New owner revives landmark restaurant
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

Ben Guardado

The restaurant is as much a part of Camarillo's history as are the locals who have made eating at the low-slung building on Lewis Road a family tradition for two, three and, in some instances, four generations.

El Tecolote Cafe, the oldest Mexican restaurant in Camarillo, recently began its 62nd year of business under new ownership, helping preserve a city landmark on its way to making a comeback.

Since taking ownership eight months ago, Ben Guardado said weekend dinner services have picked up considerably for the family friendly eatery.

"Now we have a few Fridays and Saturdays that we have a waiting list," said Guardado, who prides himself on serving fresh Mexican food in the 4,000square-foot restaurant.

"I love to make people happy and enjoy their food," he said.

The 48-year-old Camarillo restaurateur has made good on the American dream.

Guardado moved from Jalisco, Mexico, to the United States when he was 18. He took a job as a dishwasher at Jack's Deli in Westlake Village and worked for three decades at the popular eatery, eventually becoming its general manager. While there he learned the restaurant business inside and out.

He left Jack's Deli last year and said his experience taught him "fresh is always best," a motto he holds dear when cooking up many of the recipes made popular by El Tecolote's original owner, Mike Loza.

"I love to cook, so I spend a lot of time in the kitchen to make sure the dishes come out perfect," Guardado said.

El Tecolote dates back to 1946 when Loza, a veteran of World War II, opened the restaurant in the then sleepy community of Moorpark.

According to local legend, Loza named the restaurant El Tecolote, the owl, after he spent a sleepless night in the new restaurant on the eve of its opening, kept awake by the ceaseless hooting of surrounding owls.

Two years later, Loza moved his business to Camarillo and into a small home on Barry Street between Arneill Road and Fulton Street. Loza served Mexican food out of the tiny structure that sat fewer than a dozen diners at about four tables.

Although Mexican tradition considers owls a sign of bad luck, the restaurant's namesake proved a good omen for Loza, whose Camarillo restaurant became so popular diners would stand in a line that wrapped around the house just to pick up their food to go.

"People became friends standing in line in front of the place," said Rita Moraga, Loza's daughter.

Moraga, owner of the Better Half Coiffures salon in Old Town Camarillo, said a local banker, frustrated by the long waits in line, offered to loan her father the money needed to open the larger restaurant on Lewis Road.

Loza took the man up on the offer and opened the doors at the current location in 1952. He expanded the restaurant in 1957.

Moraga said she remembers spending many afternoons in the family restaurant, where her father worked long hours, often seven days a week.

"It was our life," she said. "It was just a family affair."

Loza, who died in 2001, sold the restaurant in 1984 to husband and wife David and Judy Jones.

David Jones, a longtime Camarillo resident, said he bought the restaurant after a career as an economist with a number of major firms in downtown Los Angeles.

"We had a lot of really great customers," Jones said. "Four generations of family grew up there. There's a lot of history." Jones said, however, the many late nights spent at work and the neverending demands of owning a restaurant led to the sale of the eatery.

Jones and his wife ran El Tecolote for 23 years before selling it to Guardado, the current owner.

Guardado bought not only the restaurant, but the neighboring home on Barry Street, where Loza and his wife, Lola, raised their family.

Guardado now lives in the nearby home with his wife of 31 years, Julia.

Guardado said he spends much of his time across the street at the landmark restaurant, where he enjoys chatting with customers as much as he loves cooking in the kitchen.

"If you make good food, people come back always," said Guardado, who recommends both Loza's original chile verde and the carne asada tacos.

The colorful restaurant, with its numerous paintings of owls and an atrium complete with waterfall, continues to host family birthdays, anniversaries and, of course, the quick dinner out as it has done for more than 50 years.

With Guardado as the new owner, the tradition of El Tecolote, Moraga said, looks to be in good hands.

"I think he's going to do good by it," she said. "I think my dad would have been proud of how he is handling it."

El Tecolote Cafe, 333 N. Lewis Road, is open daily at 11 a.m. For more information or to make reservations, please call (805) 482-4318.