From KCRW, I'm Evan Klyman. You're listening to good food.

Ron Salisbury's earliest memories go back to the restaurant his grandparents opened in

1923. His grandpa was a carpenter. His grandma was an exceptional cook. They had

come to Southern California from Arizona searching for

the American Dream in a house on Western Avenue which was once the Western border of the

city of Los Angeles. They found it. There they opened a humble

restaurant with a tiny menu. You could order an enchilada, a chiligeno, or a taco,

along with a little plate of beans and rice.

While 99% of restaurants come and go,

this one somehow endured.

I asked one time what I thought was the greatest server we ever had and her name was Anne how and I said

what is it about this restaurant she said it snuggles you you know you're comfortable here

if by snuggling she means blanketing yourself in one of those flower tortillas, then yes, I wholeheartedly agree. After a century in business, El Cholo is an LA institution and at 90 years old Ron is still at the

helm. This year the restaurant is celebrating its 100th anniversary making it the oldest Mexican restaurant in California and the third

oldest in the country. To celebrate this milestone we sent Los Angeles Times

columnist KCRW contributor and El Cholo's super-fan, Gustavo Ariano, along with good food producer

Elena Shatkin to talk to Ron.

And as you can imagine, he has stories on stories on stories.

Tom Sever, who up until short time ago,

got into a baseball hall of fame with the highest vote ever

and legendary pitcher.

Yes, Tom was a student at USC who grew up eating at

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