Today we’d like to introduce you to Alanna And Arantxa.
Hi Alanna and Arantxa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We are Alanna and Arantxa Urbina, tween sisters with only 13 years old and with a food cart and catering company. This business started almost at the end of 2024, a that time my sister and I where only 12 years old. We are from Venezuela but we where raised in Argentina almost 8 years. We started our business to help our immigrant parents financially and also to get a Visa that would allow us to reunite with our grandma that is living in Argentina and started with a Hot Dogs food cart. Eventually, we have 6 different international cuisines foods carts like, Choripan, Gyro,Hot Dogs, Arepas, Coffe and bakery, and Keto food. In 2025 we took part of a documentary directed by Cisco Films where we talked about you story and this documentary was nominated to two Emmy awards. In January of this year, we started as speakers for young entrepreneurs to inspire this generation
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The truth is that it hasn’t been an easy journey. Starting a business as teenagers has been quite challenging. Many times we felt like we were stepping into an adult world that works in very different ways from how we see things.
One of the biggest challenges has been getting adults to trust their events to two 13-year-old girls. At the beginning, many people doubted us, which is completely understandable. However, thanks to God and the unconditional support of our parents, we have been able to walk this path with a lot of joy and a good sense of humor.
We have a very close and fun family, and that has helped us turn even the difficult moments into opportunities to learn and grow together. We have faced every obstacle with calm, faith, and a lot of teamwork.
Over time, many important people in the industry decided to give us an opportunity, and today they not only trust our work but have become loyal clients and allies. People like one of the most recognized producers in the United States, Susan Montoya; communicator and speaker Ismael Cala; the Montaner family; San Luis; Katy Ferrer, among many others, believed in us and in our project.
We have also learned that being young entrepreneurs means seeing the world a little differently. Our generation doesn’t believe as much in competition, but rather in what we like to call “coompetition” — with two “o’s.” For us, it means cooperating with other entrepreneurs, supporting each other, sharing ideas, and growing together instead of seeing each other as enemies.
We believe that when we collaborate, everyone can go further. And we also understand something very important: this country is enormous, and there is space and opportunity for everyone. When we stop seeing each other as rivals and start supporting each other, we all grow.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Le Chic Food Cart?
Our business began with a simple but powerful mission: to support our immigrant family and create opportunities through entrepreneurship. At the end of 2024, when we were only 12 years old, we launched our first hot dog cart with the goal of helping our parents financially while building something meaningful of our own.
What started as one small cart quickly evolved into a growing private event catering business. Today, we operate six international food cart concepts designed specifically for private events, offering unique culinary experiences for celebrations, corporate gatherings, and special occasions. Our concepts include choripán, gyros, hot dogs, arepas, coffee and bakery, and keto cuisine, allowing clients to enjoy diverse international flavors in an interactive and memorable format.
What sets our brand apart is not only the concept but also the story behind it. As 13-year-old immigrant sisters, we represent a new generation of young entrepreneurs proving that innovation, determination, and leadership are not defined by age. Our journey reflects the power of entrepreneurship as a tool for opportunity, especially for young people and immigrant families.
In 2025, our story was featured in a documentary produced by Cisco Films, which was nominated for two Emmy Awards, helping our journey reach and inspire audiences beyond the food industry.
Beyond our catering business, we are also passionate about helping other young people start their own entrepreneurial journeys. We created what we believe is the first entrepreneurship e-book in the United States written by teenagers specifically for teenagers. The guide was designed with simple, accessible language so that young people can learn how to start a business from zero. The book covers key topics including marketing, basic finance, artificial intelligence tools, and the legal foundations needed to start a business in the U.S.A
Since January of this year, we have also expanded our mission by becoming young speakers for aspiring entrepreneurs, sharing our experience with students and youth organizations to show that big ideas can start at any age.
What we are most proud of is that our brand represents more than a catering service. It represents resilience, family values, cultural diversity, and the belief that entrepreneurship can begin much earlier than most people imagine. Through our work, our story, and our educational resources, we hope to empower the next generation to dream bigger, take initiative, and build opportunities for themselves and their communities.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Although our journey started with just the two of us, we would not be where we are today without the support of many incredible people who believed in us from the very beginning.
First and foremost, our parents deserve the greatest credit. As immigrants, they have worked incredibly hard to give our family opportunities and to teach us the value of perseverance, responsibility, and hard work. Our mother, in particular, made a very courageous decision: she left her job to support us fully and work with us 24/7 to help build our business. Her dedication, organization, and constant guidance have been essential to our growth and to everything we have accomplished so far.
We would also like to recognize her boss at the time, who was one of the very first people to truly believe in us and in our idea. His support and encouragement during those early days meant a great deal to our family, and it is something we will never forget.
We are also deeply grateful to our first clients and event organizers, who trusted us and gave us our earliest opportunities. Many people took a chance on two very young entrepreneurs, and because of their trust we were able to prove that dedication, quality, and professionalism matter more than age.
Another important part of our journey has been the mentors, entrepreneurs, and members of our community who have offered advice, encouragement, and support along the way. Their guidance helped us think bigger and continue growing.
We are also thankful for the team behind the documentary produced by Cisco Films, who helped share our story with a wider audience. Their work allowed our journey to reach and inspire people far beyond our local community.
Finally, we feel incredibly grateful for the young people, students, and aspiring entrepreneurs who connect with our story. In many ways, they motivate us just as much as we hope to motivate them. Seeing other young people believe they can also start something meaningful is one of the most rewarding parts of our journey.
At the end of the day, our success is not just ours. It is the result of a family that believed in us, people who gave us opportunities early on, and a community that chose to support the dream of two young sisters determined to build something meaningful
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @lechicfoodcart
