Blueroadrunner.com discovered the following
memoir on the internet some time ago. It paints a nostalgic
portrait of San Felipe as it was in simpler times.
LOOKING BACK TO 1947
Greetings from Fullerton, CA.
I'm a former resident of San Felipe and I was pleasantly
surprised to see that there is a web page that I can look
up information and the latest news! It's like being in
touch with that wonderful community that I still feel
part of. I want to thank and congratulate you for offering
this opportunity to the rest of us to discover or re-discover
as in my case, the wonders and achievements of this thriving
little town. Allow me to present myself: My name is Alan
Rene Camacho- Hellin. I'm presently a full time student
at Fullerton College with an intended major in Environmental
Analysis and Design.
This is my story:
My family settled in San Felipe in 1947 --my
grandmother Casey Hellin and my uncle Arnold Hellin (my
mother's brother). They both raised my three sisters:
Cynthia, Adrianne and Lidiette and myself after the passing
of my mother Olga Hellin in 1964, when we went to live
with them in San Felipe. Casey and Arnold were very hardworking
and enterprising people; They lived in North Hollywood
were my grandfather worked for Universal Studios as a
graphic artist before settling in San Felipe. After the
onset of the Korean War, my grandmother decided to leave
the US to keep my uncle from being drafted (a decision
he always regretted, probably because he felt like a deserter)
and after very humble beginnings with the opening of the
first "Tortilleria" which sold corn tortillas
to a population of immigrants of the state of Sonora and
the south of Baja that were accustomed to the flour variety
of tortillas.
Since
they were trend setters, they continued with the business
until it picked up with new arrivals from the state of
Sinaloa, where they consumed corn tortillas. In the meantime,
Arnold was given a female piglet which he named "Ursula"
and that pig grew so big with all the unsold tortillas
that one morning, when the low season called "Piojillo"
was approaching, my grandmother announced triumphantly,"I
got the solution for our economic problems. We're opening
a restaurant!". When Arnold asked how she proposed
to finance that venture since they didn't have the money,
she told Arnold that she had seen in a dream the face
of "Ursula" the pig, framed by a spoon and a
fork
Ursula had to be sold, to the dismay of Arnold because
she followed him like a dog and recognized his whistle.
But a good son as he was, raised within the strict catholic
doctrine, and he abided his mother's wishes. I was told
that he cried all the way to Mexicali (he was 19 years
old)] where Ursula had to be sold. When they got to the
place of sale, the pig refused to got off the truck and
a worker hit her on the snout with a shovel, breaking
her front teeth and sending a gush of blood. Arnold, seeing
this, had to be contained by two friends that accompanied
him from smothering the man! This was the beginning of
a successful business enterprise: Arnold's Del Mar motel
& cafe that for over 24 years operated in which nowadays
is the site of another successful business: The Rockodile!
Part 2
At the begriming grandma Casey Hellin didn't
know anything about the restaurant business, but being
the entrepreneur she was she went around this small pitfall
as follows: every time an American customer asked for
a dish she didn't know how to prepare she would tell them,
"I'm sorry Sir/Madam, our cook is ill today and I
don't know how to prepare your order, but if you would
be so kind as to step into the kitchen and show me how
I'll be glad to do so!" The customer would look around
at the three or four rickety tables in the place, knew
that she couldn't afford to pay a cook and with a knowing
smile would follow grandma to the kitchen and so she would
stand right next to the customer and learn the dishes
the customer liked! Pretty savvy, don't you think? You
can corroborate this story and many more if you visit
George Limon at "GEORGE'S". He used to work
for grandma; also ask him for the whereabouts of Mike,
another long time collaborator who owns a "campo"
just north of town
As a matter of fact, George used "ARNOLD'S CAFE"
logo on his menu which is a Marlin being pulled out of
the water and also printed on it a saying my mother Olga
Hellin used : "A MEAL WITHOUT WINE IS LIKE A DAY
WITHOUT SUNSHINE".
Casey Hellin was a great asset for San Felipe, she was
in very good standing in the political and business scene
both in Mexicali (where she also had another restaurant
called "Los Pericos" on Zaragoza Ave. and "I"
street during the 50's to offset the low season in San
Felipe, but this story will come later!) She advocated
and lobbied for the introduction of potable water in town,
also for recognition and better services for the tourist
industry by the municipal government. Another person you
may want to contact for more details about Casey's persona
is Tavo Garcia's mother,"Dona Maria" at "Botica
Sagrado Corazon" who knew her very well (you can
ask Tavo to translate).
It is a shame that very few people recall
her name nowadays, mostly because none of her family members
have gone to the task to preserve her memory, until now.
I would really like to see those memories brought to the
fore, since they represent a valuable part of San Felipe's
history.
Alan Rene Camacho-Hellin
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