 Getting him to sit still long enough for an interview is about as
easy as catching the wind with a tennis racket.Monday was the
first day that his new restaurant, Lizzy's Place, was open, and even
after a large lunchtime crowd had left, Cesar was still busy. He was
talking to diners, running back to the kitchen to check on food and
talking to staff between moments of telling his story.
He came to America to fulfill his dream 22 years ago. Going back
to the beginning, Cesar is from Old Mexico as he calls it. As a
third-grader, he quit school to help take care of his 3-year-old
brother so that his mother could work to provide for the three of
them.
At that early age he began cooking for his brother and mother to
help with the burden at home. The family menu was often sparse, with
Cesar saying that sometimes all they had was an egg and a few
tortilla shells for the three of them.
At the age of 10 he began working for a traveling circus to help
his family. He sent the money home to provide for the family he now
saw only a few times a year.
At 15 he made the trek to America to fulfill his dream.
Proudly he said he learned to replace the anger at his early
circumstances and realized he had to stop living in the past and
embrace his future.
Like many immigrants, he took what work he could find -- that
being in a restaurant in Chicago. Cesar's work ethic served him
well, and in only eight months he was running the kitchen, working
hard and learning how to be a chef.
Although he has had no formal training, Cesar's desire to succeed
has taken the place of a formal education quite well. He said that
once in New York, he competed in a top chefs' competition and came
in 20th out of 256 contestants. He worked as a training chef for
several large chain restaurants over the years, but his dream always
was to have his own eatery.
Cesar has a restaurant in Chestnut that he and his wife, Rosa,
opened up three years ago and are continuing to operate.
How did someone from Old Mexico end up in tiny Chestnut, let
alone open another restaurant in Lincoln? This story is one of
Cesar's favorites so he slowed down long enough to tell the tale. He
had an aunt who lived in Peoria, and she invited him to come and
stay with her for a while. Although Cesar was content where he was
and thought he was just visiting, she said she would help him find a
job locally.
In only two days, his aunt said she had found him a job at
Jonah's Sea Food Restaurant in East Peoria.
It was while in the Peoria area that he met and married Rosa.
Cesar's dream of his own restaurant became part of Rosa's dream as
they worked and saved for the day. Then they heard of a small
restaurant available in Chestnut and decided it was a perfect size
for a couple to make a living.
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Cesar said that in his Chestnut restaurant he had many customers
from Lincoln who asked him if he couldn't come to Lincoln. He knew
about the success of the now-closed Tropics. After a while of
hearing much encouragement, Cesar decided to open Lizzy's Place,
which is named after his daughter.
Cesar's energy is infectious to his staff. His day manager,
Melissa Beals, who worked at the Chestnut restaurant, says that they
have been waiting excitedly for Monday to come to show Lincoln what
they can offer in food selection and service.
Cesar says he is excited that with a larger population he can
expand his menu. And it is certainly a large one. They offer
breakfast any time of the day or night, and the breakfast choices
are plentiful.
A salad bar is also regularly offered, besides several specialty
salads you can order.
The restaurant offers the standard burgers plus specialty
sandwiches, pasta dishes, steaks, pork dishes, chicken and seafood
to allow everyone in a family to have their favorite dishes at the
same location.
They also will have a Sunday brunch from 10-2.
The hours are also hungry customer-friendly: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday
through Thursday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7 a.m.-7
p.m. on Sunday.
Their easy-to-get-to central location in the Woodlawn Savings
Center at 819 Woodlawn Road is sure to be a plus too.
With the first day a success, the 20-member staff at Lizzy's
Place is excited and raring to go to make the new restaurant a
success. As Melissa said, "We have to make sure everything is right
because we want our customers to keep coming back."
If the smiles on the faces of the diners on Monday were any
indication, they will happily be coming back often.
[By
MIKE FAK]
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