Los Angeles – After working for years as waiters in Texas – and saving and planning – Francisco and Patricia Jimenez took the leap and opened their own restaurant in California, a Glendale eatery that already numbers some Hollywood stars among its regulars.
In 1989, after managing to save up enough money for start-up costs, the couple rented a small building at 3445 North Verdugo Road and founded the establishment known as “La Cabañita.”
“The restaurant was a success from the first month,” said Patricia. “Already in the first month we had a waiting list.”
For the family it was a big surprise to learn one day that among its many customers were actress Elizabeth Taylor and actor Kevin Costner. Other prominent figures in the world of Hollywood would later be sighted at the restaurant.
The couple put their success down to several factors: the Mexican recipes of Francisco’s mother, attention to the customers and the tight-knit group of family members – including the couple’s three children – and close friends that manage or work at “La Cabañita.”
Patricia recalled that, when she and her husband were painting the outside of “La Cabañita,” people would ask what kind of restaurant it would be. When the couple said it would be Mexican, they were told there were already many of that type in the area.
“But when the people came and realized the food was different from the other restaurants, they asked ‘where is this from?’ and I told them: ‘from Mexico, they’re my mother-in-law’s recipes and that’s how we cooked there in (Mexico City),'” Patricia said.
Francisco added that even a dish like stuffed chilies is prepared in five different ways depending on the different type of sauce used.
Like many immigrants, the Jimenezes arrived in the United States from Mexico in 1981 with the idea of forging a better life for themselves.
“The reason we came was to work, study and get ahead,” Francisco told EFE. “There in Mexico I worked as a sales representative for a cardboard factory. And we didn’t have any experience in restaurants.”
Patricia said that when her husband came to San Antonio he found work in several restaurants, but worked the longest in one known as “La Fogata.”
“He began as a busboy and then moved up to being a waiter; later he was a manager, while I worked as a waitress. And that’s where he got the idea that we could start our own restaurant,” she said.
It was in 1984 that the couple decided to move from San Antonio to Los Angeles and make their dream a reality. Their restaurant, located in the L.A. suburb of Glendale, initially only had space for 40 people, but, thanks to a loan from the Small Business Administration four years ago, they were able to expand the establishment to a 100-seat capacity.
Recently, the owners of “La Cabañita” won the 2006 Jeffrey Butland prize, which is awarded by the SBA’s Los Angeles District Office each year in recognition of efforts to start and maintain family businesses.
“We share in the pride of winning this award, because after so many years of effort alongside them it means that that work as a team has gone well,” said Raul Espinoza, who has been an employee of the restaurant for 14 years.
Patricia, for her part, said that she and her husband have always felt fortunate.
“But a prize like this one … there’s so much competition, the city is so big that we said: thank God, who has helped us so much.”
