La Loma owners take the reins at the Cafe of the Americas
NORTH LONGFELLOW—On April 14, The Resource Center of Americas, 3019 Minnehaha Ave. S, welcomed the new incarnation of its Café of the Americas, now under the management of Enrique and Noelia Garcia, owners of the local La Loma restaurants.
The expanded menu features La Loma’s tamales, as well as enchiladas, burritos, sauces, slow-cooked beans, Mexican rice and licuados from among Noelia Garcia’s recipes.
Scott Chamberlain, communications coordinator for the Resource Center of the Americas, said the Mexican cuisine brings a more authentically Latin feel to the café, which was previously more of a sandwich shop with “accents” of Latin American food.
Though the layout of the café remains the same, the Garcias plan to bring in new furniture and chairs, said Chamberlain, and the owners have committed to putting their first three years of profit back into the facility to upgrade facilities and kitchen.
The April 14 grand opening was a proper Mexican fiesta, with a mariachi band, food samples, and even a priest to bless the new café in both Spanish and English.
Chamberlain said the move fits with the center’s mission of partnerships with immigrant entrepreneurs. Though the center has been proud of its staff in the past, it was better to leave the management to professional restaurateurs, he said.
last revised: June 14, 2007