Fulfilling a life-long dream since emigrating Mexico to the U.S. nearly 40 years ago, Maria Meza opened El Rancho Grande in Providence, RI last May. Listen to her lessons about family, hard work and keeping your focus on your goal.

Listen to Maria's interview now.

How she got started
Maria Meza opened El Rancho Grande in Providence, RI, with her son, Joaquin Meza Jr., on May 5, 2007 – Cinco de Mayo! Maria had worked in a factory, starting at 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., dreaming of someday owning a restaurant. Her son bought the building and did all the construction himself, to keep expenses low.

Both are committed to offering traditional Mexican dishes at an affordable price using only the most authentic ingredients possible, often bringing in hard-to-find food products directly from Mexico. Special festive events spotlighting traditional arts and entertainment from Mexico are held throughout the year.

Her specialty is that “everything is made with love”. This is truly a family affair - all the kids work in the restaurant. Maria herself comes down to visit customers, giving it that feeling of home. She welcomes all her customers with such an engaging personality you’ll want to come back again and again!

Secrets of success
Maria says to all women entrepreneurs, “You’ve got to work together closely with your family, talking all the time, asking their input on whatever you want to do. If everybody works together, you can do whatever you want to do. Having your own business is hard, and if you have their support, you can do it.”

“Don’t even buy peanuts, if you want to save money to have your own place,” she advises. Take the money you make, and reinvest it in your business.

El Grande Restaurant is open seven days a week, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, at 311 Plainfield St., Providence, RI. 7:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.  Visit the website for photos, a cooking video and recipes: http://www.elranchogranderestaurant.com .