Trying to follow your dreams? We took a look at the accomplishments of four entrepreneurs who are using their culture to change their field.

	Sisters Claudia and Silvia Ortiz loved baking as young girls in Chicago. As adults in 2010, they turned their passion into Casa Girl Cupcakes, a much-frequented cupcake store. From horchata, to churro, to arroz con leche, you won’t find these typical Latin flavors in cupcakes anywhere else in Chi-Town or beyond.
	As a working mom with three young boys, Tanya Diaz had little time to exercise. But when she met personal trainer and makeup artist Maria Barrerra, the pair wanted to help other busy women stay in shape. In 2010, they started Knockout Fitness and Beauty, a women-only beauty and fitness regime in Chicago. They offer many packages, including a 10-week boot camp with hair and beauty makeovers.
	While writing an article about online wedding-planning for Latinos, Lilian de la Torre-Jiménez realized little was offered in Spanish. In 2008, she began publishing Bodas La Revista USA, the first Spanish-language bridal magazine in the country. The California-based glossy has since won several prestigious awards.
	As a teen mom in Tularosa, N.M., Tina Cordova knew early on that she’d have to work twice as hard to succeed. After learning about an opportunity in the construction business, Cordova took $5,000 -- her life savings -- and started Queston Construction Inc. Despite the recession, in 2012 Cordova will celebrate 20 years of constructing and repairing roofs. A tireless advocate for Hispanic business owners, Cordova is also the president of the New Mexico Minority Business Association.

September 11, 2001 should have been the best day of Melissa Fox’s life. After working as a film exec in Hollywood for eight years, she quit her job and was on her way back home to NYC in the hopes of finding something more fulfilling.

Despite being deplaned and heartbroken over the tragedy of 9/11, Fox still forged ahead with her plans to move and did what every woman in her family had done in times of trouble: she cooked. “Everything was a mess, so planning meals and procuring ingredients became a form of therapy.” Fox started throwing weekly dinner parties. “Eventually, friends would call, inquiring about a dish I made, and I offered to make it for them. That’s how my catering began.”

Fox grew up with a Nicaraguan-born mom and an all-American dad from Omaha, and her catering menu reflected her bicultural upbringing. Her empanadas came baked, not fried; were filled with unusual ingredients, like smoked Gouda and portabella mushrooms; and topped with her own homemade picante and chipotle mayonnaise.

When she opened A Casa Fox, her Latin fusion restaurant in New York City, Fox honored her family for instilling in her their love of food and togetherness. Pictures of the volcano in Managua adorn the walls of A Casa Fox, as do photos of her mom, grandma and aunts, many of whom still live in Nicaragua.

At the restaurant, Fox’s mom often works the crowd, “letting everyone know she’s the mom of the owner,” says a smiling Fox. “What can I say? My family is proud of me.”

Photo: @iStockphoto.com/jtyler