TITLE: Congratulating Juanita Aguilar on the 45th anniversary of her restaurant, Casa Morales.

SUMMARY: Congratulating Juanita Aguilar on the 45th anniversary of her restaurant, Casa Morales.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, Casa Morales of Lufkin is celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2017; and WHEREAS, In the spring of 1972, a longtime dream of Juanita Aguilar became a reality with the opening of her first restaurant, Morales Mexican Food, which operated out of a local motel before moving into its current building on South First Street; the success of the flagship business led to the establishment of a second location, in the Redland area, in 1984, at which point Ms. Aguilar renamed the company Casa Morales; and WHEREAS, The popularity of the Casa Morales storefronts led to the launch of Casa Morales Gourmet Restaurant Salsa in 2014, and the product is now carried in stores across East Texas, Nashville, Tennessee, and Oxford, Mississippi, and has shipped as far away as Florida, New York, Hawaii, Alaska, and Spain; and WHEREAS, Much of the success of Casa Morales can be attributed to Ms. Aguilar, who has worked with tireless devotion to build, maintain, and grow the business, all the while faithfully serving the Lufkin community and earning the loyalty of her employees; she is also involved in civic activities through volunteer work with the Texas Citizenship Education Project, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Latinos of East Texas, and the League of United Latin American Citizens; her numerous accomplishments have earned her the "Lady of Distinction" award from her Catholic diocese, as well as three international awards for the Casa Morales brand; and WHEREAS, Casa Morales has become a staple of the Lufkin community over the past four and a half decades, and it is a pleasure to recognize Juanita Aguilar and the reputation for excellence that her business has achieved; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Casa Morales on its 45th anniversary and extend to Juanita Aguilar, along with the company's management and employees, sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Casa Morales as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Ashby Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 37 was adopted by the House on February 23, 2017, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House