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 Uncomplicated, cheerful, spontaneous, a good conversationalist, a good hostess, that is Luli, a woman that as years go by and with the support of her family, has positioned her restaurant, the Estudio Café in Nuevo Vallarta, nurtured it like a dream, along with her husband, painter Federico León de la Vega.
Luli was born on September 28, 1969 in Navojoa, Sonora, born in a traditional family, she strives to make her young daughter Victoria grow with the values that will make her a woman with principles, the same principles imbued in her, a kind and compassionate character, a strength and loyalty that have won her the appreciation and recognition of her clients and friends.
What are your parents’ names and what were their best teachings?
Refugio Tarango Borunda and Guadalupe Flores Alcaraz, they taught me to respect others, being humble, helping people, getting to know them and value them for what they are, not what they have, I also have an older brother and a younger sister named Guadalupe.
Who are your family?
I am married to Federico León de la Vega and we have a daughter named Victoria.
“I imagine things, I take them and I repeat them so that they become a reality tomorrow”. |
What is the best teaching you can give your daughter?
I would like her to be able to value what we are doing for her, because our parents taught us that life is changing and that children are being very materialistic from an early age. I feel values are being lost, that every time there are more dysfuctional families. I would like Victoria to have a solid family, not to go from one bed to the other but to marry someone who really loves her, it does not matter if he is single or divorced; a woman almost like those in the past, as our parents taught us, I married Federico, I was not with anyone else and I would like to transmit to Victoria all these values, it is very hard, because they say that here in Vallarta is where there is agreater number of single moms, I am therefore fighting those ideas.
What values guide your life?
I like respect, loyalty, loving people, being honest, not having hidden interests, because I can be as good a friend to the man who sweeps outside as to the governor, to me there are no differences between people. It’s quite simple, I want to come through with this family business we have, and by we I mean Federico, Victoria, Lupita and I.
"I feel values are being lost, that every time there are more dysfunctional families" |
How do you define yourself?
I am very cheerful but get hysterical too, I am mainly really very cheerful though people make me mad sometimes, maybe because menopause is drawing closer (she smiles, amused), I try to show my best face though sometimes I withdraw from saying things, though knowing it is not right to do so. But I am a cheerful, positive woman, though I have to cope daily with those who blow my top, saying they did what they were supposed to do knowing it isn’t true. That really bothers me, when people aren’t truthful it bothers me.
What are your virtues?
I think people like me, I attract people, I try to help people, it is something I have always enjoyed, I am respectful and loyal.
 Your defects?
I get angry, I cannot lie, I cannot be with a person I know is lying to me, then I become transformed, I feel I need to be more loving, I do not show it, my parents were like that, but I know they love me, I am not very cuddly though, I am a rather colder mom, Federico has said it, but I demonstrate my affection in different ways, like serving, being warm, not with hugs and kisses, that was never me, never will be.
What is your strength?
Well I believe in God acts in that respect, for if I did not believe in God I would have done in quite a few already (she laughs jokingly).
"(Family) They are those you really can count on, they are your real friends, because they will honestly tell you the good and the bad, because a friend will sometimes pretend to agree with you just to avoid an argument or hurting you". |
Your weakness?
When I am angry I am blinded and cannot think, I think I become like a crocodile that does not think, I go numb and get even, be what may I feel no pain, I feel nothing, I’m quite visceral, I’m like that.
What makes you sad?
A cloudy day, I don’t like grays, I also get sad when getting to know some people, you open your heart, your home, your table and people change in a blink of an eye, I never lived through that, because when I invite you to my house I do it with joy and no other interest, and when people change I just cannot understand them and it makes me sad, because I start to wonder, where did I go wrong, what am I doing wrong and I would like to know. It is good to know what people think about you, because you may think you are right and you may be wrong; for your own personal growth it is good to know it. Well, people turning against you makes me sad, just that, I have no other reason, because I am whole, I have a life, I have everything.
What makes you happy?
My restaurant being full makes me happy, I make money, when everything is working very well, we are all in harmony, when I read a verse of the Bible, when the day is very sunny and all in my family are doing well.
Are you religious?
I believe in God.
"(Goals) Having peace, being healthy, being united with my family, staying together through differences we sometimes have, being at peace with all is what I would love the most". |
What is God?
To me He is everything, without God we would not be anything, He gives and takes away from us.
What is your passion?
Listening to music, going to the movies and eating nachos with extra cheese.
What are you afraid of?
Before, I was afraid of death, but not now; I think I am afraid of people because you never know what they are really like, sometimes you don’t know who you are dealing with.
What are your hobbies?
I like to be with my family, I like to place flowers around the house, candles, beautiful music, having a glass of wine, going to the beach and sunbathing, though I cannot do it anymore because I am getting pimples in the face; I like eating some great tacos they make at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, I truly enjoy being with my family, although we freak out sometimes, like all do, but I love being with them.
Are you an idealist?
Oh yes, of course, I imagine things, I take them and I repeat them so that they become a reality tomorrow. Like finishing my house, like Federico becoming an excellent painter, like the Estudio Café being recognized as the place where two sisters started from zero and grew little by little for their good food, for their honesty. I want to grow as a person and make our economy grow too; I think one thing will lead into the other, that is what I keep idealizing; like Lupita being like in a restaurant we saw in a movie. With No Reservations.
 What is your best memory from childhood?
Oh, I had many friends, everyone called me to play baseball, to go bike riding, jumping ramps we placed on garbage cans; I was like a boy, afraid of nothing, my brother was more of a chicken than I was. I was like a macho, but a macho girl, I did everything; I remember my childhood was full of happiness, I had a beautiful childhood, very happy, there was never anything precocious or anything, we played, we jumped the rope on a bike and were thankful for everything.
What has been your toughest experience?
Wne I became a mother in 2001, I had no money, Victoria fell ill, we had no money for anything, we had 40 pesos, that made me very sad because I felt that we were not going to make it through with Victoria; we who had received a better preparation than my parents, and I had never seen such a situation at home before.
What has been the best decision you ever made?
¡Ah! Marrying Federico, for sure, he is a good person.
"(Love) I like respect, loyalty, loving people, being hones, not having hidden interests, because I can be as good a friend to the man who sweeps outside as to the governor, to me there are no differences between people". |
The worst decision?
Having played along when Federico decided to invest in the stock market in the US; we lost it all, that was between 1999 and 2000; a bad decision I do not recommend taking to any outsider.
Are you superstitious?
Yes, as I do not walk under a ladder, in new year’s I wear everything, red panties, yellow for money, I throw water around, all those things, rattling coins, I do all that, but no longer as a superstition, rather as a tradition, it is amusing.
How long have you been married?
Thirteen years, a hardy woman, uh?
How does one carry on with marriage over a long period of time?
Well, in a family where my parents have been married for 41 years, I don’t know what a divorce is because I have not lived through one. I married a divorced man and I still don’t know what the consequences are for a man in those circumstances or what a divorce brings about. Then on one side is what my parents taught me, I come from a traditional family, married, and I love the idea of mom and dad being always there and I want Victoria to always find her parents there; we will always have troubles but I believe the secret is tolerance and respect; and when you cannot cope with him anymore, send him away to San Sebastián, to stay a good while at the hotel del Puente and leave him there a few days, and when we see each other again, we do with great joy.
What is a family?
They are those you can really count on, they are your real friends, because they will honestly tell you the good and the bad; because a friend will sometimes pretend to agree with you just to avoid an argument or hurting you.
What hurts you about the place where you live?
I am saddened by a project they want to build here, people who do not live here want to build it in front of our marina, of our malecon, that has made me somewhat sour, because although we have the law on our side, it takes so long, so much bureaucracy; we have been fighting for over two years, not only us but other neighbors as well and we get no resolutions, nothing. But I am happy about all the rest because there is no such thing as a perfect place, I live in a beautiful place in front of the marina, when I open the windows I can see all kinds of sceneries from morning to night and those are marvelous, natural views and I think there are very few places where you can have this.
What would you like to give back to this place?
 I think we are all giving something back; we celebrate a Christmas Festival every year and a Cultural Festival in February and I think people already recognize us as the place in Nuevo Vallarta where there is something more, not in a hotel, you are outside; people like it because it is family style, people know we are not hitting the jackpot; we simply celebrate the Christmas Festival because we are grateful for all the beautiful things we get from the Lord, and it is a way to say thanks, we gather a lot of people, they are pleased listening and we are pleased seeing them and more people come every time.
How did you get started into restaurants?
It all started by accident, we did not plan on it, but thank God I have a sister who is a gifted cook, she is very discreet, I am the talkative one and Lupita always liked cooking, not me, I always enjoyed more chatting, getting to know people and all. We started it as an accident, we had a beautiful place and we decided we wanted to share it somehow, it was also Federico’s idea.
What is the hardest part of the business?
As it is very much a family operation, we don’t have many people, because we have come to love the people that work with us very much and I feel that it is a family that has grown. Our Coconut Shrimp nights have already become famous, bringing as many as 200 people a night, it is almost impossible to take care of them all. It is the stress, that’s the hardest part, and people who arrive in a bad mood and do not want to be talked to, like the guy who arrives sweating and you offer him a lemonade or soda and he says yes, but sometimes people arrive with their book and start to read. I believe you are just meant to say good afternoon, what can I do for you, serve them water and don’t disturb them again.
What do you find as most satisfactory?
To have people come and recognize you every year. Being congratulated even if you are not the most famous person or restaurant in Vallarta. People who are thankful, who bring their family and friends to you, it personally makes me feel very good, being recognized for what you are.
What do you long for the most?
Having peace, being healthy, being united with my family, being together in spite of the differences we have at times. Being at peace with all is what I long for the most.
How would you like to be remembered?
As the cheerful, positive, dynamic woman, and bring a loud brass band to my burial (she smiles). E-mail to a friend
Miguel Angel Ocaña Reyes
Vallarta Opina Newspaper
E-mail: miguelangelocanareyes@hotmail.com
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