When Art Santa Cruz came to
Lansing from New Mexico more then 35 years ago, he didn’t arrive with the plan to create the now-legendary pair of Mexican restaurants known to locals as simply "El Az." Rather, he was following a romantic pursuit.
"That didn’t go so well," Santa Cruz says, "but I don’t have any regrets about the rest of it."
"The rest of it" includes founding
East Lansing’s
El Azteco restaurant, and soon after, the Lansing arm of the El Az family located on West Saginaw. That location celebrates its 30th anniversary Feb. 5.
The all-day festivities will include karaoke, a mariachi band, food and drink specials and more. But according to Santa Cruz, the real celebration is being able to appreciate the community he’s grown over the past three decades.
"The people who work for me have been like an extended family," he says.
That family now includes more the 160 employees during the busy season. It takes that many to serve the steady stream of customers, make the homemade tortillas and work with local suppliers.
"We’re very imbedded in the local economy," Santa Cruz says. "I’ve gotten farmers to grow things for us. We get very few things from outside the Lansing area."
All this is true despite initial local skepticism that an authentic Mexican restaurant would even work in Lansing.
“When I first came here, people would go out for a nice dinner and either get a steak and potatoes or a nice plate of chicken and potatoes," he says. "There wasn’t much variety.
"It’s been really gratifying to me to have met so many people who are open-minded. People have embraced me and brought me into the community."
Source: Art Santa Cruz, El Azteco
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
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