SUCCESS STORY | ALFREDO LEON Take a stroll into Mexico

A 23-year-old entrepreneur is fulfilling a dream.
SALEM -- Walk into Jalisco Mexican Restaurant and you walk into San Jose de la Paz, Mexico, a small town near the country's second-largest city, Guadalajara.
The spackled walls and pastel colors of the building resemble the decor found throughout the small Mexican village; the blue ceilings remind you of its warm summer skies. The clay pottery and colorful murals pay homage to its nearby artist community, Tlaquepaque.
Say "ola" to the restaurant of 23-year-old entrepreneur Alfredo Leon, who opened Jalisco (pronounced HA-lee-sco) nearly a year ago on state Route 14, visible on the north side of the road as you come over the hill and enter Salem from the east.
"I wanted the restaurant to remind me of my village back in Mexico," said Leon, who moved to Salem specifically to open Jalisco, which, judging by the crowded parking lots on most days and especially on the weekends, has been a real American success story.
When he was 16 years old, Leon moved from Mexico to Omaha, Neb., where an uncle owned a chain of restaurants called La Mesa. Leon learned the restaurant business from the ground up, working as a dishwasher and server. He decided against a formal education, rather learning about business from his uncle, and learning English a little at a time.
Higher goals
"I wanted more out of life than the other kids my age," he said in Spanish. "While my friends were doing other things outside of work, I kept working and kept dreaming."
After five years of working with his uncle, he saved enough money to start putting his dream into motion. He took a month of vacation and started east toward New York City.
"I was on an adventure. I had no plan. I traveled everywhere, to Chicago, to Indiana, Michigan and Ohio," he said. "I had already visited California, and there was too much competition there, and I thought about going as far as New York, but then I found Salem."
He learned an important rule of business: Go where there is a need.
"I didn't see another Mexican restaurant in town, and I knew I could afford this location," he said. So, with some additional financial help from his uncle, he sunk everything into the restaurant in Salem. He named it after the state of Jalisco, where his village is located.
"America is the land of opportunity, and thanks to God, everything has worked out; I've been blessed," Leon said.
A year after opening, Leon now employs 18 to 20 part- and full-time employees, including his brother Alberto, who is head chef. Of his family of 10, he has also brought to the United States a sister, Isabel, who is a waitress, and a younger brother, Jaime, who attends Salem High School and also works at the restaurant. His parents, who still live in the village of San Jose, have come to visit a few times.
Winning fans
Salem residents who frequent the restaurant speak highly of it.
"We come here often," said Jim Lehwald, who dined there recently with his wife, Heather, and children, Megan and Joshua.
"We come especially on mariachi night. Our daughters love to dance," Heather said. "And the food is great."
Jalisco's menu is authentic Mexican without being too authentic, meaning, it has Americanized standards such as nachos, tacos and wet burritos, as well as some truly Mexican items such as carnijtas (fried pork cut in small chunks), huevos con chorizo (scrambled eggs with Mexican sausage) and chilaquiles (fried corn tortilla chips).
& quot;We wanted to have a little bit of everything," said Leon, whose menu features 63 dinner entrees and 16 lunch specials. "But I have a few things on the menu that are different, like the burrito California."
The burrito California ($7.50) is so large you'll eat it for dinner and have leftovers for the next day. It's an unusual mix of fajita meat, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, rice, sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole, all smothered in a creamy white cheese sauce.
Prices at Jalisco are affordable. Combination dinners are $6.99; house specialties range from $7.50 to $12.50; children's meals are $3.75 (drink included); vegetarian items are $6.99; and lunch specials are $4.75. The most expensive item on the menu are fajitas Jalisco especial (for two) at $22.50.
The restaurant also serves crispy homemade chips and salsa, margaritas and Mexican beer, and presents it with great service. It's not surprising that Leon has his eyes set on opening a second location, in Alliance.
The success has not changed him, he said. He wants to meet that special someone, get married and have children. But right now he's focused on his dream, which is to own multiple restaurants like his uncle and provide great food for his customers.
"This is something you dream about, to do something in this country, to make something of yourself, even though you don't know anyone or you can't speak the language very well," Leon said.
"I have not done anything special," he added. "This is normal. People who want something work hard for it."