There’s a lot of history behind Milagros. Here it is.
My roots are in Utah County, but I grew up in Arizona and spent my vacations in Mexico.
Rosa’s
When I moved to Provo in the early 90s, I found it impossible to satisfy my cravings for REALLY GOOD MEXICAN FOOD in Utah Valley. In 1999, I decided that the only solution was to open a serious Mexican restaurant myself. It was located on Bulldog Blvd. (1230 North), just west of the Provo high school football field. Rosa’s quickly became recognized as Utah Valley’s best Mexican food.
The place was packed, and the business was successful.
Unfortunately, it cost me a fortune to open Rosa’s. I needed to pay $300,000 for the culinary training and consulting from the chef/owner of the original Rosa’s in Arizona. And to cover the costs of starting the business, I ended up having to take on seven investors as partners.
Within a year, when business was booming and we were making good money, the seven partners sent me out the door. Before I returned to Provo from a meeting with them, the locks on Rosa’s were changed, my stock in the restaurant was washed, and my personal belongings were tossed in the dumpster.
I was left with a huge bank loan on the kitchen equipment and nothing to show for it.
LIFE LESSON #1: “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
Bajio
After feeling sorry for myself for about a month, I decided that my best option was to open my own restaurant—without partners. The first Bajio opened in the Shops at Riverwoods. We used a credit card to buy used equipment and began with five employees.
Again, I designed both the restaurant and the food, and we even made trips to Mexico to buy decorations and to collect ideas for the menu. I worked the tortilla grill, and Sarah (my sweetheart) worked the cash register while our kids watched videos and colored in the office. Within six months, the lines were literally out the door, and our dining room seating was doubled to accommodate the crowds. Meanwhile, my Arizona partners closed the doors on Rosa’s.
We expanded our business and Bajio’s grew to 20 stores. We had the opportunity to sell and turn the business over to a company that we thought would expand it even further. However, a few months after the sell, the entrepreneurial spirit returned and we turned our faces toward a new adventure. And… you can see where the more “Capable hands” took Bajios.
Timpanogos Harley-Davidson
The opportunity to purchase the local Harley-Davidson franchise came available, and we were back to work. The old Geneva Steel plant was being demolished, and we made plans to build a new dealership out of the scrap materials from the steel mill. My grandfather had helped build Geneva Steel back in 1942. During World War II, my grandmother worked there as a crane operator—a true “Rosie the Riveter.”
The romance of resurrecting part of Geneva Steel was irresistible—to preserve a piece of Utah history, Tuomisto family history, memorialize the great industrial era of America with the “great American motorcycle,” and to do it GREEN, re-using materials and conserving resources. I designed and set out to construct what I hoped would be one of the most significant buildings in Utah.
Building a dealership from literal scrap that was headed for the landfill was not easy or cheap. Now I know why it hadn’t been done before.
My Bajio money was invested in the new building, but I soon learned that it takes a lot of “green” to build “green.” Everything about the project was challenging and difficult.
It strained me and my health, my family and friends, the city, the state, UDOT, the engineers, the subcontractors, the Harley-Davidson Corporation, and most of all THE BANK.
Timing is everything. The dealership nearly tripled in a white-hot economy, as the hot-metal riveted lattice from Geneva began to rise from the mud and the building slowly began to take shape. Unfortunately, in the middle of construction, the banking industry turned to mud.
Consequently, the bank scrapped plans to finance the remaining construction of the dealership. With no bank to turn to, and feeling six months pregnant, with an unfinished building, I approached some local businessmen to provide some temporary financing needed to complete the dealership before the upcoming summer riding season.
LIFE LESSON #1 (again): “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).
When the construction business and the economy collapsed, the dumpsters were filled again, and the only thing I had left to show for all the hard work and money invested was gray hair, more chest pains, millions of dollars of bank loans, and mountains of certified mail. Life had repeated itself.
Apparently the “teachable moment” that I had faced with Rosa’s was back…Big Time.
LIFE LESSON #2: “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. You are either enhanced or diminished by your experience.”
- Milagros, the most unique Mexican Food Experience in Utah
This time it took me nearly a year to recover before Sarah had her talk with me (again) about getting up and showing people what we are made of. “Keep working hard, and be nice,” she said. I think that J. R. Ewing would have said it a bit differently: “Don’t let those bastards get you down.”
Milagro is a Spanish word. It is an event that can’t be explained by the laws of nature. It’s a miracle, or an act of God. We hope you will enjoy the fresh new tastes of Milagros, our newest miracle. We have enjoyed learning from our “teachable moments”, designing the restaurant, developing the menu, and we are happy to be back in the people business again.
Bienvenidos!
Dave and Sarah Tuomisto
P.S. Give us a “Shout Out” in the box below. We’d love to hear from you…. old friends and new friends alike.
I was a customer at Rosa’s… a long time ago. When it was no longer there, I was disappointed. When Bajio’s opened in Riverwoods, I was one of your first customers…. and a regular at that. I stood in many a long line. It was the caramelized onions that got me. “Extra Please!”
When you were no longer there, I was again disappointed. So glad you’re back! “Can I have extra onions on my fantastic Chicken Mango Salad?” “Pleeease?”
Thanks Dave and Sarah!
What a breath of fresh air- I could tell as soon as I walked in, Milagros had so many things that seemed familar to me. My wife could always tell when I went to Rosa’s or Bajio for lunch with my buddies. She would always say “I can smell the food on your cloths, now you won’t want to take me there for dinner!” Well… Happy Wife happy Life! I had the Chicken Green Chile Quesadilla for lunch and the Pollo Fundido with my Sweetheart for dinner. My lunch was a blend of sweet and spicy- My Fundido was rich and creamy. What a treat. Good luck Milagros! We all know how tuff it is out there right now. As for Me- I will put my $ where my Heart is…..Milagros
We love Milagros, and eat there often. The food is excellent, as is the service and atmosphere. It is very comfortable, and we love the plants and interesting decorations such as the blown glass lights, and vintage signs. The service is always excellent, and the servers are always pleasant and attentive. We love the food, the Mata Hambre is fantastic, and I love their Chimi’s as well. My wife always gets the Mango Chicken Salad, which she loves. Overall, Milagros is a fantastic restaurant, in my opinion, it is the best Mexican food in Utah county, if not the state of Utah.
Hope to give it shot. I guarantee you will be very glad you did.
Greg Taylor
My co-workers will back me up when I say I literally ate lunch at Bajios 4 times a week most weeks while working nearby. There was something about that sweet green chili, mango pineapple, and sweet rice that kept me coming back for more. When my family from Canada came to visit, it was the first place adults and kids insisted I take them. I began feeling a bit obsessed when one of my favorite workers was transferred from one restaurant to another, and he’d see me eating there too. He must have thought it was a two meal a day habit for me, but really it wasn’t.
Imagine my surprise after seeing your ad for Milagros in Utah Valley Magazine and then going to try it out and finding that familiar sweet green chili taste. My Canadian family will be happy to know that even though they don’t see Bajio everywhere like they have in the past, they now have a new favorite: Milagros. We will be back!
L Nelson
Milagros is FANTASTIC!!!
I live in Arizona, 50 miles from the nearest Bajio. I drive the 100 miles roundtrip at least twice a month for the Green Chicken Chile Quesadilla.
A few weeks ago I was visiting Utah, and a friend suggested we eat at Milagros. I knew nothing about it, or its connection to Bajio. When I saw the Chicken Green Chile Quesadilla on the menu, I didn’t want to get it because I was sure I would be dissappointed.
But it was so freaking delicious! I had to admit it was every bit as good, even better than the Bajio version.
If I lived in Utah, I’d be at Milagros all the time.
IF you ever want to open a Milagros in Arizona, I can gaurantee at least 20 green chicken quesadillas a month(:
Gordon, I grew up in Arizona, enjoying a few decent options for Mexican Food. Thanks for finding us! It is unfortunate that Bajio is not what it used to be, I created that concept to be a lean version of “Rosa’s style cooking”. Milagros is always growing, we are currently working on our second location in Provo. There is a very good chance there will be a Milagros in Arizona someday. Although I have fallen in love with Ashville North Carolina (but,that’s a long commute, Milagros will not stand still.- and thank you for your kind words of support. With our second store open, we will have created about 100 new jobs! That feels good Dave
This is so crazy. My sister owns the day spa right by you and tonight I asked her if she remembered that restaurant Rosa’s that we used to go to. We really loved the green Chili salad. I told her that I wished I could find the recipe because I really missed being able to eat that salad. And she told me that you used to own Rosa’s and that you now own milagros and that you have yummy salads. I was so excited that I quickly looked up this website and started reading about your many business adventures. I can’t believe you started Bajio.Me and my husbands favorite restaurant to go to was Bajio when it first opened. Everything was so fresh and perfect. We loved it way better than Cafe Rio. (I only. Mention this because people were always comparing the two.) I couldn’t believe that my two favorite restaurants were started by the same people.
Next time I go to the spa I will be stopping by Milagros to eat. I can’t wait!
Olivia- I am amazed how many people remember Rosa’s- That was over 10 years ago! It is easy for me to keep track because my “partners” stuck me with the bank loans on all the kitchen equipment, which took me 6 years to pay off. Our food has improved thru all our experiences, now that we have paid off all of our “tuition” it is exciting to focus on developing Milagros. Make sure to say hello next time your at Milagros. We will be serving a Chicken Mango Salad at the Women’s Expo at UVU next weekend (Apr. 20-21) and at the upcoming event at Amara. Nice to hear from you. Dave
Hey Dave, I ate at Milagros for Cinco de Mayo, you served the most amazing Chile Relleno I have ever tasted in my life. Are you going to put it on you upcoming menu. PLEEAAAAAAASSSSSSSEEEEEEE DO- I will commit to 2 a week. No wonder I was always disappointed with every Relleno I have have ever tried. Everyone at out table loved it, and your son was terrific, I can’t believe what a great musician he is at such a young age. Good Luck, you deserve it after getting chewed up and spit out by the Roneys