The holidays for us are always busy with guests, and of course . . .the holidays!. This year was no exception. We had guests from Virginia, New York, Florida, Michigan, Texas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and even Tabasco, Mexico and Australia. This year we had women traveling by themselves, friends traveling together, families with adult children and their spouses, a family of three generations - grandmother, mother and 2 year old granddaughter, and couples. The amazing thing is people who perhaps under different circumstances would not have a reason to say "hello" on the street, become such great friends so quickly making their first mole at La Villa Bonita at what is supposed to be such a hectic and stressful time during the holidays.
I attribute it to the "commonality" of food and the culture that goes along with it. If you enjoy good food, like to travel, and are open to appreciate another culture, you have so much in common with other people who on the surface seem so different. In this day and age, we tend to compartmentalize and categorize everyone. Society gives you a label and you are supposed to act in accord when in reality there are so many other areas of common ground that people of different walks of life share.
When you come to La Villa Bonita, you have made a conscious decision to not "veg on the beach" during your vacations. You appreciate learning about another culture and are open to try new things. You are a "learned" person -- not necessarily with titles or degrees -- but with a thirst for knowledge and new experiences. And, of course, you must love food. If you have all of those qualities, you are very likely to enjoy this type of vacation at La Villa Bonita and have lots of things in common with our guests. But there is no template for who our "normal" guest is with respect to age, race, sex, or nationality.
I have to admit that I was very pleased this year because it was such a great cross-section of all the guests of different walks of life that come together making their first tortilla from scratch. It makes my job so much fun to see how people of such seemingly diverse paths converge and enjoy themselves.
Peace, love and good food,
Chef Ana
