Café SoZo offers new flair

Rene De La Garza, owner of Café SoZo, has recently relocated his family-owned and operated business to 505 St. Joseph St.

 “We started in 2009 in the Randle-Rather Building, and operated there for about a year,” said De La Garza. “Things went pretty well save the fact that we didn’t have a full kitchen. That of course made it difficult to expand on the whole restaurant idea, so we closed in January of 2010. We reopened at this location on February 8.”

“What I wanted to do was create an ambience that was a little different from the norm,” elaborated De La Garza. “ In addition to serving quality food, we also roast our own coffee. Right now we’re roasting Peruvian Organic.”

“Prior to this, I had never worked in the restaurant business,” explained De La Garza. “My son Joseph is a chef, and my daughter Karyli is working with us as well. We’re all co-owners of the business.

De La Garza: “I write right-of ways for water and gas pipelines, and also for electric lines. I’ve been doing that for 29 years.”

“The most challenging aspect of the restaurant business is to be able to anticipate how many customers you’re going to have. You definitely want to make sure you have enough food to accommodate them.

De La Garza was born and raised in Raymondville, Texas and has traveled all over the United States doing driveways and easements. He is enjoying working with his family in the restaurant business.