Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/205938
great tastes ~ La Paloma Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence in Quincy! La Paloma ™ Thursday's": Fiesta Platter —shrimp rellenos, steak tips, polla asado, cheese enchilada and rice for only $17.99! mexican restaurant Wednesday's: Fajita Frenzy —three courses for $24.99! by Jen Nonenmacher. Photography by Susan Hagstrom My first visit to La Paloma was over 25 years ago in the original Quincy location. I was a child, it was my mother's birthday, and Mexican food is her favorite so naturally this was where my dad took us for a nice, authentic, family-friendly dinner. This was the first of many of our frequent visits to this restaurant and part of some pretty great childhood memories for me—it was also the beginning of my love affair with Mexican food. So, needless to say, I am thrilled the tradition carries on as the Quincy location at 195 Newport Avenue celebrates its 30th year in the business! Co-owners Steve Dwyer and Michael Walsh have been friends and business partners since they met as classmates at Cape Cod Community College over thirty years ago. Steve, who grew up in Scituate and now resides in Plymouth, and Mike, who grew up in Hanover and now resides in Halifax, both have strong ties to the local community and run their restaurants with passion and family values. One of the things I can always expect at this restaurant is consistency—and I've been going there a long time so I speak from experience! The reason for this is probably because the same chef, Cristo Canenquez of El Salvador, has run the kitchen at La Paloma for over 28 years. A wonderful and experienced staff joins Cristo, Steve and Mike in the restaurant—there's not a high employee turnover rate at La Paloma. There are over 25 employees in the Quincy location and of those six in the kitchen have been working there for over 15 years, five in the dining room for over 20 years and four for over 25 years! This is a 100 sure factor that contributes to this establishment's consistency, quality and success. Mike and Steve treat employees like family and work together with their staff for quality service, consistent food at a quality price. "We have quality people here doing a quality job and it shows in our product. People will come here who haven't been in a while and they'll say, 'You know, I loved your enchiladas 30 years ago, they still taste exactly the same as I remember' and they will ask me how we do that," comments Steve. "I tell them, well, that's because the same person who made your enchilada 30 years ago is making it today." When I asked what the secret to running such a successful business for such a long time was, co-owner Steve explained simply, "We treat not only our customers, but also our staff, like family. Most of these folks have been with us for a long time and newcomers receive the best training from the most experienced staff—it's a strength in this business to have a wonderful staff—they are all knowledgeable about the menu and keep the customers happy." Steve goes on to say, "Here, we want every customer to be happy and we want our employees to be happy too. People like working here and we care about our staff—they truly are family to us." La Paloma features all kinds of entrees and dishes and offers an extensive menu ranging from simple Enchiladas to complex Paella, sautéed shrimp, scallops, mussels, chicken and chorizo with cilantro pesto, onions, peppers and white wine simmered with Mexican rice and served with warm tortillas and sour