A hard-earned luxurious life

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- She remembers being drawn into the kitchen by the

wonderful smells of tomatillos roasting on the fire and chicken broth

stewing in a pot.

Just tall enough to peer over the counter top, Margarita Avila watched

as her mother prepared authentic Mexican cuisine in their Guanajuato

home.

“My mother’s cooking was made out of love. You could taste it in every

dish,” Avila said in Spanish.

Over the years, Avila became more familiar with the family recipes and

transformed them into her own masterpieces.

The perfect mix of fresh ingredients and the hard work of the entire

Avila family became a recipe for success, igniting a chain of Southland

Avila’s El Ranchito Mexican Restaurants.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of a family business that now has

locations in Huntington Park, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Corona del Mar,

Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Lake Forest. Although

most of the locations are in Orange County, the dream started in the

largely Latino community of Huntington Park.

Salvador and Margarita Avila, now 78 and 76 respectively, came to the

United States in 1956. After 10 years of hard work in various factories,

the couple decided to open a family restaurant, serving Margarita’s

authentic meals.

“My recipes were all in my head. Not one was on paper,” she said.

Salvador worked out the business details while Margarita stayed busy

in the kitchen. The couple worked 12- and 14-hour days to ensure the

business’ success, they said. Salvador would drive his late model station

wagon to Los Angeles and pick out the freshest produce while his wife

began the timely process of marinating the meats and preparing the sauces

from scratch.

When the school bell rang at 3 p.m., the couple’s six children would

go directly to the restaurant to serve and bus for the busy dinner crowd.

“I wanted my children to be a part of the family’s success and know

the benefits of hard work,” the patriarch of the family said.

While it required a lot of time, the restaurant business was more of a

passion than a job, Salvador Avila said. He still cherishes his

friendships with longtime customers and employees. Everyone at his

restaurant is like family, he said.

The success of the Huntington Park location allowed the family to

expand the business. It is now a very profitable venture and the family

moved from a modest house in Los Angeles to one that overlooks the

Pacific Ocean.

Today, the couple has traded long hours at the restaurant for

leisurely lives in their Corona del Mar home, allowing their children to

run the eight restaurants. Salvador Avila trains for marathons, running

about six miles at least three times a week. He says running clears his

thoughts. He is known for his commitment to running and is almost a

legend in his Spy Glass Hill neighborhood.

Margarita Avila still spends her time in the kitchen, but cooks for

her 13 grandchildren rather than hungry customers. The entire family

lives within a two-mile radius of the Avila’s home and they gather often

for home-cooked meals.

While the couple’s success has offered their children and

grandchildren more luxuries in life, the Avilas say they are confident

the work ethic was handed down.

“My work ethic was demonstrated by sweat and long hours at the

restaurant. My grandchildren will not have to do the same type of labor,

but their work comes in the form of studying hard and going to college,”

Salvador Avila said.