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| Abraham Mejia ca 1900. From Ancestry user KMejiaBeplay. |
The Mejia family was one of the first Latino families to take up permanent residence in SLC.
Abraham was born in Veracruz, Mexico and in his twenties he immigrated to the U.S., first settling in Texas (where he married) and Arkansas (where he operated a tamale stand) before moving to SLC in 1903.
If you remember from one of my previous posts, Otto Branning (SLC’s Chili King) established a chili parlor in SLC in 1903. But Branning was from Indiana and was of German descent, so I don’t think he qualifies as the first Mexican restaurant in SLC.
An oral history collected by one of Abraham’s grandchildren states that Abraham Mejia and Otto Branning were initially friends, and it was Branning who suggested that Abraham and his family move to SLC. It was Abraham who taught Branning how to make chili and tamales but Branning ousted Abraham out of the business and they became competitors.
By 1904 Abraham was making a name for himself and operating a lunch stand in front of the St Elmo Hotel on Main Street. He was known for his chili-con-carne, tamales, and oyster cocktail. In 1907 he operated the Eagle Gate Café at 44 E 100 South where he “guarantees to serve nothing but genuine Mexican dishes, short orders and all kinds of sandwiches.”
Abraham worked in the restaurant business off and on throughout the remainder of his life. In addition to running restaurants, he also served as an interpreter for the SLC courts and honorary Mexican consul. He died at his home in SLC in 1927.
Sources: The History Blazer Aug 1996; Mejia family records on ancestry.com
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| Abraham Mejia’s restaurant in SLC, early 1900s, possibly on Commercial Street (now Regent St). From Ancestry user KMejiaBeplay. |
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| Advertisement for Abraham Mejia's restaurant. From 1909 SLC Directory. |
Update Jan 2021: Check out this SLC History Minute about Abraham Mejia
Thank you so much for recognizing and remembering my great grandfather Abraham! Much of this article was sourced from my ancestry.com research, and it was exciting to dig into his life. I wish I could’ve met him.
ReplyDeleteA few details: chili con carne is not actually Mexican food as far as I have been able to learn. It’s actually from Texas. Abraham‘s chili recipe came from his wife Caroline (Harris) who was a cook on a ranch in Waxahachie, Texas when they met. We still have handwritten copies of her recipe.
In addition to his tamale stand in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Abraham and his wife ran a boarding house. While in Arkansas, their second child, Abraham Junior, died at the age of four. Their five remaining children all lived to old age and raised families of their own.
Part of the draw of coming to Utah was that their children, even though half white, had to attend segregated schools in Texas and Arkansas. In Utah they could go to the regular schools. Utah was also considered an up-and-coming business opportunity.
Late in life, Abraham suffered from a stroke that prevented him from continuing in the restaurant. He worked for a short time in East High School as a janitor before succumbing to his second stroke, and passed surrounded by his wife and a few of his children.