Citizen Spotlight: Paula Lopez

Back in 1997, Paula Lopez found herself a single mom looking for ways to make ends meet. The job she found years ago has become much more than just a way to provide for her family.

At the time, a friend told her about a restaurant she happened to pass on the way to work that had a help wanted sign in the window. She said there was always a Rolls Royce and other expensive cars parked out front. It seemed to be a happening spot.

Lopez applied for the waitress position and was hired, but she was not new to waitressing. She had worked in her mother Margret's restaurant for almost 20 years before coming to work at the Cactus Patch.

After 14 years, Lopez still loves her job. It's not often you meet someone who gets up at 5 a.m. on her day off hoping work will call and ask her to come in; Lopez does.

She lives in Fillmore but considers Moorpark home—and its residents her family. After work she often stays in town and can be found hanging out with her friends at Don Cuco restaurant on Los Angeles Avenue.

Cactus Patch regulars return her sentiments. Lori Lunsford Brevig called Lopez a great waitress, but praise for the 54-year old mother of four goes way beyond that. For some, Lopez has become the face of the restaurant and has established relationships beyond server and customer.

"Paula IS the Cactus Patch," said Walter Rodriguez, one of Lopez's coworkers.

And customer Linda Revilee called her "a friend and very special," but perhaps Chamber of Commerce's Steve Carlson summed up Lopez the best.

"Paula has a bright, bubbly personality that represents the community spirit of Moorpark. She knows her customers and treats them like family," he said. "I've rarely encountered a person so capable of making me feel right at home over a meal. (Restaurant owners) Joan and Luis Martinez are extremely fortunate to have Paula working at the Cactus Patch."