I was in Matta's at Brown and Higley the other day and had an opportunity to talk with Chris Matta about his amazing family and Matta's history. Chris is a great guy and he tells great stories! The Matta family and Matta's Mexican Restaurant are an important part of Mesa history.
In 1950 Manuel and Marylou Matta hired a Bekins moving truck and driver, they packed all of their belongs, loaded their two children in the car and left Los Angeles. "Where were they headed?" you ask. Safford, Arizona!!? I bet you thought I was going to say Mesa. Manuel worked as a welder and part time at a dairy in Los Angeles. The dairy farmer he worked for convinced him it was a great way to make a living and told him about a great opportunity in Safford, AZ. So, off they went. Well, as luck would have it, they decided to stop in Mesa for the night and continue on the next day. They stayed at Kohler's Kiva Lodge on Main. David, their youngest at the time, remembers the Kiva as "the coolest place he had ever stayed" in his 5 young years. Mesa left a very favorable impression on the young couple, but they were headed to Safford--so off they went. Well, Safford was a very nice town, but when all was said and done it just wasn't a good fit for them. Mesa, they thought, was a little more their speed and looked like a wonderful place to raise a family. Small town enough, with lots of possibilities but without the crowding they were starting to see in Los Angeles. So they told the Bekins driver to turn around and head back to Mesa. Manuel found a job in Tempe welding metal door and window frames and Marylou set up housekeeping and settled the family into their new home, Mesa!! "Well, what about the restaurant?" you ask. Well that's still 3 years off. Maybe we can talk about that next time.........if you'd like. Or if you just can't wait that long, come down and see us at the Higley and Brown location. Just ask for Chris. We'll talk. Use the Four Square app on your smart phone to check in while at Matta's @ Higley and Brown and receive a free soft drink with a purchase of anything on the menu. (Not valid at the Riverview location)
Matta's Mexican Grill is now on Facebook.
