A new restaurant in Latham already has a proven track record in Virginia and Maryland with an owner that grew up in the business.
After opening its doors a month ago, El Charro Mexican Grill held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 952 Troy Schenectady Road.
Owner Patricia Garcia is from Virginia, where her parents own restaurants and where she was introduced to the business. She also owns restaurants in Maryland, but moved to the Capital District to be closer to her husband’s family
“My parents have had restaurants forever in Virginia, for like 25 years, and my husband has family in Syracuse, so we came here” said Garcia.
A real estate agent had been looking for a property in the Albany area for Garcia, and when the spot became available, she jumped at the opportunity.
“He had been looking for a while, and as soon this became available I came up to see it, and I really liked the area, and I liked Latham,” said Garcia.
The restaurant features Mexican food and has Mexican décor with lots of windows and an open dinning area. Garcia said the atmosphere is something she gets a lot of compliments on, but it doesn’t overshadow the food.
“I think our flavors are a lot more original than other Mexican places,” said Garcia.
Being in the food business requires hard work and long hours, but the gratification Garcia said she gets from happy customers makes it worth it.
“Just seeing people walk out here happy and that they’re satisfied is what I like most about it,” said Garcia.
Already looking to the future, Garcia said she would like to add other restaurants to the area after this one takes off.
Garcia’s husband is the head chef at El Charro, making it a real family business. Her uncle Fidel Villasenor also came up from Maryland to help get the place running.
“We’re a real family business. We started 27 years ago in Virginia and North Carolina, then moved to Maryland, and now were here,” said Villasenor.