[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          RECOGNIZING La PLAZA

 Mr. RISCH. Madam President, millions of American businesses 
have found their start in the living rooms, backyards, and garages of 
aspiring entrepreneurs. Harnessing individual creativity and work 
ethic, a talent can grow into a lasting enterprise. I wish to honor La 
Plaza, a restaurant from my home State of Idaho, whose hard work and 
dedication to quality has seen growth and prosperity while enhancing 
the local community.
  Founded in 2003, La Plaza offers unique and traditional Mexican fare, 
including an assortment of moles made with chocolate and dried peppers, 
to diners and visitors in southern Idaho. Guadalupe ``Lupe'' Loza and 
her husband, Chon, originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico, never 
planned to own a restaurant until their infant son required long-term 
hospitalization and they needed to fund his medical bills. As a self-
taught chef, Lupe Loza started making tamales and empanadas in her 
kitchen and selling the food directly to local dairy workers and 
observers on local soccer fields. As her fans multiplied, and driven by 
the philosophy that ``farmers can dig the dirt and plant the seeds, but 
they can't make the plants grow,'' Lupe Loza took a leap of faith and 
opened the restaurant in a converted two-car garage, where customers 
sat at folding tables and ate off paper plates.
  Today, La Plaza operates out of a 1,992 square foot space on Buhl's 
Main Street, located on the old Oregon Trail in the western half of 
Twin Falls County. The Lozas are dedicated to creating and serving 
authentic Mexican cuisine and making costumers feel like they are 
eating at home with family. It is not surprising that after 11 years, 
La Plaza has received overwhelming praise from its diners and the 
larger community. The from-scratch food and ``grandmother's house'' 
feel have made La Plaza a local staple and traveler's destination. The 
small, yet diverse menu is updated frequently, accommodating customer 
feedback, requests, and favorites. From carne asada tacos to bacon-
wrapped cheesy jalapeno bites, customers drive many miles out of their 
way to sample La Plaza's authentic Mexican cuisine. The restaurant has 
also expanded to cater at local venues, including the annual Cinco de 
Mayo celebration for the Latinos Unidos at the College of Southern 
Idaho. The Lozas dedication to excellence has earned La Plaza a five-
star rating on Yelp, the second-highest rated restaurant in Buhl on 
Trip Advisor, and a 90 percent customer satisfaction rate on Urban 
Spoon.
  Over the past 11 years, La Plaza has doubled in size, and the 
homemade ranchero fajitas are now served on china plates instead of 
paper plates. I hope La Plaza's story will inspire others around the 
country to chase the American Dream. I congratulate the Loza family and 
the entire La Plaza team on their success, continued growth, and 
exemplary reputation for quality. La Plaza represents the best aspects 
of American entrepreneurship and is a credit to both Idaho and the 
Nation.

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