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Jean Ashley Stone, the final residing boy or girl of the George and Jenny Ashley loved ones, died July 15, 2021, at the age of 99.
The Ashley family members is perfectly recognized to many El Pasoans through their restaurant Ashley’s Gardens.
I wrote about George Ashley and his canning business enterprise back again in 2009:
George N. Ashley was probably finest acknowledged as the founder and chairman of the board of Ashley’s Inc., a producer of Mexican meals.
He begun his business enterprise in 1931 just after leaving his occupation with the railroad to open a milk bar. In accordance to an Aug. 9, 1953, write-up the first day’s gross receipts were “a several pennies above 3 pounds.”
The article goes on to say, “In an effort to strengthen money, Ashley added a sideline of cooking Mexican food items to choose household. This foodstuff was flavored with a abundant delicious sauce prepared from a solution recipe belonging to his mom-in-law, Sarah Tyra.”
Enlargement necessary
“Ashley’s buyers have been few in variety but loud in their praise of the food. And so it was not prolonged in advance of patronization enhanced to the level the place enlargement was required.”
Following he invested in two ovens to make his very own tortillas due to the fact he wasn’t satisfied with the kinds available. By the late 1930s, he was giving about half of the tortillas to the retail marketplace in El Paso.
The tortillas were being a hit with the troopers at Fort Bliss. The troopers tried using sending deals of tortillas house to friends and family members but they spoiled ahead of they acquired there.
Following months of experimenting, Ashley found that inserting a piece of parchment paper in between the tortillas and then vacuum packing them would allow them to hold indefinitely. The to start with packaging was finished in the cafe oven making use of hand-tooled cans there wasn’t a producer who made a can the measurement needed for packing tortillas.
Soon after, canned mashed beans, enchilada sauce and Spanish rice adopted. By 1953 Ashley’s generated 20 canned Mexican food stuff items ranging from the authentic tortilla to entire rooster breasts.
Ashley’s Gardens
The to start with mention I observed of Ashley’s Gardens was a June 15, 1957, El Paso Herald-Publish posting: “Saturday evening is Mexican dinner time. So currently, 12 Mexican dinners are a fitting prize in The Herald-Put up Sizzler contest. The dinners are the reward of George Ashley at his new Ashley’s Gardens, open up air cafe, at 5700 Montana Road.”
The Sizzler contest awarded prizes to the particular person who guessed when El Paso would have its initially 100-degree temperature.
An ad ran a 7 days afterwards and explained they would be open up “temperature permitting” and serving a “tasty Mexican evening meal” for only $1 “in our amazing, wonderful out of doors patio.”
By October the same calendar year, there was a acquire-property support: “Now you can decide on-up and serve in your personal residence the very same mouth watering Mexican meals as served in the gorgeous patio at Ashley’s Gardens.”
Winter-Backyard Restaurant
A 7 days later, Oct. 22, there was a new “Wintertime-Backyard garden Restaurant” at 2864 Pershing in Five Details. It was fully roofed and glass-enclosed for “all year comfort – all year attractiveness & atmosphere.” This advertisement explained the $1 full Mexican evening meal as: chili con queso, tostadas, crisp meat taco, baked enchilada, warm tamale, fried beans with melted cheese, Spanish rice, coleslaw, tea or coffee.
In 1966 the Montana, location available a new table company: “Now you can purchase from menu and be served at your table in the attractive indoor cafe at gorgeous Ashley’s Gardens.”
On May possibly 30, 1961, it was claimed that Ashley’s Gardens would be the location for a movie: “A few scenes from a movie photograph will be shot at Ashley’s Gardens at 6590 Montana Avenue. Mrs. Catharine Ashley claimed today that scenes from the new Boris Petroff output ‘Red Head from Hell Creek’ will be created all-around the Gardens.
Additional:El Paso fought for a long time to stay on Mountain time: Trish Long
Landscaping improved
“Landscaping at the Gardens is staying expanded and enhanced,” Mrs. Ashley explained. A rock bed stream is being place in all-around the grounds, emptying into the existing lily pond. The h2o lilies will be changed to uncommon lotus lilies and redhead trout will replace goldfish in the pond.
“True lotus lilies are discovered in only two other spots in the entire world, in the Nile in Egypt and at Grass Lake, Sick. The redhead trout are also exceptional, dwelling only in Red Lake in Idaho. They have translucent inexperienced bodies and are little.”
Restaurant closes
There was not yet another point out of the organization until April 27, 1967: “Ashley’s Backyard Restaurant, 6590 Montana Avenue, will near indefinitely starting Sunday, Walter Mollier, restaurant manager, reported currently.
“No certain factors for closing the cafe were being provided. Mrs. Blanche Corridor of Ashley’s Inc. claimed the enterprise will announce particulars following week.”
And the announcement came May 3, 1967: Warren Tingdale experienced acquired controlling interest in the firm’s stock. “Ashley’s programs include enlarging its food plant and growing both of those canned and frozen common Mexican and western design merchandise through product enhancement and elevated advertising and promotion.
“New offices will be positioned at the previous internet site of Ashley’s Mexican Cafe which was shut Sunday.
Ashley died in November 1971 at the age of 73. His obituary explained, “Now his plant is a multi-million greenback procedure that employed thousands and thousands of kilos of rice, corn, environmentally friendly chiles and beans to make numerous different kinds of Mexican meals, both of those canned and frozen.”
Bruce Foods purchased out Ashley’s Foods in 1980 and moved the plant from its longtime dwelling in the vicinity of the El Paso International Airport to far Northeast El Paso at a web page previously employed by Farah Producing Co.
Companies for Stone
Visitation and eulogy for Stone will be Thursday, July 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Funeraria Del Angel Central (Martin), 3839 Montana Ave. Graveside provider will be Friday, July 30, at 1 p.m. at Fort Bliss Nationwide Cemetery. If you program to show up at solutions, you should wear purple at Jean’s request.
Go through Jean Ashley Stone’s complete obituary below.
Ashley’s competitor was Mountain Go Canning, launched in 1916 in Deming, New Mexico, and relocated to the Higher Valley in 1925. A 2nd procedure was opened in Canutillo in 1934.
Mountain Pass bought Valley Canning in 1995 and introduced the El Paso brand food items everywhere apart from New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas. In these spots, functions ongoing to market place their products underneath their founded brand names of “Mountain Move” and “Valley.”
In 1968 Mountain Pass was purchased by Pet Inc. of St. Louis, Missouri. Pillsbury Co. turned the proprietor in 1995 when it bought Pet Inc. then Normal Mills, when it acquired Pillsbury Co. in Oct 2001. In February 2002, Standard Mills announced it would shut the neighborhood canning manufacturing facility and Previous El Paso brand name meals would no for a longer period be created in the location.
Trish Long is could be attained at [email protected] or 915-546-6179.
