Equal Latin serves Mexican food, burgers, pizza -- and the American dream
About six months ago, new downtown Olympia restaurant Equal Latin quietly moved into the space on Fourth Avenue once occupied by Ramblin Jacks, which suddenly closed in late December.
Now, Maria Isabel Guzman, 37, is a business owner for the first time in her life, 20 years after coming to the U.S. from Jalisco, Mexico.
Guzman’s Equal Latin serves family-inspired Mexican dishes as well as traditional American fare such as burgers and pizza with a Latin twist.
Guzman also has a story to tell.
In 2000, Guzman, still a teenager but already married, moved to the U.S. with her husband. She had family in this country, so they settled on Catalina Island in Southern California, but eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio.
Once there, Guzman went to work for the Bob Evans restaurant chain and learned the business and its family-style meals. Meanwhile, after seven years of marriage to a man she described as jealous and over-protective, even keeping her away from her own family, Guzman realized it was time to escape that marriage. Her husband went to work one day at 5 a.m. An hour later, Guzman and her sister, with $350 between them, hit the road and drove to the Olympia area where they had family.
“It was hard, but it made me strong,” said Guzman about her first years in the U.S. “I’m not scared anymore.”
In Olympia, she went to work at Pepper’s Mexican Restaurant on Cherry Street and continued to learn the restaurant business. She also met landlord Richard Castle, who also happens to own the space once occupied by Ramblin Jacks, she said.
With his help and encouragement, Equal Latin opened in late April, she said.
Although it was a dream to open her own business, it also was hard and she doubted herself at first. “I wanted to just be an employee,” she said.
Her large family has helped. Her mother, father, a brother and a niece work at the business, plus other family members have chipped in as well.
One of the restaurant’s more popular items is her father’s recipe for carnitas. A typical entree might come with a choice of rice or beans, but Guzman also offers a choice of seasonal vegetables or Latin soup. The soup is a homemade combination of beans, chorizo (ground pork) sausage and bacon.
Not to worry, though: Guzman also has a vegetarian and vegan menu, she said.
And she’s not done. Guzman has plans to open a second business, a clothing store, in January.
Equal Latin Restaurant & Bar
Owner: Maria Isabel Guzman
Location: 520 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
Employees: 10, including family.
Online: Find Equal Latin on Facebook
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Did you know? Guzman has seven brothers and five sisters.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Equal Latin serves Mexican food, burgers, pizza -- and the American dream."
