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When
Francisco Urrea Escoboza was casting around in his mind for a name for a
fine dining restaurant he planned to build on a hill in the Fraccionamiento
Gaviotas in 1974, he remembered visiting a palatial landmark in Toronto
which had impressed him. Decorated in warm reds with plush European accents,
the Toronto showplace hosted weddings for princesses and society fundraisers.
Its name was Casa Loma—a house on a hill. He adopted the name and today
his restaurant, built to resemble a house on the gentle incline of Avenida
Gaviotas, remains true to his fondness for classic elegance and warmth.
Francisco Urrea pass-ed away in 1991, leaving his wife Irma Dora Hansmann,
two daughters and two sons with wonderful memories of his life and work.
“My father was born in San Francisco,” said Eduardo, the family´s elder
son and now manager of the Casa Loma. “He lived there until he was 17 years
old, then moved to Mexico City where he worked as a bellboy in an hotel.
His mother was Mexican, born near here in the town of San Ignacio. He became
a Mexican citizen and moved to Mazatlán.” His father came to the attention
of the Manager of the Balboa Club, which at that time was the finest private
club in Latin America, located close to the ferry docks. His perfect English,
personal charm and management expertise soon landed him the position of
General Manager of the Balboa, a position he thrived on for thirty years.
“He was the kind of manager,” son Eduardo remembers, “who never sat in his
office. He walked around the halls, greeting guests and employees. If he
passed a room with an unmade bed, he´d walk right in and make it himself.”
It was during his term at the Balboa that his father met Ronald Reagan who
often stayed at the Club. Reagan began visiting Mazatlán while an actor,
and continued to come |
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while Governor of California. “The family history is that he even came to
our Casa Loma Restaurant when I was younger,” Eduardo grins. “My father
told us he was very excited because Reagan came with the President of Mexico,
both of whom were attending a meeting in Mazatlán. My father said Telmex
employees swarmed into the restaurant to install security lines, and the
entire street was blocked off by the army. The thing he remembered most
about Reagan was he liked his beef well-done. Reagan wanted to make sure
it was completely dead.” From the time the children were young, their father
introduced them to the restaurant business. “When I was five or six years
old, my father told me to put on a pair of black pants and a clean white
shirt and taught me how to clear tables, greet guests and clean ashtrays.
My sister, Anita, helped with the restaurant decorations. She loved Art
Nouveau, but my father was classically inclined so his ideas prevailed.
My mother helped with buying fresh vegetables, meat and seafood and doing
the laundry, my sister Irma took reservations and my brother Francisco began
with washing dishes.” When Francisco Urrea died in 1991, the management
of the Casa Loma fell to Eduardo and his mother. Eduardo was just 18 years
old. Since then, both he and his brother Francisco have alternated attending
university and running the restaurant until now Eduardo holds a degree in
Hotel & Restaurant Management, and Francisco one in Business Administration.
The family owned and run restaurant continues to be a charming, warm and
friendly place where the menu has changed little from its opening day in
1974. The only difference is that instead of his father, Eduardo now welcomes
you at the front door, while Francisco ensures your meal is expertly prepared
and served. As their father always said, classic elegance never goes out
of style. |
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