Sylvia Gonzalez is a small business owner who runs Cafe Santa Rosa in Tuscon. The cafe is named after the ranch her mother grew up on, Santa Rosa Ranch.

Sylvia grew up in Tuscon. Her mother is Tohono O’odahman and her father is Mexican. She blends the two cultures through the cuisine she offers at her Cafe Santa Rosa restaurant.

“The natives have a traditional food that whenever there is a celebration, whatever it may be, it’s usually the same thing that they make. It’ll be red chili beans, potato salad. That’s very traditional for the natives. Indian fry bread, which is. And this where we live is called. We call them popovers, yeast bread. That’s very, very traditional,” she said.

Sylvia made Indian fry bread for her signature dish. She said she wants to pass along traditions to her grandchildren. 

“Just everything I would like to pass on to my grandchildren. Just everything I’ve learned about food and business. And just tradition. Probably more than anything. Tradition. Because I feel like I learned how to cook and do the things that I do for my family for traditional reasons,” she said.