Rene Valenzuela is Tampa’s own phoenix; the 55-year-old chef has risen from the ashes before, and is asking for help to do it again.
The V.M. Ybor location of Rene’s Mexican Kitchen was heavily damaged in a fire last Wednesday, Sept. 30. Valenzuela has created a GoFundMe page to support reopening efforts.
Valenzuela started Rene’s Mexican Kitchen as a food truck in 2018. The business has since grown to several trucks and the brick-and-mortar V.M. Ybor location in the shadow is El Reloj at J.C. Newman Cigar Factory, opened in 2023…