Margarita Névarez is a mother of four and grandmother to Zoe and Noah. She is a retired schoolteacher, taught at LAUSD for 40 years, retired about 2 years ago and is enjoying the freedom very much. Margarita’s mother came from N. Mexico and met her father, a Native American, at a bus stop in downtown Los Angeles. Margarita grew up in housing projects on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles, but her mother still cooked for anyone and everyone in her community. She loved to cook and passed on that love of cooking to her daughter and to her namesake granddaughter Tirsa. Margarita’s husband migrated from Northern Mexico.

Margarita’s daughter Tirza has a restaurant down the street in El Sereno that blends her cuisine with that of her Egyptian husband. They make unique dishes such as falafel tacos. Margarita manages the catering for her daughter. 

Margarita made picadillo for the film and rajas because it is an easy dish for others to make and is always delicious.