For Carla Villa, running High Noon Restaurant & Saloon is more than managing a well-known Old Town restaurant. It means carrying forward a family legacy while leading one of Albuquerque’s long-standing local businesses as a woman in the industry.
About this series
March marks Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to recognizing the achievements and contributions of women across the country. As part of that celebration, this series highlights local women in Albuquerque who are shaping their communities through leadership, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
Villa grew up alongside the restaurant her parents, Charley and Shirley Villa, opened in the 1970s. Today, she runs the historic space with the same values – family ties, community spirit and hard work – that shaped her childhood. In many ways, her story reflects the evolution of women in leadership within family-owned businesses in Albuquerque.
Villa’s earliest memories of High Noon begin long before she officially joined the business. As a child, Villa spent time in Old Town while her parents renovated the building that would eventually become the restaurant.
“Old Town back then was mostly residential, and there were lovely little shops. My dad would give me, like, $2 and I would run around in Old Town,” says Villa. “I would go to the Basket Shop and buy a scoop of ice cream, and I would walk around and just look at all this stuff. It was just like a regular neighborhood.”…