"Time with those we love is the greatest gift as today’s little moments become tomorrow's precious memories."
Cecile and I babysat our granddaughter Lyla on Friday and our daughter Michelle and son-in-law Kyle asked us to join them for dinner at Celia’s Mexican Restaurant in San Mateo, a stone’s throw from where they live. Asking Kyle if he likes Mexican food would be liking asking him if the pope is Catholic.😜 Celia’s, which has an extensive menu and great non-machine made secret blend Margaritas is one of his favorites.
Michelle, Kyle, and Cecile had Agave Margaritas and I had a frozen strawberry Margarita along with tortilla chips and guacamole for the table. For our main entrees, we feasted on vegetarian fajitas with fresh tortillas (no lard), Tostada chicken salad, cheese, and chicken enchiladas. Kyle and I had a beer with dinner. The only missing was a mariachi band, but we had Lyla to keep us thoroughly entertained.
Political pundits who argue over the immigration policy might consider the story of the late Celia Lopez-Rodriguez and her late husband Perfecto Lopez. In 1955, five years after they were married, Perfecto immigrated to San Francisco to raise enough funds to bring Celia to the United States one year later. The couple had to work 16-hour days in local restaurants for three years before they could afford to bring their four children to join them.
In 1961, with money they had saved, the founders of Celia’s opened a cafe in the Outer Sunset District of San Francisco. They served burgers, fries, and milkshakes in a largely Irish neighborhood. When they expanded their business to include dinner, they experienced a slowdown. Following her intuition, Mrs. Lopez-Rodriguez insisted they should introduce Mexican food on their menu. Her husband disagreed, believing it would never sell in the neighborhood. Celia began sneaking out a few enchiladas to their regular customers and within a week’s time, lines formed out the door and the rest, as they say, is history. They changed their name to Celia’s Mexican Restaurant. Rather than franchising their business, each future restaurant was owned and operated by different family members using recipes Mrs. Lopez had brought with her from their small town in Jalisco, Mexico.
Having grown up very poor in a town with no paved sidewalks and no roads, Celia and her husband Perfecto had achieved the American Dream and lived to see their grandchildren go to college.
