Adios Angel!

This month we will say goodbye to one of Tomasita’s longtime employees, Angel Amaya, who has been part of our family for the past 33 years.

Originally from Mexico, Angel worked for the Eldorado hotel for about a year, before joining Tomasita’s in 1983. Starting out as a dishwasher, washing everything by hand, he was soon promoted to the steam table, and from there went on to become a lead line cook. In the time Angel has worked at Tomasita’s he has seen many people come and go, and many changes. He is nicknamed “El Professor” because he knows the kitchen so well and has trained so many of his colleagues.

Asked why he has stayed for so long, Angel says simply, “I like every aspect of what I do and we’re treated well here.” Looking back, things have obviously changed over the years. “It was much harder in the 80s,” he recalls. “I remember the oven, in particular. We had to warm plates and melt cheese in a regular oven, so we were constantly bending down, and burning our hands too. Of course, the restaurant was much smaller then.”

As for what he will miss, Angel says it won’t be the food, because he can cook that himself, at home. But he will miss the people – the customers and his co-workers. “So when I get hungry and don’t feel like cooking,” he says with a grin, “I’ll come back to visit.”