COVINGTON, Ky. – Friday was the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month. From Sept. 15 until Oct. 15, the United States recognizes the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the country.

What You Need To Know

  •  Sergio Gutierrez is the owner of Olla Cov in Covington

  •  Gutierrez is a second-generation Mexican American, and is proud of his heritage

  • On Saturday, Mexican Independence Day, Olla is hosting a "Tacos, Vatos, & Lowriders" event

  • Gutierrez said he and his family want to be a bridge for Hispanic business owners

In the City of Covington, which has a significant Hispanic population, one restaurant owner is kicking off the month by celebrating Mexican Independence Day on Saturday.

Sergio Gutierrez is a second-generation Mexican American. His father opened up a convenience store in Covington about 10 years ago. Then, about two years ago, Gutierrez opened his own restaurant just up the street: Olla Cov.

“We named it Olla, because it translates to a cooking pot, and we wanted to create our own melting pot of people,” Gutierrez said. “Share food, share drinks and that’s what it’s all about. Being very diverse and showing people why we do the things that we do.”

On Saturday, Mexican Independence Day, Olla is hosting a "Tacos, Vatos, & Lowriders" event. Gutierrez  said the cars carry a lot of cultural significance along with simply looking cool. Food, drinks and music will also be at the ready.

“We have a big population of Hispanic people. And we tend not to celebrate those kinds of things, because we haven’t been able to create that one place where everybody can feel welcome,” Gutierrez said. “Culturally, it’s really nice to know where you come from. Because you’re able to embrace and understand a lot of other things that maybe here when you’re in the states, you don’t get to experience.”

Historically, there have been barriers for Hispanic populations to integrate into the larger communities they live in. Gutierrez said he and his family want to be a bridge, especially for Hispanic business owners.

“Here there’s actually options where you can get grants and loans and stuff that can help you, but a lot of the Hispanic people need that one person to kind of show them, like me; I did it, so you can do it too,” he said. “They kind of need an example. So we try to be that for the Hispanic community.”

The event is from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Olla will also be hosting a Day of the Dead event on Oct. 28.

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