A native of Equador, Cecilia came to Patagonia — located about 75 miles south of Tucson and close to the Mexican border — in 1997 with no specific plan or agenda. Looking for a fresh start after becoming widowed in her 50s, Cecilia arrived after having worn different career hats – from running an art gallery to working in immigration law. “I came to start a new book, not a new life chapter,” explains Cecilia, shaking her mass of dark curls while warmly smiling.

After a year of Patagonia residency, she ventured into her first business: Velvet Elvis, a pizza restaurant that specializes in handmade gourmet pizzas, calzones, and salads with funky ingredient combos accompanied by memorable names such as “The Inca Quinoa Pizza,” described as “Chicago-style crust prepared with quinoa flour and baked in a deep iron skillet with layers of various vegetables and cheese” and requiring 24-advance notice preparation time. Even with price tags of $20 to $35 for these “Designer Pizzas” as they are described on the menu, the Velvet Elvis has succeeded in focusing on a unique, distinct approach to restaurant eating. Cecilia admits she was lacking in restaurant experience, but felt drawn to the challenge. “I’m a firm believer in serendipity; if you’re following your heart and never give up on your vision, the universe will support you,” Cecilia comments.

The Velvet Elvis opened its doors in December,1998, with a procession honoring our Lady of Guadalupe, an important local Roman Catholic icon, blending local Mexican traditions with creative marketing. Today, the Velvet Elvis has earned a reputation as a regional travel destination, paralleling the growing interest in Patagonia as an artisan haven with shops and galleries lining the small main street. Cecilia was named one of the “Great Chefs of Tucson” and in a recent visit to Patagonia, the Governor of Arizona dubbed the Velvet Elvis and La Mision as “Arizona’s Treasures.” Cecilia claims her success as a restaurateur stems from the fact that she is not formally trained in the food business. “Because I’m not a restaurateur or a trained chef, everything I cook is as if I was preparing dinner for six friends at home,” explains Cecilia. “Not everything may make dollar sense, but as a result Velvet Elvis comes across as a completely unexpected experience.” And come they do – attracting a wide range of devotees. Patrons sit at long tables in “family style” settings, where Harley riders, birders and local artisans cross paths and conversations.

This passion for going against the odds — for following visions that to the mainstream don’t make concrete business sense — led Cecilia to her latest venture: La Mision de San Miguel. “I was busy running the Velvet Elvis and was in no way looking for new ventures. But I guess I’m a sucker for new challenges and this vision of La Mision kept calling out to me,” explains Cecilia. La Mision de San Miguel rose from the former Big Steer Bar, a cowboy bar built in 1930 and earning its reputation through the years as a rowdy saloon with a rough edge. The local Harris family who owned the building approached Cecilia to take on the building after it didn’t even sell at public auction. “I basically started with three walls and a liquor license and my friends calling me crazy back in October of 2003,” laughs Cecilia. “My vision for La Mision stems from a personal tribute to Archangel Michael, celebrating life and overcoming demons. This place was a drug-infested bar – a place of darkness. I wanted to recreate it as the positive heart of Patagonia, a place of inspuration, beauty and life.”

The 14-month renovation involved many artistic helping hands drawing upon Cecilia’s vision. The building itself needed to be stripped down and rebuilt to code, preserving the “three walls” constructed of adobe bricks originally hand-made on site in 1915. Such historic preservation blended with modern green design elements, such as “rastra” construction: Styrofoam building blocks in filled with cement that have a R40 insulation value and can be sculpted and artistically shaped.

Step inside the 6,000 square foot La Mision de San Miguel building, and the interior infuses a serene, mystical quality. “No churches were desecrated in the making of this nightclub,” Cecilia smiles, although the cool, dark yet inviting feel of the interior exudes an almost temple-like ambiance. Various artists painted a diverse range of intricate wall murals, from a 60-foot mural on the dance-floor wall of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to a brightly pained snake encircling a jungle scene, reflecting the Shamanic spirituality of the Shuara Indians of the Amazon. A diverse collection of both international and local artifacts add cultural detail: the main bar itself is constructed from parota imported from Mexico. The side bar was constructed from wood salvaged from barns from a nearby century old cattle ranch. The wine cellar door came from a temple in India. “Every painting, every piece of imported furniture has a story to tell,” explains Cecilia. “So when you come in, you notice that it is not only the music and the conversation resonating in the air; the walls have something to say.”

La Mision de San Miguel renovations shot up over $400,000, depleting Cecilia’s savings and causing her to second mortgage her home. “Right now La Mision is flying on the wings of the Velvet Elvis,” explains Cecilia. The smoke-free La Mision de San Miguel focuses on live music primarily on weekends and has plans for a full tapas menu utilizing the stone grill in the garden. Wine tasting and other special events, including hall rentals for private parties, supplement La Mision’s business mix.

Cecilia understands the importance of marketing, realizing she can’t count on just local Patagonia traffic to fill the nightclub. “This place needs to be marketed as a regional destination in southeastern Arizona,” explains Cecilia. Fortunately, tourism is rising in Patagonia, based on a strong international birding base attracted to the area’s bird and nature habitat. Recent media articles in major Arizona newspapers have fueled weekend traffic. Cecilia also realizes the value of participating in joint marketing efforts that bring tourist traffic to the area. A recent “follow the birds” regional tourism promotion involved a local community member purchasing an artisan-crafted bird sculpture that is on permanent display outside La Mision, Travelers “follow the birds” by going to various locations in Santa Cruz county that house these bird sculptures, drawing both birder and other tourist traffic.

“I’m a firm believer in destiny. I wasn’t looking for a bar business. It was sort of handed to me and now I’m Miss Kitty of Patagonia,” sums up Cecilia.