Delmi Sanchez:

Restaurant Owner and Entrepreneur and OPAL Tenant

Twenty years ago, Delmi gave up her career as an English teacher and left El Salvador to seek new opportunities in the United States. She arrived on Orcas Island determined to create a better future. She juggled multiple jobs — cleaning homes and cottages, preparing food at cafés and restaurants — sometimes working 17 hours per day. 

“I didn’t have a life,” she says. “I just worked.”

Her aspirations expanded when her daughter Samantha was born. To provide for Samantha, Delmi wanted to do more than get by from month to month.  Finding affordable housing for her larger household became a priority. Fortunately, they were able to rent an OPAL apartment. This stability allowed Delmi to dream bigger. 

Today, Delmi has her own restaurant in the heart of Eastsound. She found an available space, then purchased equipment and furniture, one piece at a time. The first winter was difficult. There were moments when she wondered if the business would survive. But she persisted, and with the support of people who believed in her, Delmi’s Tacos has become a community gathering place — where friends meet for lunch, families celebrate special occasions, and visitors experience the island’s warmth and hospitality. 

For this family, an affordable home means Samantha is growing up in a stable community, helping in her mother’s restaurant after school, and dreaming about her own future. It’s not just a home for today, but a foundation for the next generation.