Honoring the memory of their legendary parents, the family of valley restaurant pioneers Maria and Florencio (Del) Delgado, observed the 50th Anniversary of  “Las Casuelas Original” with an historic gold ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the restaurant on Feb.28th at 368 N. Palm Canyon Drive.

Participating in the ceremony was valley icon Frank Bogert--who officiated on behalf of the City of Palm Springs at the restaurant’s original ribbon-cutting with Del and Maria 50 years ago--along with current Mayor Steve Pougnet, officials with the local Chamber of Commerce and Congresswoman Mary Bono’s office.

Las Casuelas Original, opened in February 1958 and is now owned by daughter, Florence Delgado, is the first of five renown Mexican restaurants founded by Del and Maria in the Coachella Valley.  The other restaurants, also owned and operated individually by family siblings, include Patty Delgado Service’s Las Casuelas Terraza, Palm Springs; Joaquin Delgado’s Las Casuelas Nuevas, Rancho Mirage and Casuelas Café, Palm Desert; and Robert Delgado’s Las Casuelas Quinta in La Quinta.

 

About Maria and Florencio Delgado

Family matriarch, Maria Tagle Delgado, who died last December, was born on March 17, 1925 in El Paso, Texas.  At the age of 16 she moved to San Bernardino, and four years later married Florencio (Del). 

The couple began cooking Mexican food in Colton in 1955 at a restaurant named Armida’s Drive-In.  The small business success and a pioneering spirit eventually brought the Delgado’s to Palm Springs.

In February 1958, Maria and Del opened the Original Las Casuelas in downtown Palm Springs.  Now operated by their daughter, Florence, and her daughters, Alana and Crystal, the hallmark establishment was then and continues to be the signature of more than 50 years of a rich family legacy.

In 1973, the Delgado’s relied on their superior business instincts and opened Las Casuelas Nuevas in Rancho Mirage.  In the heart of what was then miles of open road, this decision proved to be one of the smartest the valley has seen.  The popular establishment is now operated by Joaquin and his wife, Sharon, along with their son and daughter-in-law, Andres and Tajah Delgado.  Joaquin and Sharon also operate the Casuelas Café in Palm Desert along with their partners Ray and Kathi Rodriguez.

Maria’s incredible foresight and legacy continued in 1979 when she watched her eldest daughter, Patty Delgado Service, open Las Casuelas Terraza, also in Palm Springs in an historic downtown Spanish colonial-style landmark. The Delgados proved that opening a new restaurant just down the street from the original was indeed a way to secure its place in the community. 

Long before the development growth in the eastern end of the valley, the Delgado’s son, Robert, and his wife, Lisa, used the family foresight that brought them to the desert in the beginning and decided to expand their restaurant business eastward.  They planned for a hacienda-style restaurant on the vacant corner of Hwy 111 and Washington. That vision came to reality with the newest addition to the family tradition Las Casuelas Quinta which opened in 2003. Fulfilling Del and Maria’s dream, now each of the five restaurants is run by one of the Delgado’s children. 

In October of 2006, Del and Maria Delgado received a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, at the entrance to Las Casuelas Terraza.  The street which runs next to Las Casuelas Nuevas in Rancho Mirage also honors the family’s vision with the name “Via Florencio.”

Del and Maria were two exceptional people of superior ideas and instincts.  They had a vision for where the Coachella Valley was going and the inevitable population boom it would experience.  They knew when to seize opportunities and taught all of their children that character, leadership and commitment to the family and the community are what truly determines success.