About VAHC
In 1972 the now CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber, Michel Zajur, opened one of the first Mexican Cuisine Family restaurants La Siesta in the Greater Richmond Areas Southside. Virginia families delighted in their first glimpses of the Hispanic culture and its passion for food, family, celebration, and ingenuity.
Many area residents respond to the restaurants mention with smiles when they reflect on trips to the kitchen as children to see how fried ice cream was made. It is said in Latin American culture that food is best prepared with love. Local families left with full bellies and warm impressions about this newly emerging community in their area.
Michel and his wife Lisa Zajur quickly identified the benefits of educating local children about learning Spanish as a second language through a colorful and interactive program they coined La Siesta Town. Students from counties throughout Virginia were bussed to the restaurant where they took airplane rides through Latin America experiencing dance, language, and culture.
