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For Chef Jesús García de la Cruz—the man who opened the hole-in-the-wall Mexican space that is Bubu’s Restaurant on Orange Avenue in Long Beach—the road toward having his own business has been paved with gratitude.

He is, after all, no stranger to the Long Beach food scene. From the kitchens of Open Sesame and Yardhouse to Berlin Bistro and Parker’s Lighthouse, it was the mixture of Mexican determination and the American food industry that brought Chef Jesús, his wife Alondra—whom he met while working at a Lone Star restaurant—and his family to his chiquito-pero-picoso space.

“It was the United States, coming here from Tijuana, that I genuinely felt like, ‘Wow, I can be a chef,'” Chef Jesús said. “I moved here when I was 21, started as a dishwasher, and I have worked at some great restaurants… Every person along the way has my sincere gratitude.”

A native of the great Mexican state of Puebla, the journey to Bubu’s Restaurant—named after his daughter to remind him of “why all the hard work is important”—hasn’t always been easy. But it sure has been nothing short of fulfilling.

Written and photos by Brian Addison.

For Brian Addison's full feature on Bubu's Restaurant, click here.