It’s hard to think of a name more fitting than Mother’s Kitchen for Ericka Isunza’s newly opened restaurant.
When she started her first business — a furniture store — with just a cash register, a dining table and four chairs, her goal was to make sure she had enough time for her family’s needs. Nearly 15 years later, her kids are now so intertwined with her new business that the menu pays homage to them, breaking up the offerings into favorites from her four children, her grandson and other family and friends.
Son Habid Abdelkrim’s favorite is the Bid’s Burger for $21 (with Bid short for Habid), which comes served on a Hawaiian bread bun topped with a fried egg, avocado, bacon and cheddar cheese with a side of fries.
Isunza’s oldest son Joseph’s favorite dish is a ribeye steak served with two eggs cooked to your liking, along with a side of rice and beans for $25.
Other dishes feature recipes from Isunza’s mom, aunts and her grandma, honoring her roots growing up in Durango, Mexico.
“I feel blessed and I’m grateful because I have good kids and they’re with me in the project, the business and at the end of the day, that’s for them, for their future,” Isunza said.
Isunza raised her kids primarily in Signal Hill, where Mother’s Kitchen recently opened at 3382 Orange Ave., but they moved to Long Beach’s Belmont Heights neighborhood six years ago.
The restaurant is just around the corner from The Pink Romantic Home, the furniture store Isunza opened at 1204 E Wardlow Rd. in 2010.
Construction and permitting on Mother’s Kitchen took over five years and included an unlicensed contractor disappearing with their money.
It was such a long process that son Abdelkrim started and completed a psychology degree at Cal State Long Beach during that five-year stretch. Now Abdelkrim runs the eatery’s day-to-day operations.
“It’s [been] an ongoing battle, but I’m very grateful that we were able to open and serve good food to the community.” Abdelkrim said.
After a grand opening at the beginning of November, Mother’s Kitchen is now offering menu favorites like pozole, chilaquiles, tostadas and chorizo with a side of homestyle potatoes. The family plans to add menudo and tamales to the menu soon.
Drink options include coffee, horchata, cucumber water and atole — a masa-based Mexican beverage served hot.
When Isunza was hiring a chef, she only had one test: rice. Chef Alfredo Gonzalez passed with flying colors and has now started putting his own stamp on the menu, recently suggesting pink tacos for Taco Tuesday.
For $6 every Tuesday, guests can get four tacos served on pink tortillas with your choice of filling: carne asada, pollo asado, cabeza and lengua.
The colorful idea fits perfectly with the aesthetic of Isunza’s businesses. Mother’s Kitchen is filled with roses, pastels, chandeliers and even a giant pink Nutcracker. Her furniture store, The Pink Romantic Home, has a similar vibe.
Growing up, Abdelkrim said he wasn’t always thrilled to spend time in the store.
“The roses and the pink stuff, you know, I’m a boy. I wasn’t accustomed to it. So, you know, there were times where I would get off basketball practice, come to the store and I’m like, ‘Man this is not for me,’” he said. “But as time went on and I got older, I kind of understood that this is art. People appreciate how she puts stuff together.”
In 2022, The Pink Romantic Home expanded to a second location at Parkview Village near the intersection of East Carson Street and North Bellflower Boulevard.
Isunza’s daughter Kariza manages both locations while also attending CSULB as a sophomore pursuing a business degree.
Isunza said her daughter handles everything from merchandise to inventory.
Her son Hunter earns his paycheck there too, Isunza said.
Although Isunza has driven the business’ success with her eye for design, she said she’s always open to new ideas from her kids.
Her daughter suggested giving a bouquet of flowers to customers who spend over $100 at the store. It’s been a hit with customers and is now a practice at Mother’s Kitchen as well.
Mother’s Kitchen, 3382 Orange Ave., is open every day from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Pink Taco Tuesdays, the eatery stays open until 10 p.m.