Maria Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo (nicknamed Mama Ninfa,
." Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center. Retrieved on February 4, 2012. May 11, 1924 – June 17, 2001), born with the family name Rodriguez,Linnee, Susan.
Poor Widow is Now Texas Taco Queen
" ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

'' at the ''

Youngstown Daily Vindicator Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 census. The Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area has an estimated 430,000 re ...

''. Wednesday April 26, 1978. Page 70. Retrieved on February 4, 2012. was an American restaurateur from

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, who founded the restaurant

Ninfa's The Original Ninfa's on Navigation is a popular Mexican restaurant located at 2704 Navigation Boulevard in Houston, Texas. The restaurant serves both Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine. The Original Ninfa's was started by Ninfa Rodríguez Laurenzo, ...

. Laurenzo started out running a single

taco stand A taco stand or taquería is a food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredients may be used, and various taco ...

, Texas.

History

Early history

Ninfa Rodriguez, a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

Catholic,Huynh, Dai.
Restaurateur Mama Ninfa dies

. ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

''. Monday June 18, 2001. A1. Retrieved on February 5, 2012. was born on May 11, 1924, in

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city co ...

. Rodriguez, one of twelve brothers and sisters, was raised in Harlingen. She graduated from Henrietta M. King High School in Kingsville and Durhan Business School in Harlingen. Rodriguez's father grew crops in a patch of farmland in the

Rio Grande Valley Lower Rio Grande Valley (), often referred to as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas, is a region located in the southernmost part of Texas, along the northern bank of the Rio Grande. It is also known locally as the Valley or the 956 (the ...

. In 1945 she visited her twin sister, Pilar Di Meo, in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. During her visit, she met Domenic Thomas Laurenzo, a graduate of the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. Laurenzo, a native of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, was of Italian descent. Rodriguez, who had nicknamed Domenic Laurenzo "D.T.," married him. In 1947 their first child, Roland, was born. The couple considered whether to move to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. They read a 1948 newspaper article that stated that Houston was the fastest growing city in the United States. Tony Mandola, Ninfa Laurenzo's son in law and a member of the Mandola restaurant family, said that they decided to go to Houston after flipping a coin. In 1949, they opened the Rio Grande Tortilla Company factory, which sold pizza dough and tortillas. The couple entered the business even though both of them had professional degrees. The factory was located in a Hispanic community in the East End. The Laurenzos lived in a wooden frame house next to the factory. The couple had four more children, with Jack born in 1949, Phyllis born in 1953, Tom born in 1958, and Gino born in 1963. The family sent the children to an area parochial private school. Domenic Laurenzo died of a

brain hemorrhage The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

in 1969.

Restaurateur career

Ninfa Laurenzo's factory was in trouble due to increased competition and decreased profit margins. In 1973 Laurenzo opened a 10 table restaurant in front of her tortilla factory in order to financially stay afloat. The restaurant,

, became very popular and it became her core business. She did not have prior restaurant management experience.Ninfa Laurenzo
."

Texas Woman's University Texas Woman's University (TWU) is a Public research university, public coeducational research university in Denton, Texas, with two health science center-focused campuses in Dallas and Houston. While TWU has been fully co-educational since 1994, ...

. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. While at the restaurant, Laurenzo greeted guests, watched over the kitchen operations, and sometimes sang songs in an alto voice. Joe Pratt, a professor of business and history of the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

, said "In the 1980s, Ninfa became a symbol of the city's growing diversity and the opportunity for people who hadn't always had opportunities here. She is a powerful image in Houston."Hassell, Greg.
While the new investors who stepped in to save the Houston chain from closing vow changes, diners may not notice / Resetting the table at Ninfa's
" ''

''. Sunday December 7, 1997. Business 1. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. Available at the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...

website, accessible with a library card. In addition to Ninfa's, as part of RioStar Corp. Ninfa Laurenzo and her family established other restaurant ventures.Elder, Laura Elizabeth. "Rapid expansion caused Ninfa's debt woes, says restaurant official." ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

''. Sunday November 3, 1996
3
Retrieved on February 6, 2012. Laurenzo had developed Diego's, a fast food takeout restaurant that specialized in soft tacos. The family sold Diego's to partners in 1978.Levinson, Brian.
Ninfa's to open chain of fast-food Italian restaurants
" ''

''. Tuesday February 17, 1987. Business 1. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In April 1987 Laurenzo started " Bambolino's Italian Drive-Thru," a restaurant offering pizza by the slice. She also established Joey Jack's Seafood, a seafood restaurant. Bambolino's was the Laurenzo family's second attempt in making an Italian-American restaurant. In 1986 it started Laurenzo's Italian Bar & Grille, a full-service restaurant developed by Ninfa's personnel for McFaddin Ventures, which was involved in a joint venture with Ninfa's. Laurenzo's Italian Bar & Grille lost $461,000 in three months, and McFaddin Ventures closed it in August of that year. The Laurenzo family hoped that the increasing trend of carry-out food would help the Bambolino's success. RioStar acquired several Atchafalaya River Cafes, and then later closed and sold several of them. Laura Elder of the ''

'' said that RioStar had "tried an experiment with Italian food that didn't pan out." In 1996 RioStar operated several Ninfa's locations, one Bambolino's restaurant, and one Atchafalaya River Cafe. In October of that year,

Sysco Sysco is an American multinational corporation that sells, markets, and distributes food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, sports stadiums, and other venues that serve food. It also sells foodservice supplies and ...

filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against RioStar in an attempt to force the company to pay $2.8 million in debts accumulated from the company's expansion. RioStar filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...

.Elder, Laura Elizabeth. "Rapid expansion caused Ninfa's debt woes, says restaurant official." ''

''. Sunday November 3, 1996
1
Retrieved on February 6, 2012. In 1998 Serrano's Cafe, an

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

-based company, acquired RioStar as part of the bankruptcy protection settlement. The family was no longer involved in Ninfa's.

Personal life

Laurenzo resided in the Second Ward. Many people referred to Ninfa Laurenzo as simply "Mama." Her daughter, Phyllis Laurenzo Mandola, said " seems like everyone in the world would call her Mama" and that Ninfa Laurenzo did not mind if someone called her "Mama" unless the person was a man who was older than she was.Vuong, Mary.
Matriarch of Tex-Mex
" ''

''. Thursday November 10, 2005. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. Many people who knew Laurenzo considered her a mother figure, and Tony Mandola, Phyllis's husband, said "Everybody knew that they could come to her for advice." Laurenzo sat on the boards of several foundations and organizations. She was a founding board member, in 1970, for the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans (AAMA). Later board positions included those of the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, the

Houston Community College System Houston Community College (HCC), also known as the Houston Community College System (HCCS), is a community college that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for actively recrui ...

Foundation, the Houston International Festival Foundation, the Houston Hispanic Forum, the Houston Metro Authority, the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

, and the University Cancer Foundation- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Political involvement

Laurenzo participated in Republican politics.Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo, restaurant pioneer, dies at 77 'Mama' credited with bringing tacos al carbon, fajitas to U.S.
''Associated Press'' at ''The Dallas Morning News''. June 19, 2001. She was a personal friend of President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

.Decker, Cathleen. "'92 REPUBLICAN CONVENTION : GOP Faithful Ponder if Party Will Unite Behind Bush : Election: Some see the convention as the jump-off point for a strong campaign. Others wonder if it's too little, too late." ''Los Angeles Times''. August 17, 1992
2
In 1984, Bush, then Vice President, appointed her as one of the five goodwill ambassadors to welcome Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

in Puerto Rico. Laurenzo's children said that this was the proudest moment in her life. In 1988, while in New Orleans, Louisiana, she delivered a speech that seconded Bush's nomination for president in that year's election. She led the

Pledge of Allegiance The U.S Pledge of Allegiance is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States. The first version was written in 1885 by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union Army o ...

at the opening session of the

1992 Republican National Convention The 1992 Republican National Convention was held in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, from August 17 to August 20, 1992. The convention nominated President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle for reelection. It was Bush's fourth co ...

on August 17, 1992.

Health and death

In June 1999 Laurenzo was diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer killed three of her sisters, including her twin sister Pilar. Laurenzo served as the key note speaker of a cancer forum, giving a speech to 2,000 people. The forum was sponsored by the Reach to Recovery of the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

. In 2000 she underwent a

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer choose to have ...

to treat her breast cancer. Ninfa Laurenzo died of

bone cancer A bone tumor is an neoplastic, abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as benign, noncancerous (benign) or malignant, cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body su ...

at the age of 77, on Sunday June 17, 2001. Members of Houston's business and political communities attended her funeral.Goodman, John.
Ninfa's put fajitas on the map
" '' North Shore News''. August 19, 2011. Retrieved on February 4, 2012. On the week of her death, members of

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...

postponed their meeting so they could attend Laurenzo's funeral.Schadewald, Bill. "'Mama Ninfa' the mother of all entrepreneurs." ''

''. Sunday June 25, 2001
2
Retrieved on February 6, 2012.

Awards and honors

In 1979 the Texas Restaurant Association gave her the "Woman Restaurateur of the Year" award. In 1988 Laurenzo was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. The National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce gave her the 1994 "Business Woman of the Year" award. Mesinger, Maxine.
Franchising's a new trick for great old dogs
" ''

''. Sunday April 17, 1994. Zest 7. Retrieved on February 4, 2012. She also received the Humanitarian Award of the Arthritis Foundation, the "Women in Foodservice Pacesetter's Award" of the Roundtable for Women in Foodservice, and the "Business Recognition Award" of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Rosemary Kent, the author of the 1981 edition of ''The Genuine Texas Handbook'', listed Laurenzo as a person to include in a hypothetical Texas chef hall of fame. Laurenzo, a grandmother of a student at

The Regis School of the Sacred Heart The Regis School of the Sacred Heart is an elementary and middle school for boys. It is located at 7330 Westview Drive in the Spring Branch area of Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. The boys school serves students in pre-kindergarten through ...

, was honored at the annual "The Regis Merci" celebration on Wednesday April 13, 1994. The celebration honors individuals who were instrumental to the school's operations.

Mayor of Houston The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Qualifications, election, and terms To file to run for mayor, a person must be a qualified voter of the city of Houston, and have h ...

Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. He played center (basketball), center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). L ...

declared that day "Ninfa Laurenzo Day" and presented this proclamation to her at the celebration.

Legacy

Since Laurenzo's death, her children became involved in restaurant ventures in the United States. Roland Laurenzo, his wife Blanca, and their son Domenic operated two El Tiempo Cantina locations which has now grown to eight El Tiempo Cantina Restaurants, Laurenzo's restaurant and an El Tiempo Taqueria. They also have three other sons; Dante, Rocco and Joseph who also help with the family restaurant business. Phyllis Laurenzo Mandola and her husband Tony Mandola operate Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen. The Mandolas also own a small restaurant shop located beneath the triangle in Austin, TX. Gino Laurenzo operates Rio Grande Tex-Mex Grill in Washington Mills, New York.Cook, Allison.
Laurenzo's hard to explain, fun to eat
" ''

''. Wednesday July 14, 2010. Retrieved on February 6, 2012. The family later established the restaurant "Laurenzo's" on

Washington Avenue Washington Avenue may refer to: United States * Washington Avenue (Miami Beach) in Miami Beach, Florida * Washington Avenue in Portland, Maine, a part of Maine State Route 26 * Washington Avenue (Milford Mill, Maryland) * Washington Avenue (Towso ...

. Domenic Laurenzo served as the lead chef. Other individuals involved in the original Ninfa's business became involved in restaurant ventures in

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...

. The Ninfa R. Laurenzo Early Childhood Center, a

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...

school, is named after her. It opened in the fall of 2004. Michael Cordúa, who established the Cordúa restaurant chain, credited Laurenzo as an inspiration as he had asked her for advice.

References

External links

*
Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo Papers, 1971-2001
"

Libraries. *
Ninfa Laurenzo
" Texas Women's Hall of Fame, Texas Women's University * {{DEFAULTSORT:Laurenzo, Ninfa Businesspeople from Houston American women restaurateurs American restaurateurs American people of Mexican descent 1924 births 2001 deaths People from Harlingen, Texas 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen Deaths from bone cancer in the United States Deaths from cancer in Texas American women company founders American company founders American food company founders Food and drink company founders Catholics from Texas