Most locals are already familiar with the quaint atmosphere and
yummy dishes at Do
ña Esther’s Mexican restaurant in San Juan Bautista, a community
favorite for more than two decades. But most are probably slightly
less knowledgeable about the establishment’s unique history, and
its owners’ determination to make it succeed.
Most locals are already familiar with the quaint atmosphere and yummy dishes at Doña Esther’s Mexican restaurant in San Juan Bautista, a community favorite for more than two decades. But most are probably slightly less knowledgeable about the establishment’s unique history, and its owners’ determination to make it succeed.
“We’ve just always had faith that we have something good to offer our customers and that they’ll keep coming back if we treat them well,” said Tami Castaneda-Huaracha, who manages the restaurant with her father, Alfonso Castaneda.
Doña Esther’s started as Castaneda’s desire to honor his grandmother, who he says was one of the most influential people in his life. His mother, a single mom, had to work full-time to support their family; as a result Castaneda spent a lot of time with his grandmother and grew very close to her.
“She was truly a great woman – a very strong person and of course a great cook,” he said. “She always said that she wanted to open a restaurant here in San Juan Bautista, because she knew it would do well.”
Sadly, she died before her vision could become a reality, but Castaneda never forgot his grandmother’s words. As an adult he became a butcher for a Hollister grocery store. He enjoyed the work and became familiar with different food safety regulations, which would prove useful later.
“I even had my eye on this place,” he said of the building which now houses his restaurant. “But it was always being used by someone or another. I knew the guy who owned it and asked him to keep me in mind, but nothing ever happened … until one day he called me and said, ‘Well, I guess it was meant to be.'”
Five businesses had come and gone in the five years prior to Castaneda moving his restaurant in to the building, but he and his daughter had faith that things would work out well for them. They even had the name already picked out.
“There was never any question to me what the name should be,” Castaneda said. “My Uncle Robert was also an important person in my life, and he always treated my grandmother with respect. Every time he spoke to her he called her ‘Doña Esther,’ so I knew that’s what the name should be.”
Since its opening 25 years ago, the restaurant has expanded considerably. What was once just a small dining room in the front of the building has roughly doubled seating capacity, and a bar and banquet area have been added as well.
Castaneda-Huaracha, who helped her father start the business when she was still in high school, has assumed the responsibilities of a full co-owner.
“He runs the back of the house, and I run the front,” she said. “It works really smoothly that way.”
The restaurant is still very much a family business. Castaneda-Huaracha’s son has a part-time job and many nieces, nephews and cousins are employed as well. Other employees have been working there for so long they may as well be family.
“I’m very proud of the fact that we have people here who have been with us for 25, 20, 19 years,” Castaneda said. “You don’t see that a lot in this business. I think it says that we’re doing something right.”
They certainly must be, judging from the awards hanging on the walls of the dining room. Locals have voted Doña Esther’s as having the best margaritas, salsa and brunch in the county, and in both 2002 and 2004 it was selected as one of the top 50 Hispanic restaurants by Hispanic Magazine, a national publication with a circulation of nearly 300,000.
“We were so surprised when it happened; we didn’t know anyone had been here from the magazine,” Castaneda-Huaracha said. “It’s an honor, a real compliment to our food and especially our staff. We wouldn’t be anything without them.”
Doña Esther’s is famous for a few specialty dishes that bring diners back again and again, including their menudo – a beef tripe soup usually eaten on weekends or special occasions – and albondigas, a traditional meatball soup. Customers also rave about Doña Esther’s homemade pasta and chicken soup.
“It has everything good in it – chicken, garlic, vegetables. It really tastes homemade,” said Cindy Vasquez, a longtime customer enjoying a bowl with her daughter Nikkie. “It’s kind of a different thing to order at a Mexican restaurant, but it’s my favorite.”
Doña Esther’s thrives on business from tourists who visit the Mission City on weekends and for festivals, like most of the small shops and restaurants in town, but relationships with local customers are what make the job rewarding.
“I went to Hollister High with him (Alfonso) and I’ve been coming here since they opened,” said Frank Valadez, enjoying a plate of nachos supreme. “The food is good and so is the service.”
“We need the tourists, but the locals are the ones who keep our doors open,” Castaneda-Huaracha said. “Many, many of them have become our friends. And being able to hear that they appreciate us is really rewarding.”
The business can be challenging, however. Many people don’t realize how much effort it takes to keep everything running smoothly, Castaneda-Huaracha said, particularly in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“Business really has taken a hit since then – everybody in San Juan has felt it,” she said. “Just drive down the street and see all the empty and closing shops. We (business owners) stick together but you can still see the difference.”
But the family has invested too much time, money and effort to simply walk away from the restaurant, weak economy or no.
“Sure there are times when you think about it, it’s a 24/7 job and it’s hard,” Castaneda-Huaracha said. “But our blood, sweat and tears are in this place. It’s embedded in us.”
For his part, Castaneda says he plans on phasing himself out of the operation slowly and handing over the reins of Doña Esther’s to his daughter entirely within a few years, and begin a well-earned retirement. But he suspects he could never stay away entirely. And for the foreseeable future, at least, Doña Esther’s will stay a family affair.
“Our dear Lord was the kind of person who served people and took care of them,” Castaneda-Huaracha said. “And if that’s good enough for Him, well it’s good enough for us, too.”
