White women's burrito shop is forced to close after being hounded with accusations it was 'culturally appropriating Mexican food and jobs'

  • Kali Wilgus and Liz 'LC' Connelly opened Kooks Burritos in Portland, Oregon 
  • The two friends did so after taking a trip to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico, last December 
  • While there, they learned the basics by 'picking the brain of every tortilla lady' 
  • 'They wouldn't tell us too much, but we were peeking into the windows of every kitchen, fascinated by how easy they made it look,' Connelly told a magazine
  • Many accused them of stealing by looking into the windows without permission 

By Liam Quinn For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:16 EDT, 24 May 2017 | Updated: 16:07 EDT, 24 May 2017

Two white women have been forced to close their pop-up burrito shop after they were accused of cultural appropriation.

Kali Wilgus and Liz 'LC' Connelly opened Kooks Burritos in Portland, Oregon, after taking a trip to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico, last December.

For the first few months, the weekend pop-up shop housed in an taco truck was a smash hit. It gained so much popularity, a local weekly newspaper decided to profile the entrepreneurial duo.

But that's when the trouble started for Wilgus and Connelly, after quotes they gave to the Williamette Week led to them being accused of stealing their success.

Kali Wilgus, who opened the burrito store, is pictured
Liz 'LC' Connelly, who opened Kooks Burritos with her friend, is pictured

Kali Wilgus and Liz 'LC' Connelly opened Kooks Burritos in Portland, Oregon, after taking a trip to Puerto Nuevo, Mexico, last December

The store initially a success, but it was forced to close after the duo was accused of cultural appropriation. Pictured is a meal from Kooks

The store initially a success, but it was forced to close after the duo was accused of cultural appropriation. Pictured is a meal from Kooks

Explaining their trip, Connelly told the newspaper: 'I picked the brains of every tortilla lady there in the worst broken Spanish ever, and they showed me a little of what they did.

'In Puerto Nuevo, you can eat $5 lobster on the beach, which they give you with this bucket of tortillas. They are handmade flour tortillas that are stretchy and a little buttery, and best of all, unlimited. 

'They wouldn't tell us too much about technique, but we were peeking into the windows of every kitchen, totally fascinated by how easy they made it look. We learned quickly it isn't quite that easy.' 

Those comments were latched onto by a food blog in the Portland Mercury, which accused Wilgus and Connelly of 'preying' on the women they met in Mexico.

Pictured is one of the burritos the Portland pop-up store sold to a happy customer before it was closed

Pictured is one of the burritos the Portland pop-up store sold to a happy customer before it was closed

After the duo gave an interview, many took to social media to accuse them of stealing from another culture

After the duo gave an interview, many took to social media to accuse them of stealing from another culture

'This week in white nonsense, two white women—Kali Wilgus and Liz 'LC' Connely—decided it would be cute to open a food truck after a fateful excursion to Mexico,' the piece opened.

'The owners of Kooks Burritos all but admitted in an interview with Willamette Week that they colonized this style of food.

'So let’s recap the story thus far: These two white women went to Mexico, ate tacos, and then decided they would just take what the locals clearly didn't want to give them. 

'If that wasn't bad enough, they decided to pack up all their stolen intellectual property and repackage it.'

The piece went on to claim getting the weekend taco truck closed was a 'victory' in Portland - a city it accused of having 'underlying racism'.

'These appropriating businesses are erasing and exploiting their already marginalized identities for the purpose of profit and praise,' it stated.

Many on social media and the comments section of the Williamette Week article shared in the outrage.

Pictured is a burrito posted on Yelp by one of the store's creators, Liz Connelly

Pictured is a burrito posted on Yelp by one of the store's creators, Liz Connelly

Many defended the duo after news spread that it had been forced to shut up shop amid the accusations

Many defended the duo after news spread that it had been forced to shut up shop amid the accusations

'Stealing is in their nature so I'm not surprised. They're not creative so they had to get the idea from someone,' Tee McNeill wrote on Facebook.

'Kooks Burritos is now closed. Good riddance!' Jonas Lord said.

'Awww, so you nice ladies stole hard-working and low-income Mexican women's tortilla recipes and are now turning a profit. That's not white basic privilege at all. #disgusting,' Alicia Dominguez commented.

'Now that you all boldly and pretty f***ing unapologetically stole the basis of these women's livelihoods, you can make their exact same product so other white ppl (sic) don't have to be inconvenienced of dealing with a pesky brown middle woman getting in their way. Great job,' Shauna MacKinnon added.

However, after news of the closure spread, many came to the defense of Wilgus and Connelly.

'1. Burritos are from L.A. 2. Tortilla making is easy and not a secret 3. Breakfast burritos=white people food,' one person wrote.

'Seriously!!!!? Do you not think they were speaking metaphorically "looking in people's windows"? She ended up with a tortilla recipe she developed herself and she puts french fries in them. Such cultural appropriation,' another said.

'Oh my god. you cannot be serious,' another wrote.

'If learning how to make a food from another culture and selling it is now considered cultural appropriation, then why not take this issue up with the successful Portland businesses that have been doing this at a much larger scale for years, and stop harassing these two women struggling to start a small business,' another added.

Kooks Burritos has deleted its website, Instagram account, Facebook page, and Twitter profile.

Comments 317

Share what you think

  View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

  View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

What's This?

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.