ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When it comes to Hispanic Heritage Month, it doesn’t get much more authentic than Grand Hacienda in St. Pete.
The owner grew up in Mexico with nothing more than a recipe and a dream, and now she owns restaurants across Tampa Bay.
Growing up in Mexico City in the 1970s, food was at the heart of Claudia Johnson’s family.
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“You are part of the kitchen. The kitchen is really where you develop your life,” said Johnson.
She remembers those Sunday dinners with the entire family.
“My grandma was an excellent cook, not traditional, but a little bit more complicated dishes that were Mexican heritage,” said Johnson.
Claudia dreamed of opening her own restaurant using those same family recipes. However, her father pushed her to attend college, eventually leading to a business development position right here in Tampa Bay.
“Coming to a city that was very slow, I started cooking, and I started baking, and I would give it away to friends, I would give it away at any party that I had,” said Johnson. “All of a sudden, I was hired by some restaurants for me to do their desserts. All of a sudden, I was having a factory in my house, so I opened one restaurant in Sarasota that was Mexican.”
That was in 2007. Fast forward to today, and she has seven restaurants across Tampa Bay, including Grand Hacienda in St. Pete.
“This brings you to a personal level relationship with customers. Every time that you are cooking, every time you are opening a restaurant, you are putting in a little bit of your heart, of your past, of your heritage,” said Johnson.
The Hispanic pride doesn’t stop with the food. Most of the decor is also from Mexico, and 70% of her employees are of Hispanic descent.
“That's why our food gets so flavored because they know what we are trying to achieve,” said Johnson.
So this time of year is particularly important for Claudia and her staff.
“Allowing us to share what we do, to share what we believe, to share who we are, to share our roots, it's a very amazing opportunity,” said Johnson.
