Hello..Well, it's been a while...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There have been many things happening that have not allowed me much time for posting. We have added many new locations in the last couple of weeks where you can purchase our Blanco's Chips. Please go by one of these locations and get a bag, it will help us a lot to get the interest sparked. Here are the locations where the chips are available...

1. AlabamaGoods.com Bessemer, AL (256) 566-8720
2. Clements Mini Mart Hwy 72 Athens, AL (256) 729-8663
3. Dependable True Value (April's Dad) 15220 Hwy 43 Russellville, AL (256)
4. Downtown Chevron 109 Madison St. NE Russellville, AL (256) 331-9560
5. Foodland L&S Jefferson St. Athens, AL (256) 232-5530
6. Foodland Hwy 72 Rogersville, AL (256) 247-1805
7. Foodland Hwy 101 Elgin, AL (256) 247-1958
8. Foodland Hwy 72 Killen, AL (256) 757-2002
9. Foodland Darby Drive Florence, AL (256) 767-2227
10.Foodland Huntsville Rd. 404 Huntsville Rd. Florence, AL (256) 766-3067
11.Foodland Muscle Shoals 3001 Woodward Ave. Muscle Shoals, AL (256) 381-7277
12.Foodland Tuscumbia 6425 Woodmont Dr. Tuscumbia, AL (256) 383-9425
13.Foodland Sheffield 502 North Montgomery Ave. Sheffield, AL (256) 383-6940
14.Foodland Ford City 14505 County Line Rd. Muscle Shoals, AL (256) 446-5842
15.Star Market Madison 7950 Hwy 72 West Madison, AL (256) 721-1322
16.Star Market 5 Points 702 Pratt Ave. Huntsville, AL (256) 534-4509
17.Star Market Meridianville 12078 Hwy 231/431 North Meridianville, AL (256) 828-6162
18.Up, Up, & Away 167 South Main St. Arab, AL (256) 931-8787
19.Warren's BP Hwy 72 Rogersville, AL (256) 247-3842
20.West End Outdoors Hwy 72 Athens, AL (256) 233-1633

As always thanks for your support of our "small business"

Mark

The Coach

Move over Golden Flake it looks like the ol' football coach has a new kind of crunch!
Former Alabama Crimson Tide National Championship Coach Gene Stallings has a taste for Blanco's Chips and I am sure excited. Anybody that knows me knows that I was a walk-on kicker with the Tide and one of my greatest disappointments was not being able to play for Coach Stallings. Now that I think about it he probably enjoys my chips a lot more than he would've enjoyed my kicking.

September 27th Event!!

Since we are now open later on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we thought we would take the opportunity to provide some entertainment. This Saturday ,September 27, from 6pm to 7:30pm performing live will be "Linda Speed and the Spanish Guitar" come out for true family friendly entertainment. You can come out and enjoy our outside seating with good food and music. We hope to see you here!

Busiest Day Ever!!

For those of you who came to Tortillas Blanco on Saturday, Thanks! Thanks for your patience, thanks for your smiling faces, thanks for understanding. We had a very challenging situation with the Art on the Square event taking place that day. It was definitely a record for us at the restaurant, all the tables were full and we had about 15-20 people waiting outside without a seat. We appreciate the patience that was required to be a customer on Saturday. The problem was we kept running out of food! There was really no way of knowing what we were facing that day the last couple of years that particular event has not been that big...I guess things change!! The girls did great working in the back to get the food out they really earned their money. For those of you who didn't get to try us out because of the line I apologize and hope that you will come back real soon and give us a try. Remember the new hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until 8pm.

8pm

This is the 2nd night we have worked extended hours, so far so good! I felt like we were sort of teasing the people that were some distance from Athens by closing at 6pm. Of course, we have been really trying to increase production at the factory. We have added 2 additional employees to our staff and I look forward to what we are going to accomplish. Tomorrow is the annual Art on The Square event the streets have been blocked off in front of our restaurant. You can still park in the parking lot beside our building please don't hesitate to come by. We will be open tomorrow night until 8pm if you want to come for supper.

Gustav Comes Ashore

As Gustav comes ashore it looks as though most people have gone ahead and taken proper precautions by leaving the Gulf area. I believe the government has done their part to be ready. As the hurricane hits the shore I hope that the damage is minimal to the area. There are people who have stayed (8%-9%) and I scratch my head at the thought. I did hear that 3 people that were under hospital care died during their transport, so there are some situations that pose unique challenges for some people to leave. For the others, I just don't know. There was even a family that were staying in their boat to "tough it out". The guy on the Weather Channel said he spoke to the family and they were staying because the "kids" wanted to!! Sometimes there are people that just can't be helped. Good Luck! The storm has just been downgraded to a Category 2 and the primary concern is the flooding and the test it will present to the levees.

Do you remember your 1st grade teacher?

I have very vivid memories of my first grade teacher Mrs. Thornton. I actually gave her a difficult time, but I did like her. She reminded of the time I tied my shoe laces to the desk legs and knotted them up so bad I couldn't get them loose to go to lunch...I had stay in the room while everyone else was at lunch! I was a challenge to say the least. In truth I haven't changed much internally, I have just found I don't always have to act out externally.
The day Mrs. Thornton came was also my nephew Nicholas's first day in the second grade! I hope in the future he appreciates Mrs. James as much as I do Mrs. Thornton.

An Exciting Announcement!!

Our good friends Justin and Courtney have a new addition to their family, her name is Libby Brooke. We are very excited for them and wish them well in raising their two little girls. Congratulations!

Blanco's @ The Vipers

All of our employees recently had a "field trip" to watch the Tennessee Valley Vipers Arena football game. We were sponsors for the night feeding the media, coaches, etc. Cara, Anna, Tyler and Josefita all got to come and seemed to enjoy the game. Our friends Justin, Courtney, Jeremiah, and Ashley also got to come. We had a great time and the Vipers won!!

Terranova's in Madison!

Now, this may seem a little unusual to be plugging another restaurant but, I want to recommend Terranova's in Madison if you feel like some affordable, good Italian food. April, Nicholas, and I went there for supper tonight after we closed the restaurant. I had the Terranova Trio, it was terrific! Our waitress Allie did a good job of serving. She said last night she spilled a lot of drink glasses, she would not reenact the same performance for us though. Good job Allie, entertaining the customers) :) There were also several of our customers from Tortillas Blanco at Terranova's tonight, I guess great minds do think alike.

Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourism Association

At the Alabama Veterans Museum in Athens we had our quarterly ALM business meeting on Tuesday. Tourism is so vital to the economy and they are a hard working group of people that help to keep tourism strong in the north Alabama area. I want to thank them for "spotlighting" my Blanco's Original and Cinnamon Sugar Chips at the meeting. The chips went over well and it was a great feeling to have the presentation of the new bag with such great chips!! There are some terrific events happening across north Alabama be sure to click the link to Alabama Mountain Lakes and check out what is going on!

Summer Time!

We have had a great summer! With the increased demand for our product our good help is really coming through for us. We are up to 8 stores now and growing. We shot our new commercial today. Our friends Jeremiah, Ashley, and their little girl Elizabeth came to help out. Thanks! We are catering at the Tennessee Valley Vipers Football Game tomorrow night it is Military Appreciation Night. We are very excited!

Jason and Amberly

Two of my favorite people came by the restaurant a couple of weeks ago. Amberly had seen the May issue of Southern Living and had to come and see. Of course, I wasn't doing much when they knew me. I can understand a little verification of the facts :) We were able to catch up around their active children. Time certainly has flown. It really did not seem like very long since I had seen them last, but I guess about 9 years had passed. Anyway, Amberly has a blog and this picture was on it so I thought I would put it on mine too! If your reading this Amberly, thanks for coming by. I look forward to seeing you guys again soon.

Flag Day.

Tomorrow is flag day. A day we recognize our flag and what it means to us as Americans. The first thing that comes to mind are the people who have fought and died for the flag, not for the piece of cloth, but for what that piece of cloth symbolizes, a free people, in a great land. I am grateful to those who have thought the flag meant enough to die for it. We are Americans, and should be proud to say so, and proud to live under that flag that means so much in so many ways.

Tortillas Blanco's early beginnings in Southeast Texas in the 1940's??

The story of Tortillas Blanco actually began in the early 1940’s at a cotton gin in southeast Texas. My grandfather Lynn Headrick, his father, and brothers operated a gin in Corpus Christi, Texas. During cotton picking season migrant Mexican workers would come to work. It was during that time my grandfather learned the Spanish language. Later on, my grandfather began preaching and continued to have an interest in Spanish mission work. He built strong relationships with the Hispanic people.
Moving forward to the 1980’s…My grandparents raised me and allowed me opportunities that I otherwise would not have experienced. My grandfather would take me on some of his mission trips. It was then I realized my love of good Mexican foods especially the fresh, hot, tortillas!!
In 1998 my grandfather passed away I was 18 years old. As an 18 year old I really didn’t know what I was going to do with the rest of my life. So, the search began. Several years went by, 7 years to be exact, of not finding what I was interested in doing. Until one day, while driving down Florence Blvd in Florence, AL, it hit me! Not a car, but an idea, an idea to make that wonderful bread I remembered as a young boy, tortillas!!
The work began of developing the concept. Little did I know how much work would take place, but I did it. Today, Tortillas Blanco is a restaurant and a chip manufacturing company with 6 stores currently on our route. Things are happening and growing. I cannot help but think about that young man working in the cotton gin, learning Spanish, and making another young boy a part of his life and leading me to where I am today.

Abilene, TX

May 31st...it is my grandfather Lynn Headrick's birthday, he would have been 80. May 31st, 2008 the day his youngest brother Edwin Headrick passed from this life. To the left is a picture of uncle Edwin and Aunt Shirley, April and myself. We were able to enjoy some horseback riding on our last visit in October 2007. Edwin knew April wanted to "ride a horse in Texas", so he set out to find a place to ride. He was just that kind of guy. Edwin was the last existing brother after Rob Headrick passed away in April. Being raised by my grandparents has moved what actually is "great" family members to immediate family members. Great uncles and aunts are in the role of immediate aunts and uncles. Everyone is bumped up a generation. The sad part is, there is a great deal of loss with the ages of these people whom I love so much. My uncle Rob passed away in Texas 2 months ago and now uncle Edwin. They had an interesting family history from growing up on a cotton gin in Ellis County, Texas, to teaching in colleges and preaching the gospel. As I sit here at Uncle Edwin's house in Abilene I think about how much all these men will be missed. I have missed my grandfather for 10 years and I will the rest of my life.

Across The Great State of Alabama

It has been tremendous the response from the Southern Living readership. We have had people from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, towns across the region.
The seal of approval we have received from Southern Living has our business, well...busy. We also had a feature in the Alabama Department of Agriculture Newsletter which goes into 80,000 homes across the State of Alabama. We look forward to new guests and we look forward to seeing you! I am currently having to ration out my chips to my grocery stores due to the demands of the restaurant. We have new equipment on the way and a couple of new workers so, we should be able to stay on top of production. April, Nicholas and I are going to the Limestone County Sheriff's Rodeo tonight. It has been a while since I have been to a rodeo. I wanted to help the Sheriff's Department out and April really likes horses.

The Month of April

As we are nearing the end of April it is time to take a deep breath. We have had many great opportunities in this month and a great many challenges. April and I both lost uncles in this month, my uncle Rob Headrick in Lancaster, TX and her uncle Eugene Murray from Russellville, AL. We did get a short vacation for April's birthday we went to Charleston, SC (for the first time Tortillas Blanco operated without April or myself, that is a big step.) Charleston was beautiful we went on the private garden tours and enjoyed some great food with others serving us for a change :) We started the commercials with 48, we were in Southern Living, we partnered with Alaga Yellow Label Syrup for the new "sweet home Alabama" dessert. Our chips traveled to Chicago, Florida, Mobile, Montgomery, and Birmingham this month. I was selected as the Buisness Person of the year by the Limestone County Chamber of Commerce. The Athens News Courier put out a magazine with Tortillas Blanco on the cover. I was asked to play golf with Coach Nick Saban and Gene Stallings (problem was I have never played golf, so it didn't happen.)

Many Things Happening Lately.

I am excited to tell you that we are in the May edition of Southern Living Magazine! We have been covered up with customers upon the issues release. Some ask, "are you new", "did you just open". So, I guess three years later we just had our "grand opening" :) It is great to be recognized for the hard work that April and I have put into Tortillas Blanco. We were on WAFF 48 yesterday and have we been busy. I included our new commercial, hope you enjoy.

Our Customers...Our Friends

This is dedicated to one of our first customers John Gonzalez.
We served our famous Nacho Blanco at the Taste of Home Cooking School yesterday. A lady came by the table and said that one of our biggest fans was laid to rest today from Meridianville. I immediately knew it was John Gonzalez. John was one of our first customers when we opened in 2005. He came because he wanted to find "good Mexican food", I guess we did okay because he kept coming. He brought his wife, he brought his son, and yesterday he brought us this lady. She said, "you can always know he was spreading the word about you, that's why I am here today." Thanks John, not just for being a great customer, but for being a friend.

Delmore Days Bluegrass Festival

I have been working very hard to get the information out on the "Delmore Days Bluegrass Festival" that will take place on July 18th and 19th at Athens State University. The event is being hosted by the Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce. We are recognizing bluegrass legends Alton and Rabon Delmore they were from Athens, AL and still have relatives that live in this area. I believe it is going to be a great event that the family can enjoy. Bradley Walker will be the headliner with many other acts participating. I am using all the marketing strategies I know how. If you have any suggestions let me know. blanco256@yahoo.com
Look at http://www.delmoredays.com/

Athens Intermediate School Students

The Athens News Courier recently did their "Design-an-ad" project. They get 5th and 6th graders to design advertisements for local businesses. I have to say the 5th and 6th graders at Athens Intermediate School did an excellent job. They are a very talented group of young people and it was nice to see their good work. I appreciate the News Courier for developing this project to get young people involved in the community.

I believe!

Do you believe in the American Dream? Do you believe that you can achieve your goals? As a small business owner, I believe. Since 2005 I have been doing and living exactly that. Is it difficult?, you better believe it. I believe in overcoming obstacles and not placing blame on someone or something else when things seem to go south. You have to make it happen! You have to believe in yourself! There are so many opportunities out there, it is a matter of reaching out for the opportunities and know how to maximize those opportunities.
When I was in High School I was a successful placekicker on the football team. I worked hard and many hours were dedicated to the goal of being the starting placekicker at the University of Alabama. The work and the dedication did not culminate in the achievement of that particular goal, but it set a standard for myself, a work ethic. Now, as I dedicate myself to the work at hand I consider the dedication and perserverance of that time earlier in my life it is still a driving force today. Dedicate yourself, stay motivated, don't wait for opportunity to come to you, pursue it!, if you have to, create it!

Hospice Chili Challenge

I enjoyed some good chili and friendly people at the 20th Annual Hospice Chili Challenge fundraiser. Athens has much to be proud of, and one of those things is the strong support of the community for events like this. Participation comes from all around from the chili contestants to the sponsors who donate items, to the public attendance. If you can come to Athens, I believe you will find an enjoyable place to visit.

My Grandfather

The person who has played the biggest role in my life is my grandfather Lynn Headrick. He grew up in Texas, working hard in the hot cotton fields in the southern region. He is no longer with us, but his memory and the example he set for those around him is still living. He was a deep believer in education both in the academic sense and in religion. He spent a significant part of his life dedicated to preaching the Gospel. He is greatly missed.

Tortillas Blanco Website

Read our story @ www.tortillasblanco.com

In The News

Tortillas Blanco On FOX 6 News in Birmingham

In August our restaurant and factory were highlighted on FOX 6 News in Birmingham. It was fun for us and the customers that day.

California Dreamin'

It is always nice to have customers from the west come into our little restaurant. At the onset they describe themselves as great judges of good mexican food. Of course, we do our best to provide great products at Tortillas Blanco so I am pretty confident that we'll get their approval. Then the food comes out and the comments begin, "this is great", "I have had some good mexican food in my day but, this...this is good". We had that opportunity yesterday with a couple from California. It is so much fun and rewarding to offer a product like ours in Athens, AL where generally expectations are low for good mexican food. We are proving one customer at a time, "Fresher is Better".

A caring little girl

Yesterday, a little girl about 8 years old and her grandmother came into the restaurant. Of course yesterday was President's Day, a day out of school for most children. The little girl approached the counter and her grandmother said that she had been washing windows all day to be able to purchase her daddy a gift certificate to our restaurant. Wow! I thought, that is terrific!, what a precious child. It is great to see the kindness of people and to see it in a little girl that could have been doing many things that would have been much more fun on that holiday, but she wanted to do something special for her daddy.

Opportunity Knocks

Starting your own business isn't easy. It takes hard work, dedication, and a substantial amount of risk. I am now 28 years old and I got "wrapped up" in the tortilla business at age 25. My search for "what do I want to be when I grow up?" had many challenges. I worked at many different jobs from the time I left college to starting my business. I am not unlike many people my age, searching. I was always looking, looking through the "Help Wanted" ads, looking for ideas, looking for opportunities, anything that looked promising. I really got to a point of being discouraged, feeling that I had the ability but, not finding the right place to put it into motion. I look at my motivation for my business now and see this as fulfilling. I would tell people just like myself who are struggling through the "real world" to keep looking, striving to achieve. My opportunities in fact were created through those past jobs that were so discouraging it only added experience and cleared the trail for the path I am going down now.

Blanco's Famous Chips

My name is Mark White, my wife April and I own and operate Tortillas Blanco. Here we make fresh tortillas and chips every morning and run our restaurant the rest of the day. It is a bit unusual to see to non-Hispanic people operating a typically Hispanic business, but over time we have proven ourselves to be very good at what we do. Our famous Blanco's Original and Cinnamon Sugar chips are now available at 7 different locations across North Alabama. We have great customers and enjoy our business very much. It's not to say we don't have difficult times as with any business, but it is rewarding to see customers enjoy our food and feel what we're doing is worth it. I look forward to sharing some thoughts and ideas with you through this process.