Buen provecho.
For members of Utah County's Mexican and Latino community, a trip to Los Gonzalez Mexican Market is like a trip home, says owner Martha Martinez."They enjoy coming here," Martinez said. "They say `When I come here I feel like I'm in Mexico.' "
The small market, located in a little casa at 391 S. University Ave., offers patrons - English and Spanish speaking alike - a smattering of Mexican goods and hospitality.
Summer months are the best time of year for Martinez's business. That is when migrant workers come to work on local fruit farms and flock to her store.
"Also people who come from missions (for the LDS Church) love to come here and speak Spanish," Martinez said.
Martinez stocks a wide selection of Mexican spices, dried peppers, sodas, canned goods and other food items. She also has probably the largest collection of Spanish language videos in the county - more than 1,000 videos, including children's cartoon features.
Los Gonzalez also carries a selection of Spanish magazines, comics and newspapers, and it stocks shoes, Mexican hats and blankets, and clothing.
Martinez will special order any item a customer requests.
But what Los Gonzalez may be most well-known for are its corn tortillas. Baked fresh every day, two cases of tortillas are sold in two local grocery stores - Allen's and Storehouse Market.
Maritinez bought Los Gonzales from the previous owner seven months ago. She liked the idea of running the store because she didn't have to leave her two small children while working.
"It's hard to not do nothing," Martinez said. "I need to do something or I'll be - how do you say . . . "
"Crazy?"
" Yes," she said.
The Martinez family lives in the basement of the house. Martha's husband, Hugo, works at the Utah State Training School.
Hugo was worried about her taking over Los Gonzalez Market.
"He was used to working for a steady salary," Martinez said. "Now he is happy."
Martinez, who is from Veracruz, Mexico says there is only one thing she misses about her home town: the warm beach weather. But that's not quite true. There is one other thing Martinez misses. She is a trained medical doctor - a surgeon - and had a practice at Veracruz General Hospital.
"I miss that," she admits.
Martinez has been unable to get her license to practice in the United States, largely because she'd have to go to California or Colorado to undergo equivalency training and licensing tests.
"Utah does not have a test for foreign doctors," she said.