GLOBE — La Casita restaurant in Globe, Arizona, has been a cornerstone of the community since 1947 — thriving through generations of family ownership, amazing recipes, and hard work - and now, owner Annie Villalobos is opening up to ABC15's Nick Ciletti about the devastating floods last year that could have washed it all away, including the family legacy.
"I eat here every day."
It is the Arizona restaurant where you save the special moments just as much as the iconic Mexican meals.
"You can try everything, and you won't be disappointed," explains owner Annie Villalobos.
"I grew up coming to La Casita every Friday with my family," explains Globe native Bryan Seppala, who happened to go to Globe High School with Annie! "This has been a tradition for my family ever since I was born."
You could say the same for Annie, but for different reasons!
"My great-grandmother started it in 1947, then my nana had it after her," explains Annie, reflecting on nearly 80 years of family legacy, with the restaurant running in the family and running through Annie's veins, learning the business here as a child --the little girl who is stepping into a big responsibility.
"...I am the owner. I manage our employees. I cook all of our food. I do pretty much everything when it comes to the business part of La Casita and running a business."
So it goes without saying — Annie has a lot on her plate. But she tells ABC15 she wouldn't have it any other way.
"I love coming into work," Annie says.
But not that long ago, Annie wondered if this love story had written its final chapter.
Last September's historic flooding devastated parts of Gila County, causing more than $150 million in damage and claiming three lives.
Historic Broad Street in Downtown Globe looked more like an ocean at the height of the flooding on Friday, September 26, 2025, picking up more than two inches of rain in less than an hour in many spots.
Since the rain came racing in so quickly, many people downtown were stranded with no time to escape - including more than three dozen people trapped at La Casita.
"We have local heroes walking around, saving 40 people who were in here that night. I can never thank them enough or repay them," explains Annie. "We had one girl washed out into the street, and we had one girl washed two blocks down. It was very scary for them...I just thank God they made it out alive that night!"
Every single one of them in the restaurant was saved --a little shaken up but otherwise okay.
But Annie couldn't say the same for her restaurant.
"It was stressful, muddy, and dirty," explains Annie about the clean-up that ensued for the next two months.
The restaurant was forced to close for 48 days as repairs were made. During that time, ABC15's Nick Ciletti traveled to Globe to meet with Mayor Al Gameros.
"We are resilient," explains Mayor Gameros. "When we first saw everything that happened here, it was difficult to understand if we could ever recover from this."
But Globe didn't just survive -- the City thrived. The proof is in the pudding... or in this case, the classic homemade salsa!
"It's been amazing. We are resilient, and we are not going to give up," explains Mayor Gameros.
"When the City finally gave us the okay to re-open, we probably had 100 people from our community in here to help us clean up and rebuild everything," explains Annie. "They showed up every single day."
"This place is more than food," says Bryan. "We would come here for Homecoming, after the parades, holidays, and family meals. This is more than just a restaurant; it is really the heart of what it means to grow up in a small town like Globe."
To learn more about La Casita, click here.
