The Story Of
Our Nana Vera
Sonoran beginnigs to the Pittsburgh food we love today.
Elvira G. Manriquez 1923-2012
Elvira Granillo was born in the mining town of Sonora, AZ on January 23, 1923.
Married June 6, 1948, Alberto & Elvira “Nana Vera” Manriquez pictured with Father Angel who performed the ceremony at St Helen's Church.
Elvira and Alberto Manriquez had a
Mexican restaurant in Sonora, AZ called El Charro Cafe.
This is where she honed her recipes and perfected the
Sonoran style dishes we still serve today.
This photo features Elvira's cousins Isabel & Nancy at El Charro.
After the mine closed the town and they relocated their family to Apache Junction, AZ.
Elvira and Alberto opened Elvira’s in April of 1965. Where it was one of the best Mexican resturants in the region.
Elvira’s was owned and operated by the family for 46 years until the business was sold in 2011.
Just like
Elvira's, all of our dishes are made from scratch with great
care and
love.
One of Nana’s staples is the
hot sauce that we serve with
every dish. It was always on the table with a bowl of
fresh tortilla chips to greet patrons when they came into the Mexican
restaurant.
We are continuing the tradition with our version of her hot sauce. The water and the tomatoes are different in the North which gives the sauce a more rich and full bodied texture.