Mamayita’s Salvadorean Restaurant Welcomes Community

On Sunday, July 14, Mamayita’s Salvadorian Restaurant hosted a community day for residents and businesses of Moreno Valley. Mamayita’s hosted a similar event last year for their Grand Opening and decided to host it again due to its popularity. Aside from Mamayita’s, there were also around 10 other booths at the event from businesses like Warehouse Shoe Sale and “Body by Vi,” a health product for weight management, were also present. Mamayita’s provided a jumper for the kids and music for everyone to enjoy while they attended. Francisco Murga, who owns the business with his wife Ana Murga, enjoys the sense of community that the restaurant and events like these provide. “Mamayita’s brings together different people from all kinds of different nationalities to come and try something that they may have never had before,” said Murga. The restaurant is operated completely by members of the Murga family, and offers opportunities for all of the family to contribute in whatever way interests them. Diego Murga was in charge of designing and managing all of the social media sites for the restaurant, including its Facebook and Twitter accounts, along with its website, and is currently putting together everything needed for its Instagram account. Diego commented on the opportunities the restaurant has provided. “I eventually want to get into web design. We all help out with anything that needs to be done and it’s great to know that the work I am putting in is helping family.” The restaurant was named after the late Ana Murga, who passed away three years ago, but is kept alive in memory through the restaurant. Ana was a grandmother to 42 grandchildren and mother of eight. She was known as “Mamayita” by all those in her family—a term of endearment in the Salvadorian culture—and that name continues to represent the family restaurant. “Every holiday everyone would ask what we are going to do and where are we going to eat and the answer would always be, ‘Let’s go to Mamayita’s,’” said Francisco Murga. Everything made at Mamayita’s is made from scratch and by hand in the authentic Salvadorian tradition. Their biggest dish is their pupusas and the Mamayita’s family support the claim that El Salvador was the birthplace of the dish, so they are the ones who make them the way they are meant to be made. Mamayita’s will continue to serve their authentic Salvadorian food and look forward to building their relationship with the community they serve.