New Mexican restaurant in Columbus wants customers to feel like part of the family
A longtime dream of owning a family business has come true in the form of a new Mexican restaurant in Columbus.
La Huerta opened on Airport Thruway on Jan. 21 after the family’s uncle spearheaded the idea. The name means “the orchard.”
Owner Juan Torres has co-owned another restaurant in North Carolina for approximately 35 years, said Jose Torres, Juan’s nephew and co-owner. Juan began thinking about opening another restaurant that would be owned and operated by his family a few years ago, Jose said.
Juan called Jose, who was working in construction at the time, and the two hatched the plan. They decided that the two men, along with Jose’s wife Jessica, would partner to open a restaurant.
At the time, no one in the group lived in Columbus, but Juan wanted to open the business somewhere in Georgia so it could be closer to where Jose and Jessica lived in Lawrenceville.
“He’s not a big city type of person,” Jose said.
After researching the demographics of small cities around Georgia, Juan believed that Columbus would be a good location because of its diversity. Around 46% of Columbus residents identify as Black or African American, 42% identify as White, 8% identify as Hispanic or Latino and 6% identify as two or more races, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Jose travels a lot because of his work in construction, he said, so when he came to Columbus he was able to take some time to figure out where they could open La Huerta.
It was during one of those trips when Jose found the building on Airport Thruway near the Walmart.
Although opening a restaurant had its challenges because of the pandemic and inflation, Jose’s ability to do much of the construction work himself along with other family members helping out allowed them to minimize delays and costs.
After 15 months, the Torres family was able to open.
While Jose and Jessica continue to commute to Columbus, Juan has now moved to the city
“(Juan) felt right away that Columbus was a place where he could reach out to people and grow,” Jose said.
Authenticity, fresh food and family
The food and service are the priorities for the Torres family.
Juan is passionate about his food, Jose said, and whenever the family would eat at different restaurants his uncle was quick to provide his family with his critique of the food.
“He puts his love into what he wants (for the restaurant),” Jessica said. “He tweaks everything. If he doesn’t think it’s up to his expectations, he’ll change it.”
The restaurant lives up to the freshness implied by its name as Juan demands all his ingredients be fresh.
“(Juan) doesn’t believe in reheating rice for the next day even if it’s leftover,” Jose said. “He wants everything to be fresh.”
His uncle wanted to bring a piece of Mexico to Columbus with the restaurant with not only the food, Jose said, but also with the furniture and decor.
All of the furniture was imported from Mexico, Jose said. On the back of each chair there’s a different image representing the country that was hand painted. Juan traveled to Mexico and purchased the artwork hanging on the walls throughout the restaurant.
Almost everything in the building was imported from Mexico, other than light fixtures and other infrastructure, Jessica said.
Juan wants the restaurant to feel a little fancy, Jose said, but at the same time like a part of Mexico.
Ultimately, his uncle’s main priority for the restaurant was bringing the family together, Jose said.
“Mainly it’s great having given the opportunity to other family members to come work, be together and prosper,” said Jessica translating for Juan.
He likes that the Torres family now have a business for their family and don’t have to work other people, she translated.
When customers come into the restaurant, Jose said, it’s very likely that they will run into a member of the Torres family. While the adults are working, it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of their kids helping out.
The Torres family hopes to welcome their customers in Columbus into their family when people come to the restaurant to eat, Jose said.
“The people of Columbus should feel like whenever they come here they are family,” Jose said. “It’s the way that we feel. We treat all of our customers, all of our family members, the way that we want to be treated.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
