
By Don Nelson
Maria Martinez thought the vacant storefront space on Glover Street in Twisp — with its full kitchen in the back and small seating area in the front — would be a perfect place to make Mexican food.
Now the Martinez family — Maria, her husband, Celestino, and their daughter Sharon — are involved in the operation of Sabor Norteño, which opened recently at 108 N. Glover Street, two doors down from Cinnamon Twisp Bakery.
Maria is the cook, using her own recipes, spices and sauces, and Sharon is the manager. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu includes tacos, tortas, tamales, quesadillas, burritos (with a breakfast version), breakfast bagels and a breakfast plate.
The family has not previously operated a restaurant, but Maria has sold her tamales in the past. Sharon, who will shortly graduate from Liberty Bell High School, is the youngest of five siblings, with two brothers and two sisters.
Business was steady the first week of operation, Sharon said, especially on the restaurant’s first Sunday being open.
Sharon said the logo on the restaurant’s window represents Cerro de Lasilla, a mountain near Monterrey in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. The distinctive mountain is a well-known landmark in that part of Mexico.