The story behind the Latin-and Californian-inspired restaurant in Haywood Plaza
Most people wouldn’t change careers and open a restaurant to ease stress and health issues. For Erika Mejia-Dila, however, Califas opened a path toward healing.
Mejia-Dila’s human resources career had her on a successful upward trajectory with a promotion in purview. A Lyme Disease diagnosis and flaring physical symptoms necessitated change, but a restaurant? She thought it was outlandish until her cousin observed Mejia-Dila’s changed demeanor when hosting Latin-based pop-ups in her Simpsonville neighborhood.
“‘This is the happiest I’ve ever seen you,’” Mejia-Dila recalls her cousin saying. “I wasn’t stressed,” she adds. “I enjoyed it. It was a lot of work, and it didn’t feel like work.”
With the support of her mother, father, uncles, aunts, and nearly 150 Upstate family members, Mejia-Dila began creating a menu from an extensive notebook of family recipes.
Together, the family represents many food cultures. “We have all types of Latin food—California, Mexican, Honduran, a lot of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Peru,” she says. Not to mention non-Latin influences, like Japanese from her husband and Italian from a family marriage.
Mejia-Dila thought it best to start with what was familiar to her and her future customers. Califas’ current and continually expanding menu is a bit Californian, Mexican, and Honduran, with a whole lot of flavor and love.
It’s common for the original family recipe creators, her aunts and mother, to pop into the Califas’ kitchen, dip a spoon in a saucepot, and tell Mejia-Dila what it needs. She welcomes this family input—so much so that her entire staff includes family members, from working the register to handling marketing,
The Califas menu reflects only a small portion of the precious family recipes. Her family keeps asking for her to start including their vast array of seafood dishes, including ceviche and California-style fried fish.
She’d also love to venture into baking Honduran, home-style yeasted bread like conchas and tortas to honor her grandmother.
“My kitchen size is keeping me from doing other dishes,” Mejia-Dila explains.
For now, she’ll keep her grandmother’s Honduran tamales on special during the holidays and look for every opportunity to share her family’s food with her customers.
“I was afraid. My dad always believed in me. And told me not to be scared,” she says. “And I went for it. I’ve always been scaredy-cat of failing. But I took a leap of faith.”
Califas, 30 Orchard Park Dr. Unit 4, Greenville, 864.631.1565, eatcalifas.com
Califas: Pernil Roasted Pork Recipe
Erika Mejia-Dila’s family makes and serves this recipe for Easter and all major holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
- 6-8 lb bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt
- 5 ripened Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 medium bell pepper
- 1/2 medium purple onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeño
- 3 Tbsp garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp onion powder
- 3 Tbsp salt
- 3 Tbsp oregano
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 3 Tbsp lemon salt
Instructions
Wash pork shoulder or pork butt, pat dry, and place in baking pan.
Mix all other ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Poke large holes all over the pork with a large knife. Then, smother the pork with the blended mixture and cover it with aluminum foil. Put in oven for 4 hours at 350℉. Uncover when done and broil for another 20-30 minutes until brown.
Shred roasted pork. Make tacos by warming flour or corn tortillas and topping them with pork, pickled onions, and your favorite salsa. Or, make a roasted pork sandwich by pairing the pork with your favorite toasted bread, chopped cabbage, a tomato slice, and some mayo, ketchup, and mustard. You can also serve the roasted pork with rice and beans.
Photography by Jack Robert Photography.
