El Tiempo Cantina

Domenic: I'm the third generation in the restaurant business. I had a very close relationship with my grandmother. I was three years old when she opened up Ninfa's on Navigation. 

Jody: I was in high school and my folks would come here to the next door to Ninfa's. The line was literally 200 yards down the street to get in.

Domenic: She was a pioneering businesswoman. She's considered a hero amongst the Hispanic community here in Houston.

Jody: And somehow, someway, Domenic's grandmother would see my face with a smile and she would let us slide through a back alleyway to get a table to get in and eat.

Domenic: She was just full of love and her favorite word was love.

Jody: You just don't forget those kinds of things.

Domenic: Thinking about everything that my grandmother's done and carrying that torch is something that I'm very proud of.

Jody: She'd be very, very proud of what her children and grandchildren have accomplished.

Domenic: Jody has a very personalized touch. He's always working very intimately with us and so we consider him almost like family.

Jody: This whole experience with he and his family has been, you know, very emotionally rewarding to me and why I'm very passionate about making sure that we're helping them do all the things they need to do to be successful.

Domenic: We are a high transaction-oriented business. Jody has played an integral part in helping us open up over 20 bank accounts and special features that other banks wouldn't mess with. That flexibility that Jody and Origin Bank have had with us has really helped us. It's just a perfect relationship especially for a rapid-growing restaurant company like ours.

Domenic: We have right around 1,000 employees and a high percentage of them have been with us for 30 plus years. They have followed me and my father all the way from the days of my grandmother. I have employees that like to joke around and say, "You're my boss, but I used to change your diapers."