Originally from Tecoanapa — a small city in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero on the Pacific Ocean — Petra Guillermo came to the U.S. in 2002 to raise her family and pursue her dream: opening and running her own restaurant.
After 22 years, Guillermo is carrying out her dream. She has officially opened La Doña, a small Mexican restaurant located at 1922 S. Market Blvd., next to Grace Church in Chehalis.
Guillermo and her daughter, Anahy Reyes, who works with her, met with The Chronicle on Tuesday to talk more about the new restaurant.
Despite living in Centralia, Guillermo worked at the restaurant formerly at La Doña’s location, Burrito Vaquero Taqueria, and loved the area.
“I worked here for five months with the old owners,” Guillermo said.
And as for La Doña’s menu, its roots go far south of the border.
All the recipes served at La Doña are ones taught to Guillermo by her mother in Tecoanapa Guerrero, and the menu, from the tortillas to the salsas to the menudo and posole soups, is all made from scratch.
“Her mom showed her how to cook, since she was little, and how to make everything on the menu,” Reyes said. “She makes the spiciest food … It’s really good.”
“It’s authentic Mexican food,” Guillermo added.
As for the spice level, The Chronicle sampled some of Guillermo’s house-made salsa, and it had a deliciously fiery kick that will leave taste buds tingling.
Aside from menudo and posole, the menu features nachos, burritos, sopes, gorditas, tortas, quesadillas and quesabirrias, all with a choice of meat including carne asada, pollo asado, carnitas, tripa, birria and lengua.
If you’re in the mood for breakfast, La Doña offers chilaquiles. La Doña’s menu also has several other specials, including tamales, tacos and a handful of shrimp dishes.
“The molcajete is one of our biggest sellers. It’s delicious and lets you try all of our different meats,” La Doña server Serena Taylor said. “My favorite is the chili guajes.”
On top of knowing her abuelita’s recipes, Guillermo said she now has more than 17 years of experience working in professional kitchens.
Throughout her time working in those kitchens, many of her fellow cooks started calling her La Doña, which means The Lady, as a nickname, and Guillermo decided to use it for her own restaurant’s name.
“She took that name and said, ‘let’s just name it La Doña,’ ” Reyes said.
Along with working with her mother, Reyes said that two of her aunts also work there.
Though the restaurant’s location is small, it does have a drive-thru. La Doña is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
To learn more, follow La Doña on Facebook here https://bit.ly/4cKUryY.
