Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Trubiana.
Hi Justin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
LEONA Botanical Café & Bar is a culinary destination from the teams behind DEE DEE and Veracruz All Natural. It features an outdoor botanical garden, a main cafe and bar, a pavilion, and three separate restaurants: DEE DEE, Veracruz All Natural, and coming soon, Bun Bun Burger. With a focus on sustainability and botanical elements. The discussions about this idea started back in 2018 when DEE DEE and Veracruz food trucks were neighbors on E. Cesar Chavez and became friends.
History of the land
Betty Grubbs was the former owner of the land where LEONA sits. A strong and independent woman, she was a World War II veteran, a champion of women’s causes and a strong philanthropist, supporting women’s athletics at the University of Texas. The LEONA team is honored to carry Betty’s legacy forward by supporting women-owned businesses, with DEE DEE and Veracruz at the forefront, and plans to hold an annual fundraiser for UT’s Betty Grubbs Endowed Scholarship Program.
The Garden
LEONA’s central garden features incredible plant diversity, with more than 80 species across 7,000 individual plants on-site. Over 90 existing trees are preserved on the property to maintain the current shade and habitat, and 80 additional trees were planted to showcase the Texas Hill Country’s seasonal interest. The 20 different tree species, seasonal blooms, foliage colors and other seasonal changes provide a varying experience for each visit at LEONA. Additionally, guests can enjoy a relaxing, meandering stream maintained from the property’s cistern, which will also create a habitat for aquatic plants and animals.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It took us 4-5 years to get this built, which is normal for new developments, but there was quite a lot of challenges to take a single-family parcel of land and rezone it to neighborhood commercial. What really carried the day was the support by the local neighborhood and the vision for Leona being in alignment with the values of Sunset Valley and the prior homeowner’s estate.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We all began this journey as food trucks. Lakana creating her family’s dishes from Thailand at DEE DEE for the past 10 years and Reyna & Maritza creating their family’s specialties with Veracruz All Natural 16 years ago.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Staying true to your vision
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leonacafebar.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonacafebar
