El Ranchito Restaurant will mark 50 years of business in the City of Action with a celebration of their humble immigrant roots to iconic business success on Saturday, April 15 from noon to 3 p.m. at 3048 Atchison St., Riverbank.

Luz Elena Yepez-Tinajero had an entrepreneurial spirit and vision. Her passion and love for food started at the young age of nine. Later, she opened a small eatery in her hometown of Morelia, Michoacan, cooking tacos, tostadas, enchiladas and pozole while her husband worked in the United States.

Mrs. Tinajero immigrated from Morelia, Michoacan Mexico in 1961 to Modesto. After working at a downtown Modesto restaurant called Tampico for six years as a cook, she was invited to come work at El Ranchito restaurant which at the time was a small little shack. Her role as a cook was a short stint for Mrs. Tinajero, because the owners of El Ranchito decided to sell the establishment after only owning the business for six short months. They offered to sell the restaurant to Mrs. Tinajero in 1967. Although her husband, Jose Dolores Tinajero was not in favor of the idea of owning a restaurant, Mrs. Tinajero persisted and managed to convince her husband that owning their own restaurant would be the key to their financial stability and success.

For 50 years the Tinajero family has long been recognized as running one of the best Mexican restaurants in the region. They credit family unity, dedication to the profession, great food, excellent customer service and loyal customers as the keys to their longevity and business success.

Mr. and Mrs. Tinajero had five children: Ana, Carlos, Ruth, George and Alejandro.

You can walk into El Ranchito any morning by 9 a.m. and find Mrs. Tinajero and her children prepping for the day ahead. Each recipe is a specialty of Mrs. Tinajero and her love of food.

The 50-year Anniversary celebration will include mariachi music, which is Mrs. Tinajero’s favorite and will follow with a blessing from the Catholic Church and a musical ensemble of dancers.

For more information, call El Ranchito Restaurant at 209-869-0196.