By Camille Kelly | Reporter
The legacy of the blue-and-white building on 25th Street, the authentic Honduran restaurant Antojitos Centroamericanos, continues, now reopened as Rosita’s. The restaurant is renamed in honor of the late owner, Rosa Rodriguez, and her impact on her family and community.
Her daughters, Michelle Lawrence and Abigail Alvarez, are now running the combination restaurant and Spanish Christian bookstore located at 1409 N. 25th St.
Rodriguez opened the business around 2018. She passed away in October, and in the midst of grieving, the two sisters recruited help from their family to acquire their new LLC and get the health inspections redone so they could officially reopen in March.
“Reopening has, by the grace of God, gone smoother than what I thought it was going to be,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence elaborated that reopening the store while grieving the loss of her mother has brought both healing and a reminder of painful memories.
“Emotionally, it’s been a roller coaster because there are days that it’s good, and then other days where it kind of hits,” Lawrence said. “My mom, literally when we hear the phrase ‘blood, sweat and tears’ — this woman did put her blood, sweat and tears into this place, and so our hope is that we’re able to reach more people than she ever was able to, to fulfill her dream and carry out her legacy.”
According to Lawrence, Rodriguez was the family’s glue. As the owner of the restaurant, she made it a priority to deliver Honduras authenticity and cultural education to patrons.
“She loved celebrating anything and everything,” Lawrence said. “If you had a birthday, and you told her, she’ll say, ‘Come back, I have a cake for you, and then we’ll celebrate here.’ She just loved helping people. Most importantly, she would take advantage of time with people to spread the gospel in here too.”
As Lawrence has taken over running the front of the business, talking to people like Rodriguez used to, Alvarez has thrived in reviving her mom’s recipes and taking charge of cooking in the kitchen to bring authentic Honduran flavors to Waco.
“Our goal has been to have it open for the community and for them to know our story,” Alvarez said. “My mom worked so hard.”
The legacy of this business started with their grandma, who would always tell Rodriguez about her time selling empanadas in Honduras.
Some of the dishes the sisters most recommend include the enchiladas Hondurenas, the carne asada and the pastelitos de maiz.
When Rodriguez opened her business in Waco, it started as a Christian Spanish gift shop before expanding to the restaurant it is now. According to Alvarez, Rodriguez’s restaurant originally offered three plates.
“She wanted to work for herself,” Lawrence said. “She didn’t want to work for other people. I guess that’s when she was praying and asking the Lord, ‘What do I do?’ And that’s when all this came into play.”
Lawrence explained that her mom’s drive keeps the restaurant alive today.
“She wasn’t the best English speaker,” Lawrence said. “So, literally, hats off to her because she was a go-getter. She got it by the grace of God, I’d say, too.”
Lawrence and Alvarez have not only continued and honored their mother’s legacy but also aim to serve the community the way Rodriguez served all who entered her restaurant.
“We encourage people to come out here, just because this is a little taste of Central America here, brought to them,” Alvarez said. “Our recipes are authentic, and they’ve been passed down from our family. We’ve also kept Christianity, too, in how we run this place, because again, it’s by the grace of God that we’re here.”
