Both Jake and Lupe came from very large families. Jake is one of 11 children in the Zamora family. Lupe is one of 10 children in the Miranda family. Jake taught welding at Austin Technical college and also worked construction as a plumber and steam fitter for many years before realizing he wanted to do something other than work for someone else. Jake and Lupe along with three of Jake's brothers and their wives decided to go into business together.

In 1979 we purchased one of the only permanent buildings at the Freeborn County Fair. This will be our 28th consective year serving at the fair and to our surroundings we are now as common as corndogs and cotton candy. The fair has always been great exposure for us and we have been able to serve the likes of Garth Brooks, Louise Mandrel, Trick Pony, Brookes & Dunn, and The Oakridge Boys.

Over the years Jakes brothers chose different paths for their lives leaving Jake and Lupe the sole owners of Casa Zamora. We changed locations in 1988. It was a good move we added a full bar to compliment our cuisine along with more than doubling our kitchen, parking, and dining area. Our obstacle has never been competition because for years we didn't have any and then eventually when we did it was either "Southwestern" or "Tex-Mex" food differing from "authentic" making it easy for us to not only coexist, but stand apart. Our battle was more about people opening themselves up to new dining experiences. These battles were waged over the years by leading fast food conglomerates and their aggressive approach to marketing through television and radio unveiling Mexican food to everyone. This global awareness has propelled us and brought Mexican food into mainstream America.

What began as a hobby to increase income...becomes a life long dedication of service. We now have third generation customers and have been accredited over the years by many calling our little place on earth their "home away from home." Casa Zamora is a proven pioneer of authentic cuisine and is well known for being the very first Mexican food to all of Southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Casa Zamora has recently been recognized in a nationally published book depicting our contributions to Hispanic foods in Minnesota. "Latino Minnesota" was written by Leigh Roethke of the U of M. We have a loyal following all of whom in our eyes have a story in which we are blessed to be apart of. Our customer clientele is primarily based on repeat business. We consider a regular anyone who comes in at least 6 times a month. 50% of our regulars drive from Iowa.