Lexington, KY - It was late 1991 when three brothers ventured north to Lexington with the hopes of turning their culinary aspirations into a reality. Their dream became the venerable Rincon Mexicano Restaurant, the Chevy Chase staple that will celebrate its 20th anniversary in January -- and the fiesta isn't stopping anytime soon.
The local restaurant has come a long way since being an idea that was discussed at the Salas family dinner table in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The family's eldest brother, Octavio, loved cooking next to his mother and learning the tricks and flavors native to their region of Mexico.
"Oh, his salsa," said the youngest Salas sister, Maria Veronica Budar, who is now one of the several owners of the family business, along with her husband, Sergio Budar. "He made the best homemade tortillas. Everything he and my mother made was always so special and delicious."
Twenty years ago, Veronica explains, the influence of Mexican culture, especially its cuisine, wasn't as abundant in Lexington, and a lot of the items and ingredients on the restaurant's menu were considered foreign.
"I can still remember (Octavio) in the kitchen making chorizo fresh from scratch. Now you can buy it in the store, but then you couldn't find it anywhere," she said. "Avocados weren't available in the area either. Octavio went to Louisville and Cincinnati to find them."
Looking across the restaurant's festive and inviting dining room, Sergio remembers Rincon's early days. "It wasn't originally like this. It was very, very basic," he said. "The brothers did everything. There was one cook, one manager and one server."
When his wife's three older brothers, Octavio, Luis and Jorge, opened the original Euclid location back in 1992, Sergio said it was the result of many years of hard work, saving and sacrifice.
Since that time, he and his wife have worked together to help lead the family toward success despite the tragic deaths of two of the brothers.
According to Veronica, the idea for the restaurant began while Octavio was working in Florida, picking strawberries and oranges, and saw vendors selling tacos on the street.
At the time, the brothers held various restaurant jobs in Georgia and Tennessee; Luis became a manager at a restaurant in Chattanooga, Tenn. "The Mexican restaurants really started to boom about that time," Veronica said, referring to the fortuitous time.
The brothers continued to work and save. With the help of their parents, monetarily and emotionally, they decided to get courageous and open their own establishment --
they just didn't know where.
After several trips north on I-75 from Chattanooga, Luis found the ideal location in a small building between a college area and a well-off neighborhood, right above another Chevy Chase staple, Charlie Brown's Restaurant.
Recognizing her business acumen, Veronica's older brothers recruited her to work with their restaurant, and she has helped manage Rincon in Lexington since 1998. She and Sergio were married in 2001 and have worked tirelessly to bring Rincon to its splendor, partly in honor of the efforts of the three Salas brothers.
"They did the basics for us, and we are thankful for that," Sergio said. "The least we can do is take care of the business and help with the opportunities for growth."
Two years ago, a second Rincon location opened in Harrods Village just south of Man O' War on Harrodsburg Road, and the family is constantly thinking of new ways to set trends and standards in the industry. The Harrodsburg Road location is being completely re-realized, with an adjoining gift and general store set to open in March.
The new store will feature everything from garden trinkets to kitchen items. The entrance to the addition will remain at the door to the Harrodsburg restaurant and will be conjoined with the waiting area for the restaurant.
The happy couple explained that it's all in the name. "Rincon is Spanish for a small place in a part of a room, or a small hidden place in a room," Veronica said. "We are constantly making improvements but we also want to honor the way my brothers did it, making the food taste like it did in our hometown, or at our home, and give the opportunity to have that feeling to our customers."
The co-owners agreed the restaurant wouldn't be the same without the wonderful customers and regulars they've had through the years.
"It's good to know that people love to be here," Sergio said. "We don't make big changes to our menu, because we know that's what our customers want. But we do look for improvements to put on the menu whenever we go back to Mexico."
"We want to make 2012 a year of celebrating all the
years and wonderful customers," the couple said.
Visit the restaurants' website, www.rinconmexicanorestaurantky.com, in January for specials in honor of the 20th anniversary milestone.