Wendy Urquidez, owner of Sushis Wendy LLC. Photo by Susi Franco, JEFAS Magazine.
By Christina Fernández-Morrow
Curious foodies and locals are drawn to the bright green lights around the “MEXICAN SUSHI” sign on Wendy Urquidez’s food truck at the West Point Farmers Market. Inside, Urquidez shapes locally grown cucumbers, avocados, and select cuts of prime Nebraska beef into perfectly formed rolls fried golden brown or baked to perfection. It’s not the sushi most Nebraskans expect, but it has quickly gained a loyal following.
Sinaloa Street Food in West Point Nebraska
Urquidez has brought the street food of her native Sinaloa to her new home in Nebraska, transforming a commercially licensed kitchen built in her garage into ground zero for what might be the state’s most unexpected culinary combination.
Sushis Wendy serves up rolls that could fit right in on the Pacific coast of Mexico, where sushi is served with red or green salsa made with tiny chiltepín chiles or blackened with soy sauce at just about every street cart and eatery. This fusion has become a thriving business that brings together her two worlds and challenges the palate with this blend of Mexican and Japanese flavors.
When she began making samples for family and friends in 2015, she received praise and encouragement to share more widely. Two years later, she opened a restaurant but admits the timing wasn’t right and she had a lot to learn about the business side of hospitality.
“It was too big, and we didn’t have enough help. We didn’t really know how to run that kind of operation. We closed after five months,” shares Urquidez.
Closing the restaurant wasn’t the end. She focused on catering and selling at events in West Point and neighboring towns and found her niche. Whether it’s a platter of panko-fried sushi rolls drizzled with her special house sauce for corporate gatherings, or colorful shrimp ceviche at weddings, Urquidez stays busy.
“It’s very different from what Nebraskans are used to,” she says. “But people are curious, and they like that it’s cooked and that I have options with chicken and beef if they don’t like seafood.”
Sushi Success: Family and Community Support
While Urquidez leads the way, Sushis Wendy is a family business where her teenage son and husband often pitch in to buy and prep ingredients, take orders, and package food for takeout.
“I don’t have employees, it’s mostly me and I like meeting people and seeing them enjoy my food,” explains Urquidez. Although she doesn’t speak much English, it hasn’t slowed her down.
“Most of my customers know I don’t speak English well, so they use translation apps to send me messages or contact me via Facebook to order. It can be a little difficult at times,” she admits.
Through social media messaging and help from her bilingual children to interpret when needed, she has created a customer base that posts five-star reviews, regularly sends referrals, and invites her to events where her truck is a welcome addition.
Wendy Urquidez, owner of Sushis Wendy LLC. Photo by Susi Franco, JEFAS Magazine.
Culinary Innovation, Future Goals and Local Impact
Looking to the future, Urquidez dreams big. She is hopeful that with the experience she’s gained with her food truck and takeout business, she will one day open small, welcoming restaurants that give her friends and neighbors a taste of life in Sinaloa.
“I am proud that I started something that I didn’t imagine would grow so much from a dish that wasn’t known in this area and now I have so many customers who look for my food,” says Urquidez. “I am far from my homeland, but so many people have come to know a little bit of something that is such a part of living there.”
Through perseverance and adaptation, Urquidez has found something valuable: a community that embraces her vision and her flavors. She’s no longer the outsider selling strange food, she’s a neighbor sharing a piece of home—and the impact on Nebraska’s culinary landscape appears permanent. From her garage kitchen to the county fair, she’s already accomplished something remarkable: realizing a dream that bridges two worlds, making the unfamiliar a new local favorite.
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