OUR HISTORY

  WISDOM’S CAFÉ TUMACÁCORI est. 1944 

In 1944, Howard and Petra (Gomez) Wisdom opened the doors to Wisdom’s Café, alongside the old Nogales Highway, never imagining that their little café was destined to become a dining tradition three generations strong. 

Because Petra’s father was a property owner in Tumacácori and gifted parcels of his land to his children and their spouses, the café is in a lovely location with a view of the Tumacácori Mountains to the west and the Santa Ritas to the east. It started out as an L-shaped little place that served breakfast and housed a rowdy bar. And since Howard was a natural born cowboy and an athlete in the saddle, alongside the café he soon built a roping arena where bulldogging and rodeo champions came from around the U.S. and Mexico to show off their skills. 

Eventually the building grew to its current size with, as Petra recalled, a little help from the workers building Interstate 19. Howard and Petra provided a great breakfast and lunch and the guys helped Howard pour the floor in the bar. Sadly, the official opening of I-19 in 1979 forced many wonderful businesses to close their doors, including Wisdom’s Café, because of the loss of traffic. Fortunately in 1980, the Wisdoms’ son, Herb, and his wife, Irene (Pesqueira), agreed to return home from Long Beach, CA, where they’d lived for 20 years, to help Howard and Petra give new life to the café. Herb asked his sisters, Jennie Belle and Linda, and his brother, Jesse, to help, too. It became a family affair, including the priceless Frances, whose generations-old recipes made our mouths water, and the wonderful Barbara, without whom the business could never have grown, and Irene’s mom, Ana, who cooked, shredded, sliced and diced for years and contributed her own family recipes! These folks turned the café into the place you see today. They were even written up in the New York Times! 

 As for the fruit burro, legend has it that one afternoon, quite by accident, a tortilla spread with jam fell into some hot cooking oil and thus the now World Famous Fruit Burrito had its start. 

Both the yummy fruit burro and the delicious chimichanga have helped make Wisdom’s a dining tradition for locals and travelers alike. And by making the café a completely non-smoking restaurant in 1982, way ahead of any ordinances, Herb and Irene encouraged the residents of the growing retirement town of Green Valley to patronize their place. By word-of-mouth, the Wisdoms’ reputation for friendly service and great food began to spread. 

Many customers, most of whom the Wisdoms consider family, watched Herb and Irene’s sons, the late Richard and his younger brother, Cliff, grow up to help their folks with the place and warmly welcomed Cliff’s wife, Celéste (Martin), who was born and raised in Nogales, AZ, into the fold. Celéste’s grandfather was Frank B. Carroon and was the owner of Carroon Mortuary (now Adair’s Carroon Mortuary) in Nogales, which provided the first ambulance service to the town. Her grandmother was Katherine Farrell whose parents came from Ireland and homesteaded in Harshaw, just east of Patagonia, where the family ranch is still worked by cousins, Nancy & Mary Hale. Celéste’s parents were Carol (Carroon) & Robert Martin, the former an early childhood educator, the latter an attorney, both of Nogales. Cliff and Celéste took over in 2002 and have added their own touches to Wisdom’s such as the delicious margarita, an expanded menu including vegan and vegetarian options and the covered patio. Many of you remember when the next generation arrived: Sasha Noelle was born in 2000 and was joined by her baby brother, Griffin Ford, in 2004. They are the 5th generation to work at Wisdom’s!

If you can, take a moment to wander around the café and enjoy the family heirlooms & antiques collected by Howard, Herb, Cliff & Celéste, plus other unique items, many lovingly entrusted to the Wisdoms by customers. You’ll see paintings by Aunt Jean, Aunt Jennie Belle & customers, murals by Uncle Jesse, photos of family, friends and customers and trophies and medals won by Herb & Cliff and their fastball team, Si Señor. Admire Native American pottery found in our Santa Cruz River, cowboy memorabilia, Herb’s knife collection, beer steins, typewriters, snow shoes, Cliff’s Little League uniform, antique cameras, and countless other treasures. And don’t forget to check out the “artwork” in the powder room, ladies! 

Please make yourselves at home and discover why Wisdom’s has become a tradition for locals & tourists alike. And for more info and pictures visit our website, www.WisdomsCafe.com  or go to our FB page www.facebook.com/WisdomsCafe and post your own Wisdom’s picture! For updates via our newsletter please text your email address to (520) 398-2397.

WISDOM’S DOS TUBAC  est. 2013      www.WisdomsDOS.com

Wisdom’s DOS (Wisdom’s 2) was opened by Cliff and Celéste in 2013 on Nov. 2 (Dia de los Muertos) because they wanted to create a warm and welcoming space in the town of Tubac that included great craft beer. They took some favorite menu items but worked hard to create a unique menu and experience to complement the original location. Together with the amazing Chef Mary and a wonderful staff, they have expanded DOS over the years by adding more patio space & a second dining room. The beautiful bar was built by Cliff while Tumacacori Mesquite made the top. The artwork on the walls reflects Cliff and Celéste’s passion for music and Dia de los Muertos plus you’ll see some beautiful antiques borrowed from Wisdom’s. Visit our website www.WisdomsDOS.com or our FB page www.facebook.com/WisdomsDOS for more info and pictures or to post your own! 

We hope you enjoy your visit at both of our locations and thank you for allowing us to serve you! If you’d like more Wisdom’s, updates about our specials and info about local area events, please text your email address to (520) 216-7664.

Abrazos,

the Wisdom family and our AMAZING STAFF