Maria Lopez

My Guest is a Latina business owner. Maria Isabel Lopez Native Angeleno and eldest daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, Maria Isabel Lopez, embodies both cultures' blend. Inspired by her father's rag to riches story and her mother's passionate spirit, she was set out to connect and create. Her passion for travel, family and her goal of becoming a bilingual entrepreneur has led her to many adventures both personally and professionally. By fusing her 1st generation Mexican heritage and her Los Angeles-bred love of event production, her restaurant quickly became a staple of her community. Candela Taco Bar quickly became the bridge between her evolving Miracle Mile neighborhood and her family patrimony, Leonardo's Nightclub: the original regional Mexican dance halls in Los Angeles. Currently, Maria and her brother Omar run the property under the umbrella known as Candela La Brea. Maria Isabel Lopez now produces large-scale live music concerts, cultural events, and large-scale caterings. Her list of clients includes Google, YouTube, Space X, Disney, Cirque du Soliel, Universal Music, NBC Universo, and The Getty Museum, to name a few, as well as corporate partnerships with leading companies such as Bose. Maria strives to stay involved by hosting events and immersing herself in causes she believes in. For the past six years, she serves on the Board at Amanecer Community Counseling Services. As the Board President, she strives to do her part in erasing mental health stigmas. Amanecer is a non-profit organization that provides culturally competent, accessible, high-quality mental health care for the underserved adults, children, and families of Los Angeles. They have a mental illness or severe emotional problems. Beyond Maria's projects that include managing a sizeable creative event space, she has also launched a jewelry line, Well Aware. Her wellness bracelet line for mindful women is made by Mexican artisan crafts your ideal medical i.d. piece. One that is free of stigma and full of style. Her gorgeous bracelets are created in the town that holds Mexico's oldest silver mines, Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico. With each piece's sale, Maria and Well Aware are committed to supporting clean water initiatives and providing access to clean water so that rural economies may flourish. www.candelalabrea.com IG @candelaonlabrea https://livewellaware.com/