Susanna MacManus, co-owner of the iconic Olvera Street taqueria Cielito Lindo, passed away at 82 due to Alzheimer's complications. She was the face of the restaurant for decades, renowned for its popular beef taquitos topped with an avocado salsa. Cielito Lindo, opened by her grandmother in 1934, contributed to the popularization of Mexican cuisine in Los Angeles. The revival of Olvera Street in the 1930s, led by Christine Sterling, was instrumental in establishing a vibrant commercial hub that showcased Mexican culture, starting with the unique recipes from Guerrero, MacManus's grandmother, who immigrated from Mexico.
For decades, MacManus - a second-generation Angeleno - was the face of Cielito Lindo, a taqueria where most people would order the combination number one - an order of two beef taquitos drowned in a complex avocado salsa and a side of refried beans with melted cheese.
Just after the founding of the city of Los Angeles in the 1780s, the area that became known as Olvera Street (Placita Olvera) was a thriving commercial hub until the 1920s, when it began to decline.
Sterling asked her to come up with a different recipe than what was being served at other restaurants on the street, and Guerrero settled on taquitos covered in her original avocado sauce.
Guerrero, who immigrated from Huanusco, Zacatecas, arrived in Los Angeles with her children to search for her husband, a bracero who had come to the U.S. three years prior.
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