Mexilao Mexican and Lao Fusion opens in Storm Lake downtown

A line stretched down the block Sunday afternoon outside 223 E. Railroad St. as Winona Ocegueda opened Mexilao Mexican & Lao Fusion, turning a downtown storefront into a public debut for a business that blends her Lao background with husband Erick Ocegueda’s Mexican heritage.

The grand opening was anything but quiet. Customers waited for treats, curious passersby stepped inside, and special guests from Berry Nice Sweet Treats and Matute Photography were on hand for the celebration. Opening-day visitors sampled macarons, boba drinks, aguas frescas and lemonades, while the menu board pointed toward more fusion items to come, including papaya salads, spring rolls and Dubai strawberries.

Mexilao’s schedule is built to catch both lunch and evening traffic on Railroad Street. The shop is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; it is closed Mondays. That kind of hours mix matters downtown, where small businesses depend on steady foot traffic and repeat visits from students, families and workers moving through the city center.

The shop’s arrival also adds a visible example of immigrant entrepreneurship to Storm Lake’s downtown economy. Mexilao LLC was filed with the Iowa Secretary of State on Jan. 4, 2025, and a spring ribbon-cutting notice identified it as a new mobile food and beverage trailer run by Erick and Winona Ocegueda. The company is listed with its principal office in Schaller at 413 South Perth St.

Storm Lake’s appeal to businesses like Mexilao is rooted in its changing population and long-running diversity. The city had 11,269 residents in the 2020 Census, a 6.3% increase from 2010, while Buena Vista County grew 2.8% over the same period. City materials describe Storm Lake as unusually diverse and have long linked immigrant talent with local business growth, including a 2015 effort to help newcomers get involved in civic life and build companies of their own.

That broader story now has a storefront on Railroad Street. For downtown Storm Lake, Mexilao is more than another place to eat. It is a sign that the city’s immigrant-driven economy is still reshaping the block by block identity of the community.