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DULZURA
CAFE Dulzura Café is a long
standing business in the community and it has had it’s ups and downs.
Right now it is a thriving business and serves delicious meals.
Tourists, motorcyclists and locals regularly
patronize this establishment for food and refreshments. It is currently owned by
Earl and Kitti Pfeifer and they bought it about 1977.
It was really run down, but they have put new life in this old
restaurant. Earl and Kitti
have decorated the restaurant into a rustic country charm decor with lots
of antiques on the walls and in the nooks and crannies.
The back dining room has license plates for almost every state in
the Union and lots of old movie posters.
Many old animal horns and deer heads hang on the walls.
Most of all there is a friendly atmosphere in the entire
restaurant. The café building used
to be a store and house. It
supplied food and essentials for the locals because it was a long trip
into town. The original
store was in front of Charlotte Holcomb’s old house (next to current
Dulzura Café). There was
also a garage where the driveway is now.
There was also a post office.
None of these building exist today.
A flood came through this area in 1926/27.
Another store was built where the current Dulzura Café is now, but
it was only half the current size. It
included the area of the bar and stools and kitchen area.
Over the years there have been several owners.
Bill Smith had the garage and Ella Willets had the store for the
longest period of time in the early 1930’s.
She did a lot of improvements on the store.
Mr. Farrett, Glovers,
McCloskey’s, Bob Yost and Mr. Waters all had this store for a short period
of time. Jack Talbot was the first
one to make it a restaurant. He
was the cook at PioPico (Daley”s ranch) and was experienced in this
area. This was early
1940’s, about the start of the war, when there were military personnel
around and travel to the area was easier.
Don Sheckler worked for Mr. Talbot as a handyman.
The building was enlarged and incorporated a shed that is currently
the back dining room. The
front east part of the building was added.
Mr. Talbot sold to Hugh and Norma Baxter.
(See picture) During WWII
there was a Signal Corp Unit stationed at PioPico, a listening post
on Otay Mountain and an Army CCC camp.
Business was better and there were more people around during those
times. After the Baxter’s had
the Café there was another series of short time owners until Earl and
Kitti Pheifer bought the Café in 1977.
In 1986 The Dulzura Community Development Committee presented
Earl and Kitty Pheifer the Citizens-of the Year award. Picture #45 - Dulzura Café |
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