A sign of the times at La Loma

From the hillside overlooking downtown, La Loma has been slinging green chile for close to four decades. It's the recipe created by grandma Savina Mendoza, whose chile became so popular that the two families that opened La Loma in an old bungalow back in 1974 soon had saved enough money...

By Patricia Calhoun

June 9, 2009

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From the hillside overlooking downtown, La Loma has been slinging green chile for close to four decades. It's the recipe created by grandma Savina Mendoza, whose chile became so popular that the two families that opened La Loma in an old bungalow back in 1974 soon had saved enough money to build a much, much bigger restaurant complete with parking lot a block away. The current La Loma opened in 1981; the Mendoza family long ago bought out the Brinkerhoffs; and grandma passed on more than ten years ago, although her portrait lives on in the restaurant. But there are hints of changes ahead: A sign outside the restaurant at 2527 West 26th Avenue announces a hearing next week for a zoning change that would take this large plot of land out of PRV zoning, and into a much more developer-friendly category.

In the meantime, the original La Loma building, just up the street at 2637 West 26th, remains for sale, after a number of restaurants and coffeeshops tried, and failed, to make a go of the place.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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