Business Spotlight: Huerfano County
Fine Art & Cafe - Family Style Hospitality
  

  When Pat McMahon started her first La Veta restaurant, greens were cultivated in the garden, pastries were made from scratch and family members could usually be found waiting tables or at least playing nearby.

  Now, nearly 30 years later, things are pretty much the same. In this, her third restaurant, you'll find Pat and her family treating their dinner guests to her genuine style of warm hospitality and healthful gourmet cooking.

Left to Right - Nanda Ranes, Michelle Tafoya,
Pat McMahon, Randy Shorten, Joey Brier

  The construction of Pat McMahon Fine Art & Cafe is a story of multiple family talents. The 6,000 square-foot, two-story office/gallery/restaurant complex is La Veta's newest commercial building. Its design and construction were the responsibility of Pat and her husband, Random Factor. Together they operate McMahon Construction, which specializes in the creation of custom homes throughout the La Veta area. Their specialty involves the use of insulated concrete form technology which is well suited to the windy extremes of Huerfano County weather.

  The Cafe at 105 West Ryus in La Veta is an excellent example of the smart use of this technology and space for multiple purposes. Eight office suites upstairs, a cooperative artist's gallery downstairs, framed in a relaxed atmosphere with fine food are all nicely housed in a handsome structure. It sits comfortably in the midst of much older commercial buildings.

  In the spacious restaurant you'll watch the goings-on in the kitchen as your meal is prepared. Created by the skillful hands of Pat's son and chef, Nanda Ranes, the cuisine is excellent. As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Nanda's dishes of fish, poultry and meats delight both the palette and the eye. Adding to the hospitality of this dining atmosphere is the chance that you will be waited on by someone from Pat's family. Having grown up in the business it seems as though there is always a daughter or son bringing their personalities to the McMahon hospitality. A new generation will be added to the fold this fall when Nanda and Michelle introduce their first child.

  On October 1, the summer dinner menu expands to include the chef's eagerly awaited Mexican lunches every Tuesday through Saturday and fine dining on Friday and Saturday evenings. Either way you can be sure that the experience will be friendly and the food exceptional.