MEMORY GAP Long road to citizenship for Casa Del Mar owner

PHOTOS BY KARLA TIPTON | FOR THE BGNN
Raul Leon, co-owner of Casa Del Mar in Norton, shared his immigration story with the Norton Historical Society at a program in October.

By KARLA TIPTON
BGNN contributor
NORTON  We are a nation of immigrants. Whether our families arrived here centuries ago to carve a farm from a frontier wilderness, or in more recent years, to find a new beginning in a city, it has always been a struggle to leave one’s homeland for a new life.

Raul Leon, co-owner of Casa Del Mar Mexican Restaurant in Norton, has trodden that long road. He spoke about his journey at a meeting of the Norton Historical Society in October.

Born in the central Mexican state of Michoacán in the town of La Piedad, Leon grew up with his mother and two siblings, surrounded by a large extended family. His father, Raul Leon Sr., who had already immigrated to the United States, returned to Mexico to visit his family a few times a year.
The region is known for its agriculture, primarily corn, tropical fruits, lettuce, strawberries, cucumber, cattle and pigs.

Describing the climate, he said, “It’s always hot, in the 90s, summertime is over 100. When I lived in Mexico, I thought it was like that everywhere. But then I moved here. I didn’t realize how pretty the seasons, you know, especially fall and winter.”

EMBARKING ON A DREAM

At age 16, Leon joined his father in Georgia, and took a job working part-time for the same restaurant company. The job was a good fit for Leon. “As I was growing up, I was thinking about my future. What am I going to do when I grow up? And I said, well, maybe I can open a restaurant one day.
“I would always dream about it. And, you know, I worked hard.”

Yet the difficulties of being a stranger in a new land became apparent quickly. “I only knew my dad and a couple of friends,” he said. “That was hard, when I was younger.”

As he worked alongside his father for several months, he discovered the greatest struggle was learning a new language.

“I didn’t know English, so it was really hard,” he said. “The whole time I was in Georgia, I would buy dictionaries and try to practice.” He watched movies with subtitles, listened to the radio, and learned the words to songs.

“I just wanted to learn English, because I didn’t like when somebody was talking to me and I didn’t understand what they were saying. And they would just look at me.”

He recalled, with a laugh, “When I went to school in Mexico, we had English class. I wish I would have paid attention.”

Leon stayed in contact with other family members who also lived in the United States.

“I have family in California, Chicago, other states, and Ohio was one of them.”

Other relatives worked in the food industry, and some had opened their own restaurants.

NEW HOME IN OHIO

His cousin suggested he might do well in her husband’s restaurant Casa del Rio in Wadsworth, which had opened in 2001. After discussing it with his father, Leon agreed to give it a try, and moved to Ohio.

He worked his way up from a busboy to a server. Eventually, he began receiving offers from relatives to help manage their restaurants.

“But I was younger, so I said, no, I’m not ready.”

His cousin’s family opened Casa Del Mar in Norton in 2013. In 2018, “they offered me a partnership and a restaurant,” he said.

“I knew it was going to be very risky. They were struggling a little bit, but I thought it would be a good idea. Back in the day, there were not many Mexican restaurants around,” he said.

In his quest to become a U.S. citizen, there were hurdles along the way. While he was a minor, he was considered part of a family unit, and maintained residency in the country through a visa. He was able to travel to Mexico to visit his family, and then return to the United States. When he came of age at 21, his immigration status changed, and he had to start new proceedings to attain his green card. It was a long wait.

“There were two choices,” he said. If he visited his family in Mexico, he wouldn’t be able to come back to the United States.

“Or I could just stay here and wait,” he said. “So, I didn’t go back for 16 years.”

He kept in touch with his family, who occasionally traveled to the United States to see him. After he had attained his green card in 2018, he was able to visit Mexico again. He returned to a place he didn’t recognize.

“It was just a whole different experience,” he said. “From when I was 16 years, it changed so much. Nobody knew me.”

SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC
The most difficult time after taking on the responsibility of the restaurant occurred during the pandemic.

“When Covid happened, honestly, we were really scared,” he said. “The first three, four months, we didn’t know what was going to happen.”

It was the 2020 passage of the Ohio law allowing restaurants with a liquor license to sell “cocktails to go” that saved the day.

“When that happened, it literally bumped up sales like crazy. And that’s really what got us through Covid.”

After getting his green card, Leon had to wait several more years to apply for citizenship. Another couple of years passed as the bureaucratic process played out. Finally, he studied for the naturalization test, which requires answering 100 questions about English, U.S. history and civics. Once he passed the test, his naturalization ceremony was scheduled for February 2024 in downtown Cleveland.

“This is one of my biggest dreams coming true,” he said. “I always wanted to be a citizen.”
Leon, who recently turned 38, is raising a family in Copley.

“This is my home,” he said. “I’ve lived here longer than I lived in Mexico. There’s always timing for everything. This is my time.”

It also was time for one more thing. Now a citizen, Leon registered to vote.

“I wanted to become a citizen before the election so I can get in there too,” he said last month. “I’m glad we made it in time.”

For story suggestions or comments, please e-mail Karla Tipton at [email protected].