{"id":81813,"date":"2025-12-09T15:29:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/81813\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T15:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:29:13","slug":"local-families-serve-up-churros-mexican-coffee-and-more-at-pearl-ice-rink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/81813\/","title":{"rendered":"Local families serve up churros, Mexican coffee and more\u00a0at Pearl Ice Rink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celia Ramirez runs a booming business at Pearl Ice Rink.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s selling churros faster than you can lace up a pair of skates.<\/p>\n

Ramirez thought business was brisk on Friday, one week after the 4,000-square-foot rink opened. But demand tripled on Sunday and she sold 300 orders.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople love the churros,\u201d said Ramirez, 33, who runs Fruteria Factory<\/a> across from Stable Hall <\/a>at Pearl<\/a>. \u201cWhen people walk by, we turn on the air fryer. The smell attracts them. They turn around and we start getting long lines.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The Pearl Ice Rink will be open every day now through Jan. 3. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

When darkness falls, Pearl Ice Rink transforms into a set from a Hallmark Christmas movie. Skaters bundled in coats glide across the ice. Couples sip hot chocolate beneath twinkling lights. People mingle among glistening trees. Children and adults line up for food and drink at holiday carts.<\/p>\n

Ramirez and her two children run the family cart. Jonathan, 16, handles the air fryer. Milani, 8, accepts payments, cash, debit card or credit card. Celia takes orders and delivers the treats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Corn in a cup sells for $8, six-count churros for $10. Churro toppings, included with the price, range from bananas, marshmallows and sprinkles to chocolate, caramel and cajeta drizzle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe dress up our churros,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cEverybody gets excited. They say, \u2018Oh my God, it looks like a banana split.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the way, the Lugo family sells hot chocolate, Mexican coffee and lemonade beneath a small canopy. The business, Freshly Squeezed by Eliyah<\/a>, was founded by 7-year-old Eliyah Lugo.<\/p>\n

What began as a lemonade stand in her family\u2019s driveway became a TikTok sensation<\/a> with videos generating 1.2 million likes. Eliyah\u2019s TikTok and Instagram accounts, run by her parents, have attracted nearly 100,000 followers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fruteria Factory owner Celia Ramirez plates an order of fresh churros at her pop-up stand near the Pearl Ice Rink on Friday. Customers can chooses from a selection of toppings to dress up their churros at no extra cost. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

Pearl contacted the Lugo\u2019s about serving lemonade at the rink. Eliyah, a second-grader, suggested adding coffee and hot chocolate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do traditional hot Mexican drinks,\u201d said Eliab Lugo, Eliyah\u2019s father. \u201cOne of them is caf\u00e9 de olla. It\u2019s coffee with brown sugar, cinnamon and a little bit of clove.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freshly Squeezed by Eliyah and Fruteria Factory are open at Pearl Ice Rink Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. The rink will remain open through Jan. 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter started this company six, seven months ago,\u201d Eliab said. \u201cShe had a dream of serving lemonade. She made a TikTok and it blew up. Then we got contacted by Pearl.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramirez started Fruteria Factory in 2024 when she was going through a divorce. At the time, she was a clerk at the Bexar County Courthouse and raising two children as a single mother. Launching a new business was difficult.<\/p>\n

Recognizing a void at Pearl, she inquired about opening a tent to sell fruit. Pearl management agreed to her request and before long Ramirez asked to open a second tent. Cups with watermelon, mango, cantaloupe and strawberries sold almost as fast as she could fill them.<\/p>\n

\"\"Customers have the option of purchasing a taza de barro to sip their hot chocolate, champurrado and caf\u00e9 de olla from for an additional cost from the Fresh Squeezed by Eliyah booth near the Pearl Ice Rink. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n

\u201cOur lines were crazy long,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cPearl has been so very helpful in the growth of my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she learned that Pearl was opening an ice rink for the first time, Ramirez recognized another opportunity. People want to skate and eat.<\/p>\n

She was right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night, it was crazy packed,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cWe turn on that air fryer and nobody is watching their calories. I no longer have two jobs. This is what I do full time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out San Antonio Report\u2019s list of local holiday events and seasonal attractions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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