It was late when we pulled into the quaint little town of El Paso Illinois and after getting a hotel for the night we went wandering to see if we could find something to eat. Well to our surprise we came across this little place named Woody’s Family Restaurant, 609 W Main St, El Paso, IL 61738 and were we ever fortunate to do so. Rosa, the owner, was outside watering the plants and she greeted us with a warm smile as we entered. Soon after sitting our waitress came over and so did Rosa. While our order was being prepared we chit chatted for the longest time and what a story Rosa had. This woman is incredible. She came to America when she was 17 years old with her dad reluctantly giving permission. Rosa immediately found work and within a short time was able to afford to bring her Dad (a retired police officer in Greece) and her mom to live here. This is when she met a man that would later become her husband. The two of them dated for 9 years before getting married and happily married ever since. She and her husband own the restaurant or as she put it “the bank and her” for almost 22 years. She is so proud of what she and her husband have created and the many, many friends that have become family since. She made many wonderful and insightful statements but the one that resounded in the ears of Audrey and me was how proud she is to be an American citizen and noted “this is the land of opportunity”. She said she has and continues to work hard but has no regrets. What a woman. Rosa, is we lived here I could easily say we would be eating at Woody’s at least once a week. Folks if you are passing through please make this a must to stop and eat at.
USA Through Our Eyes 
I believe you are so right Robbie in that it is about hard work and you well know this by your and Michaels accomplishments. We can only imagine the hard work you have put in as we follow your blog and attempt to make some of the projects you make look so easy. Thank you for your words of encouragement. It is interesting for us to learn from you about Europe and the culture there. We spent a month in Ireland and came away with so much understanding but still far short of those that live there permanently.
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I think that if you are prepared to work hard, the US is still a land of opportunity. Europe is very over-traded and sometimes hard word just isn’t enough. Lovely post.
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Ain’t this the truth Pat. One of the definite keys to life.
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Its all about balance! 😬
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Thank you Pat. We love food as you know when we look at your site. Our belt notches keep growing and our trips to the gym increase.
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awesome story!!
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Pleasure is all mine.. 🙂
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Hi Ann. It was a wonderful place. Rosa was so down to earth. When we drove up she was tending to the flowers up front. We were so surprised when later she came us to us and started talking. We were there for a long time learning of her wonderful story of coming here from Greece with the love of her life and the journey to building the restaurant. She personally oversees each recipe and the taste spoke to this fact.
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You are welcome. We are glad you enjoyed it.
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Good to know this inspiring story. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
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I like the story of Rosa and her live in the USA, I hope that there coming a lot of people to stay in Woody’s, You both place it on the map. Greetings, Ann.
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Thank you for sharing these thoughts. We agree so whole heartily with you. “Beacon on the hill” is such an apt way to describe what we should always strive to be as a nation and as a people.
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“Mom and Pop” businesses are the best! They are the backbone of small business. When it comes to these small diners, you can’t beat the food or the service. Amongst all the hatred for this country, it’s refreshing to hear about stories from people like Rosa. No country is perfect, but I still believe the good ole U.S. of A. is that beacon on the hill. I love this story! Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much for saying this Clarissa. We find so much joy meeting the people on our journeys and we believe they sense our heartfelt sincere interest in them and a friendship begins from it. We cherish the trust each person places in us when they share.
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I really like how you both get others to open up to you. It is a real talent to be able to do that!
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