Here are some of our favorite immigrant-owned businesses across VA
From flavorful restaurants to high-powered consulting firms, get to know some of our favorite immigrant-owned businesses across Virginia that highlight the entrepreneurial spirit and desire to give back.
Throughout Virginia, immigrant-owned businesses not only fuel the local economy but also meaningfully shape their communities. From international favors to highly specialized services, immigrant-owned businesses operate on both main streets and in major city centers. Many of the entrepreneurs have unique origin stories that demonstrate perseverance and community-mindedness.
Here are some of our favorite immigrant-owned businesses across the Commonwealth.
Cuban Island Restaurant
Location: 5508 Williamson Rd., Roanoke, VA 24012
Inspired by Estela Gonzalez Perez’s native Cuba, Cuban Island Restaurant in Roanoke started as a food truck in 2007, based on her husband’s recommendation that they branch out and do something different after working for the Home Shopping Network for 10 years. Three years later, she shifted operations to the restaurant’s current location.
Perez came to the U.S. in the hopes of finding new opportunities, so she and her husband bought a 19-foot boat and departed the island for the U.S. in 1994 with heavy hearts but also joy about what the future would hold.
Having been in business for nearly 20 years, the restaurant serves such items as pollo a la isla, pollo frito, and ropa vieja.
A1 Afghan Restaurant and Grocery
Location: 2816 Williamson Rd., Roanoke, VA 24012
Owned by Aghan immigrant Hussain Ghanizada, A1 Afghan Restaurant and Grocery brings the authentic flavors of Afghanistan to Roanoke. He decided to start the business because more than 350 Afghan families call the city home. He designed the menu to highlight what makes Afghan food so unique, like an Afghani burger, lamb karai, and manto.
Ghanizada used to work as a translator for the U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan but moved to the U.S. in 2013.
Maria’s Old Town 21
Location: 21 West Old St., Petersburg, VA 23803
Maria’s Old Town 21 is owned and operated by Sicilians Vincenza and Giovanni Crapa, who moved to the U.S. in 2007. Seven years later, their love of food led them to open the restaurant so that they could share their favorite Sicilian meals with those in their adopted country. They were able to purchase the building through the support of their friends and family.
The restaurant now serves as a place for Petersburg residents to unwind and enjoy authentic Sicilian food among rustic Italian decor. Standout menu items include the Sicilian-style spaghetti and seafood mediterraneo.
Sabai Thai Winchester
Location: 24 South Loudoun St., Winchester, VA 22601
Sabai Thai Winchester grew out of a desire on the part of a Winchester-based Thai family to open their own Thai restaurant. Chef Wan already had experience owning and operating a restaurant in their native Thailand, so getting the restaurant off the ground wasn’t a major challenge.
The restaurant prides itself on using fresh ingredients to create flavorful dishes that customers can enjoy while feeling like they’re part of the family. Try the Thai sampler as an appetizer along with the gai pad pongali.
Piedmont Global
Location: 1010 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22201
Piedmont Global was founded by first-generation Somali American Mohamed Hussein in 2013 based on the idea that “communication isn’t just about language” but that “it’s about systems, trust, and shared understanding.”
Hussein, who is in his 30s, drew from his background in teaching English in his 20s, as well as his facilitation of livestock deals in Saudi Arabia, where he spent five years studying Arabic, religion, and philosophy in college, to found the successful Arlington business. With more than 50 employees and tens of millions in revenue, the company appears to be on an upward trajectory. The startup quickly gained attention by being named to Inc.’s 5000 fastest growing companies list three years in a row.
It helps organizations grow globally based on cultural fluency and insight. The company is unique because it provides advisory services, language and cultural expertise, workforce and learning solutions, and tech-enabled platforms to both enterprises and public sector organizations.
ECU Communications
Location: 8320 Old Courthouse Rd., Suite 500, Vienna, VA 22182
Columbia native Jackie Krick launched ECU Communications, a marketing and talent recruitment firm that services clients such as the United States Department of Homeland Security and the United States Census Bureau, in 2003.
Surprisingly, the company that now owns and operates out of a downtown Manassas building traces its roots back to humble origins. Initially, Krick was the sole employee and worked from her kitchen table. When launching the business, Krick pulled from her previous marketing experience and time owning a graphic design company in the 1990s.
The company gives back to the community through its IMPACTO youth nonprofit that helps at-risk children and teens in the Washington, D.C. area pursue their dreams.
Silver Spoon Caterers
Location: 348 Victory Dr., Herndon, VA 20170
Herndon-based Silver Spoons Caterers was founded by Philippines native Audrey Lustre, who knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur in the food industry from an early age. Having opened in 1997, the business offers culinary services for social and corporate events in the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. metro area. Notably, it prides itself on its ability to cater events of all sizes, themes, and budgets.
Lustre’s mission for Silver Spoon Caterers has been to establish it as a growth-oriented company that builds positive partnerships with clients and the community. Lustre’s path to success wasn’t a given. She started the business as a small deli and coffee shop in a low-traffic strip mall, which required her to work as many as 20 hours a day. Eventually, local businesses started approaching her for catering services, which led to her successful decision to pivot into catering.
Todos Neighborhood Market
Location: 13905 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Woodbridge, VA 22191
Salvadoran immigrant Carlos Castro opened Todos Neighborhood Market in Woodbridge in 1990. Despite thinking running a market would be easy, Castro ended up having to work a second job and use credit cards to make rent at times during the first decade of operation.
As time went on, the market grew more stable. Today, it has expanded to offer additional services, like postal needs, money wiring, notary services, taxes, and business coaching. The increased offerings are aimed at meeting the community’s needs. It even provides free taxi rides to and from the store.
Castro’s desire to help others can be traced back to a message that his father instilled in him at an early age: Jump in and help.
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