To Ease Gentrification Pain, Some Latinos Embrace Gentefication

Fino Rodriguez shows off skills as a chef at Taquero, his restaurant at the intersection of Chihuahua Avenue and Singleton Boulevard in West Dallas.It’s a crossroads of reinvention. Chihuahua leads into a Latino neighborhood of Mexican immigrants like Rodriguez. Singleton Boulevard runs through an area of rapid gentrification, where for years now new restaurants, apartments and even townhomes have been popping up.Rodriguez came here to show off his delicately prepared food and, just as importantly, his Mexican heritage. He’s part of a gentrification movement called gentefication, a fusion of the Spanish word gente, people, with gentrification. It’s loosely defined as development led by Latinos in Latino-dominant neighborhoods, often close to downtowns.“I wanted to demonstrate that Mexico has such a rich culture, like the art and the food,” Rodriguez said. After checking out the $12,000 a-month rents on Lemmon Avenue to the north of downtown Dallas, Rodriguez knew Taquero, the taco-maker, should be in West Dallas.  Continue reading...