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Ismael and Guillermina Villasenor, My Parents
It all began more than 40 years ago when my parents, Ismael and Guillermina Villasenor, left their hometowns in Mexico to make a new life in the United States. My mother was 17 and my father 25. My Mother thought that she was leaving her hometown to go “dancing with the stars” and live happily ever after. Boy, was she innocent! She had no idea my father was going to turn her into a working machine right along his side.
My parents immigrated from Mexico to San Francisco in the 1960's and later moved to Napa. Back in those days Napa was known for the State Hospital, now it's wine, wine, wine! Times sure have changed.
“Villa Azteca”
The move to Napa was the beginning of my father's ambitious desire to have his own business and create his own Mexican foods. In 1972, our little family business started as “Villa Azteca”, a small family-run Mexican Restaurant. My father was the cook and my mother was the waitress and they made every person that walked into our restaurant feel as if they were family. My brothers, sister and I worked right along their side. My father is a creative soul who had an urge to bring to Napa the taste that he missed and longed for from his home in Mexico.
The name changed to Villa Corona, and was a marriage of my mother's maiden name (Corona) and my father’s family name (Villasenor). My parents also produced and delivered cheese twice a week for 14 years to all the Mexican Markets in San Francisco’s Mission District, and still found time to run a restaurant and raise five children. I remember the drives to Dixon where we would purchase milk from a local dairy to produce the Mexican Cheeses. I remember driving past the Nut Tree and occasionally making a stop. Who would have thought then that I would be opening our 4th restaurant there some 35 years later!
The Legacy Lives On…
My brothers, sister and I still operate the family businesses, but my parents are now retired and living in Mexico. Carlos Santana is also from my father's hometown. So yes, this place is unique and has a tendency to create artists, musicians, and also great chefs like my father. My Mother is from a town 15 minutes away where people are as friendly and welcoming as she is. My father had the vision, but without my Mother he would have not gotten very far.
As you can see I have nothing but admiration for these two wonderful people who have given me the ability and knowledge to follow in their foot steps.
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