Everything Evelyn “Evy” Ruiz does is for her loved ones. She grew up in a tight-knit Puerto Rican family in Connecticut before she moved out of state — to Miami and New York — to work in the corporate world for the next 17 years.
Ruiz once didn’t see herself moving back home, but when she was let go in 2023, she found herself picking back up a lifelong idea she’d had for a coffee shop.
“I was trying to launch my business in New York,” Ruiz said. “All the doors were closing on me, and I think that's when I finally realized it's time for me to return back to Connecticut, which is home.”
Ruiz is glad she’s home now. She’s spent the last few years with her family and launched the coffee trailer Hasta Luego Friend, which translates to “see you later.” It’s a term friendly and familiar to Latinos, but it’s also a way to share the culture beyond the community.
Ruiz says the menu is less flat white and more café con leche.
“That's what my grandmothers have raised me and taught me,” she said. “You can get the whole Puerto Rican experience here with the build-your-own coquito and have a vibe with some music.”
Her retro-style trailer is painted a bright aquamarine and is a regular fixture at events around the Hartford region.
At the most recent Puerto Rican parade in Hartford, Ruiz pointed customers to a nearby photobooth set up to look like the cover of Bad Bunny’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” which includes lyrics about wanting more time with aging family and passing it playing dominoes with his abuelo.
“I had so much appreciation returning back home, spending time with my abuela (and) her sharing stories with me. Also being able to just see what the community (is) like here and, like, lacking,” Ruiz said. “Like, where are the queer events for women?”
Tia’s Roommate addressed need for community space for queer women of color
Ruiz’s answer to that question is her latest project, Tia’s Roommate. It’s a collective of queer Latinas and their allies.
“I had a titi who was in the queer community. Titi had a best friend slash roommate that everyone knew that that was their partner, but Titi didn't come out until later on, close to when she was pretty much passing,” Ruiz said. “So this is kind of a tribute to my tía, Grace.”
Ruiz says she was inspired by her aunt for the name, but the found family she hopes to create with Tia’s Roommate is largely inspired by another queer member of the family: Tío Frank.
“It was really tough for them, just kind of like being bullied by the family, pretty much not being invited to parties,” Ruiz said. “Seeing that broke my heart because my uncle actually took his life away because of that.”
This isn’t a point of shame for the family — that Tío Frank was queer, or died by suicide. Instead, it became a point of shame toward their own behaviors. And the family changed, pretty radically.
“I had it easy thanks to my aunt and uncle, and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have had that braveness to just come out,” Ruiz said, welling up. “Having (my family) here supporting Tia’s Roommate, like my mom and dad working, helping me set up here, being here at eight o'clock in the morning, running around while I'm hosting means everything to me.”
“Not everyone has a family that's going to support them like that,” she said.
Since its launch, Tia’s Roommate has hosted perreo parties at local bars, featuring the familiar reggaeton style of Puerto Rican nightclubs. Events also include WNBA and UConn basketball watch parties, and even serious panel discussions around topics like transgender rights.
Ruiz found not only support from her family, but also the Hartford community. When Hasta Luego Friend was just an idea, she started going to networking events in the area. She said the experience helped her practice talking about her business with confidence.
“I met a lot of great small business owners because I was like, ‘I got this little trailer,’ and they're like … ‘Don't put yourself down like that,’” she said.
Her “little” trailer has catered events from Hartford to Martha’s Vineyard and served satisfied customers, like journalist Gayle King.
“Meeting people like that, that wanted to uplift me in the community, that meant so much to me. I took off from there,” Ruiz said. “Be open to receive and not kind of just focus on the finance part.”
One of the biggest resources Latinas have, Ruiz said, is each other.
“If we build together and also help one another, that's what keeps everything circulating, and we'll just grow together,” Ruiz said. “You know, that's how the community grows.”
Hasta Luego Friend is celebrating its two-year anniversary on Saturday, March 7. Ruiz will be serving coffee specials at Sol y Luna Mezcal Bar and Restaurant from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the Hartford St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
This story is part of the series Poderosas: Portraits of Purpose, highlighting Latina leaders in our Connecticut communities.
