Alexa Cordova used to crave Mexican street corn with ramen every night, so she started making it, set up a cart outside her Tucson home and had a line on the first day.

Cordova’s business, Maíz & Más, has now grown to two food trucks. The first is located at 4560 W. Valencia Road, next to Family Dollar, and the second opened in September on South Nogales Highway, right next to Carnitas El Michoacano.

The trucks serve a unique combination of Mexican street corn and Buldak ramen that Cordova cooked up on her own, bringing a longtime craving to life.

“It’s going to sound crazy, but I used to crave this like every night, and I used to tell my husband, ‘If I’m addicted to this, I feel like I can make this for other people and they will like it too,’” Cordova said.

Born and raised in Tucson, Cordova said she was inspired to start a business that would help support her family while allowing her to create something she loves.

Maíz & Más’ menu includes regular Buldak ramen bowls and her Maizuchan, the recipe she created with Maruchan noodles and corn. There are also fresas con crema, Mexican strawberries and cream that come with different toppings such as cheesecake, Biscoff, Bubu Lubu and Gancito.

She also plans to add paletas de nieve, or ice cream popsicles, and ornate fruit tarts to the menu.

Growing up, Cordova remembers making tamales with her family and learning from her grandma how to prepare corn. Starting from scratch, she would test her ideas and practice making corn in a cup at home before adding her own twist to the recipe.

“We started from a little cart like a hot dog stand, and we would get lines from the first day,” Cordova said. “I used to set up the small cart outside and just put my address (online) and people would come.”

Quickly realizing her idea was a good one, Cordova got to work finding a more permanent spot and purchasing a food truck, moving her business out of her front yard and to the streets of Tucson.

When they first started out, it would take Cordova and her husband, Leo, five hours to dehusk the corn and cut the corn off the cob, but now she has a team of workers who help get the job done.

The business is now her family’s only source of income.

It’s been a year since she launched her business last fall, and Cordova has seen an increase in her followers during that time.

Once, a customer came all the way down from Phoenix just to try her food after a video went viral on TikTok.

“There have been times where we’ve had like a 1 hour wait in line,” Cordova said. “Of course some people think ‘There’s a line for corn,’ but that just shows the support we’ve found.”

Becoming a small business owner has come with other responsibilities. Cordova used to be nervous about putting herself in front of others and did not expect so many people to find her truck online. But in time, she embraced her new role and found that being an entrepreneur and making videos has given her a chance to connect with the Tucson community and form bonds with other small businesses in the area.

“I’ve been able to make a lot of new friends thanks to this company, because you get to meet other food trucks that are also family-oriented,” Cordova said. “We even ask each other questions like ‘How do you do this?’ and ‘How are you able to do that?’ so we’re able to support each other.”

Maíz & Más is looking for a permanent spot for its second truck. In the meantime, the business has taken part in events around Tucson, including the grand reopening of Santa Rita Park and the city’s Movies in the Park series.

“We were surprised by all the people who came to the truck,” Cordova said of a recent Movies in the Park screening. “For events, we usually don’t expect that many people, so now we know, ‘Okay, we have to go very much prepared.’”

Kenia Licea is a University of Arizona journalism student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at klicea2004@arizona.edu.

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