As he gestures to his surroundings in the West Side restaurant, Alfredo Frías comments on the history all around him: “Everything tells a story,” he says. “There is a story to everything on the wall.”
The room where Frías sits is known as el cortijo, or “the arena.” Its walls are adorned with photographs of bullfighters, a bullfighting costume that was given to his father, murals and paintings of flyers and a running of the bulls. The smell of fresh enchiladas and tamales is distinctive in the air.
Boca Chica has two other main rooms—the Aztec Room and a room named “El Grito.” In these rooms, hundreds of years of Mexican history are represented.
Frías can recall the stories and legends entirely from memory. He presents them during the 40-minute presentation he gives to students as a part of the restaurant’s educational outreach program. He discusses Mexican history from the Rev. Miguel Hidalgo y Castillo to Emilio Zapata, and then the students learn how to make salsa tortillas.
A section from one of the colorful murals at Boca Chica.
Living Legacies
Fifty years ago, Alfredo Frías’ parents, Gloria and Guillermo Frías, opened Boca Chica. Then, the restaurant was made up of a single room and no more than 28 seats. Alfredo Frías still remembers the first day’s sales: $65. “It would be another year before we sold that much again,” he says.
Alfredo is responsible for the massive expansion of the restaurant, which has since grown to accommodate 200 people. And now, the third generation of the Frías family is growing into the business.
“Everyone has their legacy. My grandfather did, my grandmother did, my dad will, and, for me, I have to find different ways to help us out,” says José Frías, Alfredo’s son. In the past five years, José says, he has slowly taken on most of the responsibilities of running the family’s business.
But José is not alone. All three generations of the Frías family are still very involved with the business. His grandmother Gloria comes into work every day. He feels the constant influence of his family members, who have invested so much in the restaurant through the years.
“For example, the little details are really important to my grandmother,” José says, “from straws to napkins to the precise flavor of food. If she walks in the door and sees someone wiping up a wet spot with five or six napkins, she is beside herself. She’ll say, ‘Why aren’t you using a towel?’” When Gloria Frías opened the restaurant, every penny was key in determining whether or not the restaurant stayed open. It is details like this that remind José he has something to learn from each generation that went before him.
Still, he has a goal of growing the business. He has implemented a catering service and has the future of the restaurant in mind -- a vision for the future which can cause the family to butt heads, he admits.
“But the good thing about our family…” José starts to say as he makes knowing eye contact with his father across the table. “We’re still together,” his father interrupts, half-joking.
Many Histories
Back in the el cortijo room, José examines the familiar walls. “This room is more of a tribute to my grandfather than it is anything else,” he says. “He was a huge fan of bullfighting.”
If you look closely, José suggests, amid the symbols of Mexican myths and legends and paintings of bullfighting flyers, you can see the names of his family members: Alfredo, Gloria, Guillermo, and others. The walls of the building, now fifty years old, tell stories not only of Mexican history, but the long, lasting story of the Frías family.
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Boca Chica Educational Outreach Program
All ages welcome
$35 for presentation, plus $11.50 for buffet
20–30 minute presentation
11 Cesar Chavez St.
651.222.8499
