Wichita’s ‘Elote Man’ has a supportive community by his side amidst his long road to recovery
By Sofia Galvan
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WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) — Wichita’s Elote Man, who you might recognize for selling his staple Mexican corn in North Wichita, is on a long road to recovery from a series of medical issues.
Just when he thought he was healthy enough to return to selling his elote, he was taken to the hospital again because of a heart issue. Now, he’s back out, and people in Wichita are stepping in to help.
Don Alberto Quesada, also known as the Elote Man, says after recovering from his hernia surgery in August, he decided to go back out and sell elote.
“I was selling corn on the cob when I started feeling a little pain right here in my chest,” Quesada said. “As soon as I sat down on the bench, I felt even worse. My vision blurred for quite a while, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even speak. They called an ambulance to come get me.”
Quesada says this happened on October 4 and says he was at the hospital for three days.
“I thought I was doing fine, but you know how it is,” Quesada said. “If it’s not one thing, it’s the other.”
Quesada is a familiar face to many for selling Mexican street corn on 21st Street in north Wichita.
After several medical issues, he says he now struggles to do simple movements when preparing the corn.
“You see, you need your hands,” Quesada said. “For instance, to grab the corn cobs from the cooler, and then you use your other hand to hold them in place while you add the cheese, mayonnaise, and everything else, before handing them over to the customer.
As his family’s main provider, not returning to his stand has been a financial burden.
That’s why Empower, Wichita By E.B., and many more are planning a lunch benefit for Quesada on October 25.
Empower By E.B. sent KAKE News a statement that read, “I invite the community to come out Sunday to Empower and support a local legend in the Wichita food scene. Let’s come together and show Don Alberto Quesada how uplifting and supportive Wichitans can be.”
“It seems like he kept attempting to keep going and, you know, start selling again, but it seems like his health just didn’t allow it,” Sally Aguilar said. “I think from that, the community became more aware of what was happening, so they obviously wanted to do something.”
Sally Aguilar, small business director with Empower, says the benefit on Sunday will go from noon to 3:00 p.m.
“We’ve connected with some of our local entrepreneurs that’ll be here as well, supporting vendors who plan on having some of their proceeds go to help Don Alberto as well,” Aguilar said. “I know that we have several volunteers that’ll be here to help sell the corn and just kind of make sure that we can raise as many funds as possible.”
Jacob Clark and Wichita By E.B. will ride Quesada’s elote carts for him from his house to the event.
Clark said in a statement, “I’m happy to be a part of the Elote Man Benefit. He’s a local legend here in Wichita, and right now, he just needs a helping hand. I’ve always loved being able to support people in our community, and seeing Sally and the amazing team at Empower, Wichita by E.B., Eddy at Pinole Blue, and so many other people and local businesses come together and use their talents to elevate an individual that means so much to his community.
Vendors such as Happy Hermans, Buck Wild Jerky, Consuelos’s Street Grill, and others will take part in supporting Quesada.
Scott Blosch with Happy Herman’s, in a statement, said: “When we heard about the opportunity to give back, it was an immediate yes for us. We’ve been so impressed by the way the Wichita community continues to show up for one another, and we’re thrilled to be a part of something that makes a positive difference.”
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