Feature-The Cooking Crew Chief: Reservist's dream comes true

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Chistina Barbe
  • 507th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
A KC-135 Stratotanker dedicated crew chief here is not only ensuring our aircraft get safely in the air, but also ensuring his customers get some tasty food.

Senior Airman Johnny Ordonez has been cooking for as long as he can remember and loving every minute of it after getting the idea originally from his grandmother.
On December 12, 2012, Ordonez opened his new Mexican restaurant called La Fonda Café located in the Shepherd Mall in Oklahoma City.

La Fonda Café, meaning "the hotel" in Spanish, is a family endeavor. Ordonez's mother Maria Gutierrez, sister Judy Ordonez and his future brother-in-law Chris Daughty have all come together to make it possible.

His grandmother's idea several decades ago was to open a little hotel restaurant deep in the heart of Mexico. This never came to be, until now, when her family made this 25-year dream possible.

"This has been just a dream for so long," said Ordonez. "It's great we were finally able to make this happen."

Together the Ordonez family hopes to inspire and feed mall guests and workers. They strive to provide a delicious yet quick meal so everyone can eat on their lunch break. Ordonez and Daughty have future plans to expand their business to a taco truck making it easily accessible to the public as well as members on base.

"Less Tex, more Mex," is how Daughty describes the overall feel of the food. In order to set themselves apart as a one-of-a-kind Mexican café, Ordonez said the new expanded café's focus is on fresh vegetables, meats and local baked goods.

Their current menu is infused with recipes passed down from Ordonez's grandmother as well as new ones created on a daily basis. Though they have a constant menu of tacos, chorizo, quesadillas, burritos, and tortas, Ordonez said they are always trying new dishes and salsa blends.

"I joined the Air Force Reserves to fulfill my duty to our country," said Ordonez. "It's scary to leave your dream and passion behind for a deployment, but if I have to, I know I'm leaving it in good hands."

LaFonda Café serves its customers breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday.