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Made in the 956: Texas Cafe: Three generations of family tradition

Made in the 956: Texas Cafe: Three generations of family tradition
1 month 4 hours 6 minutes ago Tuesday, October 22 2024 Oct 22, 2024 October 22, 2024 2:42 PM October 22, 2024 in News - Local

In Rio Grande City, there's a café with decades of service to the Rio Grande Valley community, but the food is not the only good thing they're serving up.

Texas Cafe is a Starr County staple and recognized as a Texas Treasure. It's a restaurant that's been standing for almost a century and continues to provide a place of comfort for many customers.

"The one that started it all was my grandfather in 1939, Clemente Garza Sr," Texas Cafe owner Becky Garza said.

Texas Cafe is a special, one of a kind place in the heart of Starr County.

"The comradery here, when people come here and talk to each other," Becky said. "It feels like home, you know."

The café serves more than just food. They've been in service for 85 years, and Becky and her family have been running the local eatery since it opened.

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The restaurant was named a Texas Treasure by the Texas Historical Commission.

"We were nominated by Mr. Ryan Guillen and his wife, and we went through the whole paperwork," Becky said.

In order to be named a Texas Treasure, you have to meet certain requirements. The business has to have been in continuous operation for 50 years at the same location and by the same owners.

The honor was bestowed upon them in 2019.

While the food at Texas Cafe is well known in Starr County, it also provides a sense of family and warmth.

Texas Cafe even has its regulars, a group of men from Starr County who have a table right in the middle of the restaurant.

They've sat there for decades and talk about everything from politics to everyday life.

"King Arthur's Roundtable, that's what I call it in English, but it's called Mesa Directiva. They have their little board meetings there, they want to try and save the world problems, it's so interesting listening to them because they know everything and they do," Becky said.

Chema Alvarez is a member of La Mesa Directiva. He says he spends his mornings at the café before heading home.

"16 years old when I started coming here, it's been my home away from really," Chema said. "Home style cooking is done every day, and that's what the people like."

The café is known for a famous dish, their envueltos.

"It's chile con carne rolled inside a tortilla rolled up like enchiladas, and then you put the chile con carne on the top," Becky said.

Becky says the envueltos were her grandfather's recipe. She showed a menu from 1943 and each generation adding a different dish to the menu. From her father's chicken fried steak to her fried shrimp.

Over the years, they've persevered through many challenges.

"I'm not saying it's been easy, we have had struggles here and there. The economy right now is not that great, so it's a little struggle, but we're still here," Becky said.

Providing good food that's not only good for our stomachs but for the soul.

Texas Cafe is this week's Made in the 956.

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