COLONIE — More than half a century ago, Athena Loupessis laid the first block for the foundation of what was originally called the Latham 1776 Diner, a business she founded with her husband, Alexander, after they emigrated from Greece. On Friday, she stood next to another immigrant who now owns the diner.
Looking at Wilfredo Ruiz Umana as they stood by the counter, Loupessis said, “I gave him some advice on how we do things, but he has the brains to do it right.”
A native of El Salvador who came to the United States at age 16 without being able to speak English, Ruiz Umana closed last week on the sale of the business and the property. The deal includes about 1 acre of land on Route 9, the business, its 10,000-square-foot building with a seating capacity of 300 and a strong enough customer base that it feeds 1,000 people over 16 hours on an average Saturday…