El Encanto Inn

Here is one story, but be sure to read the one below.

Here’s the skinny on El Encanto

“The History of the El Encanto Restaurant

El Encanto, meaning ‘the Enchanted,’ has been here for about 70 years. Henrietta and Miller Newman built El Encanto in the’ 1920s for their home and as ‘Camp One’ for the U.S. Forest Service, as Mill was a Forest Ranger for the San Gabriel Canyon.

Henrietta was born in Azusa in 1881 to Susan Melendrez and Henry Roberts, while Miller Newman’s family was in and about the lnland Valley. His uncle, Frank Miller; was the founder of the Mission Inn in Riverside.

In the 193Os, Henrietta started catering private parties in her home and soon became famous for her fried chicken, corn fritters and salad dressing. Their living room, with its stone fireplace, became the dining room and their dining room became the bar. Soon afterwards, the restaurant was born, the first liquor license was obtained in March 1939, and by the early 1940s, El Encanto was established as one of the finest restaurants in Southern California and enjoyed many years of success. Then sadly, Miller Newman died in 1952 leaving Henrietta, along with the help of their daughter, Nora, and son- in-law, George Peterson, to continue the operation of El Encanto for a few more years. Now much older and ready for retirement; Henrietta sold the restaurant.

Bill and Donna Hinkley became the new owners in 1964. For 27 years they kept the reputation of fine dining alive, building a business based on great food and service.

But not all was without problems, Bill & Donna Hinkley had a major setback in the early years starting in the summer of 1968. In August, a fire called ‘The Canyon Inn Fire’ burned all the ground coverage and vegetation on the hillsides around and behind the restaurant. Then the winter rains came and on January 19, 1969 at 2:30am, the mudslide of the charred hills behind the El Encanto came down and through the restaurant and out the front windows. Meantime, the river running fast and overflowing, took the whole parking lot with it right up to the front doors. The Hinkley’s were caught upstairs and had to be helicopter lifted out the next morning; The house remained but all inside was lost to the mud. It took 21 months to dig out, clean up and rebuild the El Encanto Restaurant. It reopened on October 1, 1970.

Mrs. Henrietta Newman died in 1970, leaving happy memories for her family and friends to remember: It is rumored that her spiritual presence is still felt throughout El Encanto.

An Asian Corporation bought El Encanto in 1991 and continued operations until February of 1998.

Cal and Andi Risen became the new proprietors of El Encanto in March of 1998. It was like coming home for the couple. Cal had managed the bar for the Hinkleys for about 21 years. With his expertise and flair for mixing the cocktails and gab, he was the entertainment behind the bar. In 1985 he met Andi in the lounge, where she had come with friends to enjoy the piano bar. Love blossomed and they were married later that same year.

In 1986 Cal and Andi, she leaving her R.N. position at Methodist Hospital and he leaving El Encanto, together successfully owned and operated Callahans, a small steak house and bar on Irwindale Avenue in Azusa unti11997.

Upon learning that El Encanto was available, Cal decided he would like to “come home” and revive the business. He kept all the great traditions that the restaurant was known for such as the corn fritter: It was important to him to return to the traditions started by the Newmans and maintain the quality the Hinkleys had established in the years before.

Adding his own personality and expertise, he hopes to keep the El Encanto Restaurant an enchanting and memorable experience in dining. “