Meet Mary Lane of Mary Lane Cafe in San Gabriel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Lane.

Mary, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. My family was always on the go so we didn’t do a lot of cooking in the home, but when we did for special occasions I was enthralled. Watching my mother and aunts prepare traditional Mexican dishes from scratch is definitely where my passion began. In high school I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Italy. I spent countless hours watching, asking, and learning from the host family’s private chef. I still use recipes from the hand written, make-shift recipe book I created there.

I attended college at The University of Arizona. And fell in love with Southwestern cuisine. I opened a tiny taco shop with 4 sheets of plywood, an ice chest and a steak knife.

I knew I wanted a real restaurant with a vintage/eclectic vibe, so I just started collecting things. People thought I was crazy moving all this “junk” from house to house and eventually from Arizona to California.

I moved back here 7 years ago and a few years after that I found a little dilapidated abandoned dairy. I know this was “it”, the place I had been envisioning for 20 years.

I signed the lease immediately with no clue on how I was going to get it open, but I was determined. It took over 3 years to make it happen. But when it did, it was magical. We recently celebrated our 1-year anniversary and it is still so surreal.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think I have ever been down a smooth road in my life. The three years it took me to open were immeasurably difficult. I lost my husband and was left with 3 young children to care for. As depressed as I was and as difficult it was for me to get out of bed (many days I didn’t) I knew that opening the cafe was more important than ever. My children needed to see me succeed and overcome the huge obstacles thrown in our way. And I needed to feed them. I did extra catering to raise money, maxed out credit cards, sold my car, personal belongings. I hustled! It wasn’t easy. It sucked. But it was all worth it.

Please tell us about Mary Lane Cafe.
This is a very unique little place. I always felt I should have been born 40 years earlier. So, I had to build my own time machine. I want my guests to be transported to a different time and place. I want them to forget the craziness happening in the outside world. Our food is simple but unique, delicious, and fresh. Our buttermilk pancakes are amazing. They are made with real vanilla bean and we have options like Banana, Nutella, blueberry and many more. Our pumpkin Pancakes, in the fall, are a huge it. We also have amazing sandwiches we serve on freshly baked bread and salads like the Hermosa that is topped with gorgeous edible flowers.

I think We have the best coffee in the San Gabriel Valley. Our rose latte is our best seller. My favorite is the Lavender Latte. I make the syrup in house with lavender from our little garden out front of the cafe.

What sets us apart, aside from our ambiance and food is that this is a true family business. My daughters work here when they are not in school and my mom is always here helping.

I am most proud that this little cafe has become a place for my community to come together. I love seeing Friends and family meet or reunite here. I feel so honored when people celebrate special occasions here. We have had some amazing fundraisers, showers, and parties here.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have spent least time doubting myself and listening to people tell me it was never going to happen.

Contact Info:

• Address: 301 N. San Marino Ave.
  San Gabriel, CA 91775
• Website: Www.MaryLaneCafe.com
• Phone: 626-766-1655
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @marylanecafe
• Facebook: @marylanecafe
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/mary-lane-cafe-san-gabriel

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