not only its customers but also vendors, artists, and musicians, it provides a place where community members can be exposed to different cultures that they may not be a part of. She says witnessing this support for other cultures and art forms has been heartwarming to witness.
“That’s what I like the most; that even though it’s happening by accident, we’re really building bridges here and community because I know a lot of Latinos aren’t used to this music,” said Puente. “And so for them to sit and watch you guys, it makes me really happy.”
Edited by Shi Bradley
