Community is defined as "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals." A strong sense of community is part of what makes rural America a great place to live, work and raise a family. In this episode of OUTdrive, local Mexican restaurant owner Cesar Marin shares the stories of the Marin and Perez families, who saw moving to Missouri and joining a small-town community as an opportunity to build a better life.

Cesar is the owner of El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant in Sedalia, Missouri. Cesar's mother and father-in-law, Maria and H.A. Perez, founded El Tapatio in 1995 and ran the business for 25 years. In 2021, they retired and passed the torch to their daughter, Minerva, and Cesar. In addition to his role at El Tap, he continues to work as a car salesman at Bryant Motors, located across the street from the restaurant. After spending most of his school-age years in California, Cesar's family moved to Sedalia in the late '90s. Cesar graduated from Smith-Cotton High School and went on to study at State Fair Community College.

El Tapatio is a staple in the community thanks to the legacy the Perez family established over 25 years ago. Tune in to this episode to see how the pursuit of the American Dream and hard work cultivated a modern-day success story right here in Sedalia.

What you'll learn:

• Cesar's background growing up in California and his family's move to Missouri in the late '90s
• The origin story of how Cesar's father-in-law, H.A. Perez, founded El Tapatio over 30 years ago
• Cesar's career journey at El Tapatio, working his way from a dishwasher to a manager to now owner
• How Cesar balances both ownership of El Tapatio and selling cars at Bryant Motors
• The importance of customer service and the power of online reviews
• Some of the ways El Tapatio gives back to the community, through fundraisers and sponsoring local sports teams, school districts, and law enforcement
• Why Cesar loves the Sedalia community and all aspects of the rural lifestyle - except for the winter weather
• Cesar's life-long fandom of the L.A. Dodgers