Fort Worthians Joseph Landeros and Ann Liu run restaurants with deep familial connections.
Landeros’ Casa Azul was inspired by his father, Gilberto Landeros, and his love of coffee and their Mexican heritage.
Liu has worked alongside her father, Chih “Danny” Liu, since he started the family’s Ridglea restaurant, Little Lilly Sushi, when she was 22.
The businesses represent different cultures, but Liu’s and Landeros’ fathers played pivotal roles in their children’s aspirations.
“My parents were focused on my well-being and me being satisfied with my life, no matter what I do. Thankfully, my dad supported the fact that I don’t have to be a doctor or a lawyer,” Liu said.
Landeros’ father worked in an oilfield in Perryton. But Landeros sees traces of his father in his coffee shop because Gilberto started each day talking with his co-workers over a cup of coffee. Sometimes, Landeros even joined his dad for a cup.
“I remember when my dad would come back from work, he would always smell like earth and diesel,” Landeros said. “Now, my son tells me I smell like coffee, and it’s just funny how things are different but the same.”
Landeros is making his own memories with his 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter that revolve around coffee and culture.
His son, Joaquín, has been at Casa Azul since the beginning.
“He was in a little Montessori school and I would go pick him up and he would come back here and play with Hot Wheels cars,” Landeros said.
Liu remembers her father always making sushi.
He started selling it in the early 1990s, when sushi wasn’t as popular as it is now, Liu said. Danny steered away from traditional sushi featuring rice and raw fish and made more Americanized rolls, like the avocado-filled California roll.
Three decades later, Danny experiments with menu offerings at his new Keller restaurant, Little Lilly Sushi Too.
Liu and her father find comfort in food. Around three years ago, her dad was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy. Although he wasn’t eating much, he didn’t give up his love of cooking. His family thought he was ready to retire after treatment, Liu said.
“But he kept going, which speaks volumes in terms of how much he loves food,” Liu said.
Landeros lives in a multigenerational household that includes his wife, Anette; their two children; Anette’s sister; and Anette’s mother and father.
“It’s definitely an ‘Encanto’ household, and I feel really blessed,” Landeros said. “It’s also a huge support system, because there are times when my wife and I are really busy.”
First-generation Asian Americans are expected to meet the rigid and high expectations set by their parents, Liu said. She was expected to graduate college, land a high-paying job, get married and finally have a child.
But because Liu was 18 when she gave birth to her daughter, Lilly, that timeline changed.
Danny immediately accepted and loved his granddaughter. The restaurant is even named after her.
Lilly is about to be 16. She isn’t as passionate about cooking as her grandfather, but she is interested in the business side, Liu said.
“My dad’s love for food has influenced us a lot, and it’s being passed down to Lilly,” Liu said.
That said, Liu laughs when she says that Lilly is still learning to appreciate sushi.
Georgie London is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at georgie.london@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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