Guatemalan immigrant learned English, rose from school janitor to Red Bank restaurant owner

Brett Kimmins

May 17, 2024 at 6:02 PM·7 min read

Mi Lupita’s Kitchen, a Mexican restaurant on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank.

RED BANK - Chris Marroquin, owner of Mi Lupita's Kitchen in Red Bank, moved to the United States as a young man to achieve his own American Dream.

“Although I operate my own restaurant now, my journey began back in Guatemala where I grew up and spent most of my childhood and teenage years. I lived there until I was 18,” Marroquin said. “My mom went to the United States when I was 6, but at one point she wanted my brothers and I to join her, so she got green cards for all of us to come to America. She was always there when I needed her and paid for most everything that I had.

“My brothers didn’t like to study and mainly wanted to work,” Marroquin said. “One of my brothers, Alex, did not like the United States and went back to Guatemala instead. He was sadly murdered and is no longer with us. I got to America in 2008 when Obama became president.”

Marroquin enjoyed growing up in Guatemala and was not eager to leave.

Christian Marroquin, owner of Mi Lupita’s Kitchen in Red Bank, which offers Mexican cuisine for its customers.

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“I grew up being around my grandmother mainly, even though my mom helped with my financial responsibilities,” Marroquin said. “School was great, and I did not want to come to the United States. I had lived there all my life, and my friends were all there. After finishing high school, I got offered an internship, but that was around the time that my brother was killed, so my mother persuaded me to come to the United States.”

Learning the language

Upon coming to the U.S., Marroquin did not speak much English and felt himself at a disadvantage in the work world.

“I did not know the language very well and it was a big barrier for me,” Marroquin said. “I was without a job for a while because most jobs required that you know English. It was a hard language to master. Honestly, I did not like it because it was so tough to learn. The thing of it is that once you are here in America, it is a necessity.”

Marroquin would go on to apply for a bunch of different jobs and remembers a job interview at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank.

“I went on an interview with my uncle’s wife there to translate for me,” Marroquin said. “She was an employee there and wanted to help me get through the interview. The person conducting the interview told her she had to wait outside. He started asking me questions in English and I didn’t understand anything. I didn’t know what he said the whole time and I ended up not getting the job because my English wasn’t good enough. That day, I got home and started crying.”

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Outdoor dining is offered in the rear of Mi Lupita’s Kitchen, a Mexican restaurant on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank.

Marroquin came to the realization that, if you want to be somebody in America, you will have to be able to speak the language.

“I started going to school in Long Branch and I took English as a second language,” Marroquin said. “It was a free program that they offered, and it was a little informal. I completed all three classes, but I was directed to go to Brookdale to further my education of speaking English and they had a great program there. My English got better, but I found that I really had to talk to people to get good at it.”

“In the meantime, I got a job as a janitor at Red Bank Regional High School from 2009 to 2011,” Marroquin said. “It was tough because I was still young, and the students there looked at me like I didn’t belong there. I needed a job and I stuck with it. I was able to pay my mother rent and I didn’t have to depend on her like before.”

When he didn't get a raise he was hoping for, Marroquin quit and got another job at Concorde Specialty Gases which dealt with a gas called sulfur hexafluoride used as an insulator for electric vents.

“I got the job in May of 2011, and I still have that job,” Marroquin said. “That was when I started growing up as a person. I believe that many Spanish-speaking people do not achieve their potential because they do not work or function around many Americans. They spend a lot of their time with other Spanish friends. This job involved me interacting with other Americans and it gave me the help I needed to be successful in life.”

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“Everything I learned in school and on the job, I was putting into practice in life,” Marroquin. “I remember going into that gas company job interview asking for $10 an hour and that was a lot of money for me. My boss was tough and offered me $9.50, which I accepted.

"Afterwards, I started to learn everything as quickly as I could in that job," he continued. "They slowly began to be impressed with my work ethic and I moved up the ladder.”

A restaurant of his own

At Mi Lupita’s Kitchen in Red Bank, the staff includes (left to right) Diego Coj, Azalea Hernandez, Angel Mendez, Esmeralda Bonilla, Christian Marroquin and Gudelia Jalindo

Meanwhile, Marroquin was still finishing school at Brookdale Community College, majoring in business administration, along with taking on some other jobs, including at Old Man Rafferty’s, an Asbury Park restaurant. Marroquin did not end up finishing school because he had so much going on.

Marroquin says he always wanted to have a place in the restaurant business.

“I always wanted to have my own business, but the opportunity never came about,” Marroquin said. “I would do anything, as long as it made me money. The chance to do it finally presented itself in 2021. I had a friend that worked for Kelly Ryan who owns the Boondocks Restaurant in The Marine Park, located in Red Bank.

“She opened a second location right where I am at now during the pandemic,” Marroquin said. “She eventually decided to close that location and that’s when I decided to get in touch with her about taking over that location and making it the spot for my own restaurant. I met with her, and she agreed to talk to the landlords about renting out the space to me.”

After talking to the landlords, Marroquin came to an understanding that they could only rent the space out to him for two to three years.

“They told me that they were in a contract to sell the place,” Marroquin said. “They made it clear that it was not certain whether I could stay. Even with all of that on the line, I accepted their proposal because even if they sold to new owners in that time frame, the new owners wouldn’t take over the space for another two to three years. I took my chances.

“Kelly was one of the nicest people that I’ve ever met,” Marroquin said. “She told me not to give her any money up front. She let me pay installment payments and let me have a bunch of equipment for free. She was like a mentor to me. I didn’t know much about restaurants, and she was a big help.”

Marroquin opened Mi Lupita's Kitchen on Dec. 4, 2021.

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The interior of Mi Lupita’s Kitchen, a Red Bank business that provides Mexican cuisine for its customers.

“Business has been great since opening and we grow day by day,” Marroquin said. “We are getting more well known due to word of mouth and customers always give us a great review. I’m very happy and the important thing about running a business is being around the right people and trusting the right people.”

Mi Lupita's Kitchen serves mainly Mexican food and offers many popular dishes.

“We have enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos are some of our fan favorites,” Marroquin said. “Also, the corn from the tortillas that we make comes right from a wholesaler, who orders right from Mexico from small farmers. The tortillas we make in the restaurant do not all contain the corn from that wholesaler, though.”

Marroquin hopes to stay where he’s at. “We have a five-year contract,” Marroquin said. “It seems like we are going to be here for another two to three years. In the meantime, we have a food truck that we will get into motion in the next three months.”