At Castillon's, our mission is to consistently offer our customers delicious, homemade authentic Mexican food; fast and excellent service; a comfortable and relaxing environment at very reasonable prices.
Castillon's is located just east of the intersection of Lemay & Mulberry on S. Link Lane. All of our food is prepared from our original family recipes and are made fresh daily right here in our kitchen.
About the Castillon family:
The Castillon's were hardworking migrant workers. From our home in Uvalde, Texas, we traveled across the country to work the various crops that fed America. From Colorado (sugar beets, cucumbers, onions, potatoes), to Ohio (tomatoes), to Florida (sugar cane, oranges, strawberries and grapefruit), just to name a few. My parents were always on the go and from the beginning it has always been a family affair. Unfortunately, our family had to leave our home in Uvalde, Texas, each year to work the fields before the school year ended. After the summer picking season was over, we would usually end up back in Texas after the school year had already started. Although it was a hard life, our family learned how to work hard and get the job done.
My parents finally settled in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1970, and it was in 1971 when my brothers and sisters and I attended a full school year. I started working at this very restaurant (back then it was called The El Dorado) in 1973 and left 13 years later in 1986 when the original owners (Ben and Sally Chavez) sold the restaurant. Although the education I received when I was young was sometimes sketchy, I found myself well prepared after graduating from high school. I first went to school at Aims Community College in Greeley and received my A.A.S. in accounting. I continued my education at the University of Northern Colorado and graduated with a B.S. in Accounting in 1988. I worked as an accountant in Denver until 1997.
On September 15, 1997 our family decided to open this restaurant. Years later, our entire family still plays a major role in its success:
| John | Does all the cooking, accounting, marketing, among other duties |
| Sister Sylvia | Waits on customers |
| Mom | Makes her famous pork tamales |
| Sister Gloria | Helps in kitchen especially when I'm on vacation! |
| Brother Eloy | Makes the bar drinks |
| Sister Lucy | Substitutes for Mom and Gloria when needed |
| Brother Nune | Is available fo big repair jobs as needed |
| Dad | Helps with the maintenance of the building. |
| Sister Audi | Is available with the accounting as needed. |
This is truly a family-run business!
We also have a program available where we will donate a certain percentage of sales for fundraisers to help people or organizations here in Fort Collins. It's our way of giving back to the community. For more information, just ask for John.
Says John, "I work long hours and I enjoy every minute I'm here. Trust me - I love to cook for and to serve our customers.
"I've said many times and I sincerely believe it's true: I have the best customers and employees in Fort Collins, CO!!!"
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