From food truck to family-run restaurant: El Cerrito opens doors in Orrville
ORRVILLE ― When Luis Garcia dreamed of opening his restaurant, he wanted to go beyond what most Americans associate with Mexican cuisine.
Through El Cerrito he brought the vibrant flavors of Mexico’s street food scene to life, offering an authentic taste of the popular dishes he cherished from his homeland.
After around six years of working in Mexican-American restaurants, Garcia opened a food truck with his wife, Susana Quinteros, in Orrville in 2015.
“It was first located at the parking lot of the laundromat on Cherry Street then moved to High Street with the new one,” Garcia said.
The name El Cerrito was inspired by a popular restaurant in Garcia’s hometown in Mexico.
“We thought of many Mexican names, but we wanted to make it easy to pronounce,” he said.
However, El Cerrito wasn’t limited to Mexican street dishes alone; it also featured a delectable array of Salvadorean dishes, influenced by Garcia’s wife’s heritage.
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As Garcia was responsible for cooking tacos and burritos, Quinteros cooked pupusas and tamales with the help of her mother.
Pupusas are cornmeal bread stuffed with cheese, beans, and pork. Tamales are steamed cornmeal dough, wrapped in banana husk, and filled with chicken and veggies.
Quinteros and Garcia remember making as little as $100 in sales at the beginning.
“The first couple of years were difficult because the dishes we served were different from what is familiar in most Mexican restaurants,” Garcia said. “And most people are afraid to try something that they don’t know.”
With the hot spices of Mexican food and the sweet taste of Salvadorean, Garcia, and Quinteros made a fusion of dishes from the two countries. They created their own sauces, beans and rice.
Soon enough, they became famous and had customers coming from surrounding areas like Wooster, Kidron and Smithville.
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Most of the customers came for the tacos and pupusas as they became their signature dishes. By 2019, their sales increased by almost 80% and they were able to save enough to open a restaurant.
“Food trucks are also complicated to run,” Garcia said, noting that, between the hot days of summer and the extreme cold in winter, it was sometimes hard for them to open.
“Sometimes the winter freezes my hands,” Quinteros said.
When Garcia found out Mr. Hero on Hostetler Road was closing, he saw an opportunity to rent the place and, after eight years, finally open a restaurant of their own.
“We changed the paint and floor, but most of our savings went for the kitchen and equipment,” he said of their remodeling efforts.
Quinteros trained employees to cook their dishes, while Garcia is responsible for taking orders with their 16-year-old daughter, Grace.
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El Cerrito opened to customers July 11. They had a busy day, opening at 11 a.m. and mostly selling out by the 8 p.m. closing time.
Garcia and Quinteros said they are grateful for the trust and the opportunity they were first given by the Laundromat owners when they started the food truck.
They want to continue with their business and serve more customers.
“We used to work seven days for 14 to 16 hours; it’s good, but it’s hard, it takes a lot from your life,” Garcia said, noting he and his wife want to vacation and spend more time with their children.
The restaurant, at 135 Hostetler Road, is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 pm. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Dining in Orrville OH: El Cerrito serves up Mexican, Salvadorean menu
