Manager, Adriana Martinez-Eliaz, brings more than years of experience to Casa De Luz East.
By Sarah M. Vasquez
Adriana Martinez-Eliaz has early memories of playing with her older sisters at the playground at Casa De Luz, a community wellness space in the Zilker neighborhood. Her mom started working there in 2005, when Martinez-Eliaz was two-years-old.
“Having that space to be free there was really nice. I still remember how it all used to look,” says Martinez-Eliaz. “I have pictures of us when we were younger too. Just being there was a really calming thing. Even though my mom was there to work, it was still a place where she felt safe that we could run around, take our energy out, and we would have a great meal after.”
Now the 20-year-old is the manager for Casa De Luz East, Casa De Luz’s new location in East Austin. The original location opened 40-years ago by Eduardo Longoria and the late Maryann Rose in 1983, first as East West Center in South Austin before relocating in 1991 to its current location on Toomey Road, across from Butler Shores at Lady Bird Lake. The community wellness space offers yoga, classes, workshops and a kitchen centered around their motto, “Nature is our menu planner.” The ever-changing menu offers seasonal, organic, gluten-free and vegan meals at a fixed price of $15.
“Our goal is to create community around good food,” says Martinez-Eliaz.
The new location on East Martin Luther King Boulevard, near Bennu Coffee and Sour Duck Market, came from a partnership between Longoria and Blake Thompson and Robert McKee of State Street Properties, who are regulars at the original Casa De Luz. Martinez-Eliaz worked at the original location with her family before her move to East Austin.
“This opportunity that Robert presented me with – being able to manage Casa De Luz at my age – is overwhelming, but I’m so grateful for them that they trust me,” says Martinez-Eliaz.
She started her trajectory at Casa De Luz as a teenager, working exclusively as a hostess on Sundays. Timing would have it that she started to hear about a new Casa De Luz location when she was ready for a change. Martinez-Eliaz was still in school and not 100% sure what she wanted to do, but she knew she wanted to work in hospitality.
After talking to McKee, she started working at the East Austin location part-time while transitioning from the original location. It’s been an easy transition for Martinez-Eliaz because of her years of experience at Casa De Luz, in addition to having the support from her sisters and parents who all work at the original location. Incidentally, her cousin, Edwin Gomez, joined her at Casa De Luz East as the chef.
“I have all this support from my family at the other location steering me in the right way, helping me make decisions that make sense with the Casa De Luz way,” says Martinez-Eliaz.
As manager, she hopes to provide the same Casa De Luz experience at the East Austin location as much as possible. They offer the same dining experience with community-style tables indoors and outdoors that encourage conversations and socialization among friends and strangers. The multi-use village also houses Sukha Yoga Austin, Ivy League Botany Club and Alchemy Organics.
“Having them here at this location is great,” Martinez-Eliaz says. “They’re been bringing in a lot more regulars that didn’t know that we existed.”
Casa De Luz East has only been open since this summer, but Martinez-Eliaz says that most of their marketing has been through word-of-mouth. Her hope is that people enjoy the new location and see a familiar face. If selling out their food during the soft opening is any indication, it seems that people are welcoming Casa De Luz East. Martinez-Eliaz has noticed that they have developed their own group of regulars who come in every day or at least three times a week.
“It’s always a good sign when people want to come back,” Martinez-Eliaz says. “And for me, it feels like we’re doing something right.”
Casa De Luz East is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and located at 1915 E. Martin Luther King Boulevard. For more information, visit casadeluzeast.org.