Left to right front row: Kelle Lynn - Nancy Levenburg - Suzanne Scholl
Left to right back row: Carla Hill - Melody Vrancken - Bari Johnson
"We, as your friends and neighbors, as foodies, cooks, world travelers, entrepreneurs, and cutomer relations and business professionals, offer to give you a fair but candid evaluation of our entire dining experience all while we enjoy time together on an evening out."
After dining with two Guest DivOs (male), the Divas decided it was time for a Guest DivA! And our very first choice was Spring Lake’s Cathleen Pranger. She has had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) for the past 13 years, but prior to ALS, Cathleen loved to cook and entertain others in her home. She is a Diva at heart so we wanted to honor her in her own home with one of her favorite dishes. We conducted sneaky research to keep it a secret and surprise her.
Cathleen grew up in Southern California, and is very familiar with authentic Mexican food. After moving to West Michigan in 1995, she found her choices in ethnic food limited. In Fennville one day, she noticed the Su Casa Restaurant and decided to stop for lunch.
“It was a hole in the wall, adjacent to a grocery store,” Cathleen said. “But they had the best tacos I've had in a long time.” Since then, it has been her favorite Mexican restaurant in Michigan. Unable to eat tacos now, her second favorite Mexican dish is chiles rellenos.
We found the Su Casa's website, studied the menu and made our selections. However, when we telephoned to place our order, the phone just rang and rang. No one ever answered. We didn't know if we had called too early or on a day they weren't open, so we sent a quick email to the Fennville Chamber of Commerce… only to discover that Su Casa was closed. Ugh! Now we only had two days to find a good chile relleno and follow through with our surprise!
One of our Facebook followers had suggested we review Arturo's Tacos in Grand Haven; however none of us had ever been there before. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to discover more about this relatively new business in town. Would it hold up to the discriminating palate of someone who grew up feasting on first-rate authentic Mexican cuisine?
“More rapid than eagles, the autos they flew…” and we were off to Arturo’s to sample their menu offerings. We explained to Arturo that we would need a large take-out order on Friday (with Bari showing off her Spanish-speaking abilities). He and his wife, Ruby, were happy to oblige and said they would have it ready for us to pick up.
Arturo (Orduno) told us:
"We are originally from Chicago and started making food for festivals about five years ago. Our first one was the Hispanic festival in Grand Rapids. People loved our food and kept asking us where we had a restaurant. At the time, we didn’t have one, but it gave us an idea. We decided to open our restaurant in Grand Haven in April, 2011. All of our ingredients are freshly prepared every day. We know that’s what people are looking for.
My parents, Meliton and Elba Orduno, have lived in Chicago for the past 35 years and come here on the weekends to help with the business. All of the food prepared in the kitchen comes from recipes that originated with my grandmother and great-grandmother in Apaxtla, Guerrero, Mexico. They actually cooked everything over a wood fire since there wasn't electricity – or even gas – in their small town.
I learned how to cook about 18 years ago when I married Ruby. I called my mom and she taught me how to cook over the telephone. Now my own daughter is learning the same recipes and my mom shows her how to cook, too. Our three children – Marco, Jazmin and Luis – help us on weekends by running the cash register, serving our chips and cleaning tables."
The Divas met at Arturo’s at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 22nd, to retrieve the order of chiles rellenos, pork tacos, chicken and cheese enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, frijoles and arroz (beans and rice), chips and salsa, lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a (large) side order of Arturo’s fabulous guacamole.
Within about ten minutes, Arturo and his kitchen crew had our order packed in aluminum tins, and we were out the door and winding our way to the Pranger house.
Cathleen was surprised by the Divas’ taco-toting arrival! After welcoming us into her home, the Divas were escorted to the family dining area overlooking beautiful Spring Lake. Our table setting featured woven circular gold-colored placemats and linens, with white plates and crystal goblets. Lovely!
Traditionally, the basic staples in Mexican food are corn, beans, and chili peppers. Europeans introduced meats (including beef, pork, chicken, goat and sheep), and dairy products (especially cheese) during the 16th century. Arturo’s Mexican style tacos feature corn tortillas filled with pork, onions and cilantro. They also offer American style tacos, which are served with lettuce and chopped tomatoes. The enchiladas are made using flour tortillas.
Our Guest Diva, Cathleen, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the chiles rellenos, noting they were prepared with the Poblano peppers’ seeds left in, lending a distinctive bite. Bari also liked the chiles rellenos, observing they were shaped differently from others she has had in the past. Perhaps this comes from Arturo’s heritage in Mexico and traditional recipes.
Suzanne isn’t a fan of Mexican food (or for that matter, anything other than meat and potatoes), but she bravely sampled everything – including the hot sauce. She liked the chips and salsa the best. Nancy’s favorite was the Cheese Enchiladas, and Kelle’s favorite was the pork tacos. Carla and Bari loved the chicken quesadillas, stating they weren't like the Tex-Mex one's we usually see; they came with a lot of chicken and had a nice bite. And Melody liked everything! We simply couldn't get enough of the quacamole!
Our dessert – a bakers’ dozen of assorted bite-sized cupcakes – came from Desserts by Design in Grand Haven. “Mexican food and chocolate is always a good combination,” Nancy said, and Kelle added, “chocolate is ALWAYS good.”
Without a doubt, the sweetest part of our evening was spending time with Cathleen – a woman who is not only lovely, but a wonderful inspiration to us all.
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| Kimberly Parsons, a project manager for Cathleen, set the table in preparation for the Dining Divas! |
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| A gift from Cathleen's husband - Scott Pranger. Scott: "The Diva's were treated to four delectable choices from my wine cellar. It wasn't surprising they gravitated to the 2007 Jordan Cabernet, which is an exceptional Napa Valley Cab from one of the best rated years in the last decade. Of all the cabernet's in my cellar, the 2007 Jordan is my favorite as well." |
Wine cellar at Pranger residence
Arturo's Tacos
305 N Beacon Blvd
Grand Haven, Mi
616.844.4100
305 N Beacon Blvd
Grand Haven, Mi
616.844.4100
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| The Orduno Family |
Our mini cupcakes from Desserts by Design/Consider It Done
320 Columbus
Grand Haven, MI
616.847.1370
www.dessertsbydesign.us
Ellen Vonesh is owner of this cafe and bakery located in a newly renovated Victorian-style home in Grand Haven. Ellen offers full-service catering and a bakery specializing in wedding cakes and special recipe baked goods - all made from scratch. The cafe offers a bowl of homemade soup, salad, and sandwich. You can also schedule a gingerbread house decorating class. Or make it a girls' night out for an after hours party with sweet fun!
Scott, Cathleen and Sam Pranger - 2004 (one year after diagnosis)
The disease has progressed, paralyzing her from the neck down, and today she can barely speak. The use of a Dynavox has made a significant difference in helping Cathleen to communicate with others in the room, as well as sending letters to faraway loved ones. Four caregivers are employed in the Pranger household and work around the clock in various shifts.
Through the help of her caregivers, Cathleen keeps a busy daily schedule and is able to accomplish an extraordinary amount of projects - scrap-booking memories and photos, decorating her beautiful home, plus staying connected with people through email and Facebook. She stays current with the latest fashion and enjoys getting dressed up for events and visitors coming over.
ALS is a variable disease; meaning no two people have the same experiences. Most people die from respiratory failure, usually within three to five years from the onset of symptoms. The median survival time from onset to death is around 39 months, and only 4% survive longer than 10 years. Cathleen is one of the 4%.
She is incredibly grateful that she has a healthy appetite with the ability to still chew and swallow food (even meat!) so mealtime is her favorite passion. Cathleen stated that in itself is a miracle!
Cathleen is incredibly grateful for the ongoing support she has had from her family and friends, her husband Scott, her son, Sam, and team of caregivers. But most of all to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she credits most for her daily strength and support.
For more information on ALS go to: www.alsa.org
A very special night with our Guest Diva - Cathleen Pranger!
The Divas want it to be noted, with all due respect, that the views and opinions shared in this venue do not represent those of the Grand Haven Tribune and are entirely based on each individual experience we encounter. Perhaps on any other occasion, they may differ.
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