By Suzanne Cristallo
In 1959, John Vossoughi spent the year after graduating from high school with UNICEF, working and taking special classes. The experience sparked his interest in seeing more of the world beyond the Middle East, where he had grown up with an Italian and Armenian background.
A relative working with the embassy in New York invited him to visit. The trip only sparked his appetite to see more of America.
He decided to visit a friend in San Francisco, where he attended language school, and then on to San Jose, where he sought work.
At night, Vossoughi worked as a waiter and a bartender at Bohannon's and then at Paolo's restaurants while he attended day classes first at San Jose City College and later at San Jose State. It was during registration for classes one fall at SJCC that he met a pretty entering freshman, Holly Cauhape. They were married in 1964.
In 1972, the Vossoughis joined with good friends Tony and Sigrid Monsef in buying Renzo's restaurant in Campbell. In 1975, the partners bought 17 West in San Jose. A year later, they added Castagnola's in Santa Cruz and finally La Hacienda in 1979.
The Vossoughis and the Monsefs shared a partnership that has spanned 25 years of 20-hour days and seven-day weeks. While the men worked the front of the restaurants, the women ran the office.
Today, the Vossoughis and Monsefs have sold all but La Hacienda, which they intend to keep "forever."
The old place was built in 1904 by Theodore J. Morris as a Japanese resort called Nippon Mura. It became the Los Gatos Lodge in the 1920s--no connection to the present lodge--serving guests along the Saratoga-Los Gatos streetcar line. In the '40s, it was a small Italian restaurant famous for its ravioli.
A 21-room hotel was added in the 1950s and today operates under separate ownership.
The partners recently added a Sunday champagne buffet brunch, expanding on the California cuisine they offer with Italian touches for lunch and dinner. A new deck off the piano bar allows guests a view of the passing parade and a chance to dine out-of-doors.
La Hacienda Inn Restaurant, 18840 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road, Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Fri. for lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m., Saturday lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 4-10 p.m., Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., dinner 3-9 p.m. Bar open daily from 11 a.m. Live piano 8 p.m.-midnight. 354-6669.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 17, 1996.
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