When Jose Villegas’ grandparents died, he was in Mexico visiting with his mother. His grandmother, who had been ill for some time, died first, and his grandfather followed two weeks later.
In the middle of grief, the mother, Delfina Villegas, and son looked at each other and asked: What will we do? The answer came just as easily: “We’ll open a restaurant,” the pair said.
That was more than two years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the duo has opened Cocina Mamá Cholita, named after Delfina’s mother. It opened officially on Feb. 11, 2023, at 3471 Mission St. near Kingston, and, in November, won the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts annual “Mole to Die For” competition…