Beatriz Balli, 89, founder of Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant, remembered

DeKALB – Rosa Balli remembers her mother, Beatriz Balli, as “very loving, warm and caring, not only about her own family, but also those in the community.”

Beatriz and her husband, Luis Balli, established the DeKalb-based Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant in 1972. Beatriz Balli, 89, died Sept. 13 at her home surrounded by family. Luis Balli died 16 years ago. Together, Beatriz and Luis Balli had seven children, 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

The couple met in Texas and left their grocery store business in the state to follow the strawberry crop north to help with the harvest.

When they arrived in DeKalb, the crop wasn’t ready, so they pursued other activities. Through the migrant ministries at the Newman Catholic Center, the family met Anthony Fusaro, a professor at Northern Illinois University. Fusaro helped them start a restaurant by connecting them with city officials to secure necessary permits.

In May 1972, Beatriz and Luis Balli bought a small pizza restaurant in DeKalb.

“It was two stores over from where Rosita’s is now, and it’s now an empty parking lot,” their daughter Rosa Balli said. “They wanted to start a business, but making pizzas wasn’t really our thing. We had no clue about it. But my mother was a wonderful cook, and she decided to try selling Mexican food. At that time, Mexican food was very foreign.”

Balli said that loyal customers from NIU, including Fusaro, helped the business succeed during its early years.

“It started out with only a few tables, and it kept growing and growing,” she said. “We had to expand the business.”

Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant is now located at 642 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Balli said what set the restaurant apart from others was its original authentic Mexican recipes, with meals “exactly as my mom would make at home in our kitchen.”

“My parents had seven children, and when my mom made something for dinner, there was never anything left on the plate,” she said. “It was all very good, fresh and homemade.”

Through the years, the restaurant’s menu expanded, adding items like seafood to the fare. The restaurant also obtained a liquor license and began selling its popular margaritas.

“We’ve always had combination plates, and some of them are the original plates and numbers from more than 40 years ago,” Balli said. “We still have our original and favorite menu items, but have also added a few new dishes through the years.”

As the restaurant expanded, a patio was built 29 years ago.

“We decided to add a patio space with landscaping, pavers and a beautiful outdoor seating area,” Balli said. “My mother loved to plant flowers, and she made sure all the flowers on the patio were to her liking. I think the flowers really add so much to the experience and ambiance of the restaurant.”

Nicole Peltz, who worked for the restaurant for five or six years, said what she loved most about her job was “how everyone was treated like family.”

“Mrs. Balli was a very kind and loving person, a patient teacher,” Peltz said. “She taught me some of my most-used and valued skills. I learned through her actions, watching how she interacted with staff and customers. She took care of everyone and everything. ... Food is a very powerful connector, and with the restaurant and her love, she intertwined food, a sense of community and family.”

Growing up, Balli always remembers how hard-working and entrepreneurial her mother was.

“She always kept the restaurant clean and kept an eye on it,” Balli said. “Over the last five years, even as she was getting older and slowing down a bit, she still came over to check to make sure there was no dust and help wherever she could. She had a great work ethic, and she instilled that in all of her children.”

Beatriz Balli often stopped to chat with customers at their table to say hello.

“We’ve seen customers and their families grow up through the years,” Balli said. “We’ve seen them as children, grow up, get their driver’s license, go to prom, get married, have babies of their own. Part of the great thing about owning a restaurant is that you get to know your customers. That’s what makes the business so special, being able to share in everyday life and hear their stories.”

Jo and Phil Vandrey of DeKalb have been dining at Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant since the first week it opened.

“We were just struggling grad students, and Beatriz was in the kitchen cooking away and Luis was bringing out plates of food to the tables,” Jo Vandrey said. “They always treated us – and every customer – like family.”

Through the years, the Vandreys say they’ve ordered everything on the menu, and they eat at the restaurant at least once a week.

“It’s our home away from home,” Vandrey said. “Everything there is good, from the food to the friendly staff.”

Balli said that without her mother, the restaurant never would be what it is today.

“My mother was a businesswoman, and the restaurant could never have succeeded without her,” she said. “She was definitely the backbone. You didn’t really think of a woman running a business, especially in the ‘70’s.”

Balli called her mother, who was the second of 10 children, “a great negotiator,” who would take produce and items to sell at an early age in markets in Mexico.

“My Grandma would tell me that my mom would climb up trees to get fruit to sell,” Balli said. “But even back then, as a young girl, she was very entrepreneurial in spirit. She was always hardworking. My parents wanted the American dream, and they got it, making sure their children and grandchildren got a better life. It’s just hard to imagine my life – and the restaurant – without her.”

The Vandreys, and many other loyal customers from Rosita’s, attended Beatriz Balli’s visitation Sunday. Her funeral mass was held at St. Mary Catholic Church in DeKalb on Monday, and she was buried at Fairview Park Cemetery.

“My parents wanted the American dream, and they got it, making sure their children and grandchildren got a better life. It’s just hard to imagine my life – and the restaurant – without her.”

—  Rosa Balli

“We loved Beatriz, and we love the restaurant,” Jo Vandrey said. “Beatriz left her spirit in the restaurant. It was her heart and soul and everything. That will never change. That will always be there, and that is why we’ll always keep going to Rosita’s.”

Rosita’s Mexican Restaurant will celebrate its 50th anniversary in May 2022. Rosa Balli said that her family is planning to host a celebration event for the anniversary and to honor the memory of her parents.