Originally from Southern California, Ralph and Rina Camarillo's first visit to NYC was back in 1979 to see the musical "Zoot Suit", the first all Hispanic play on Broadway. What they didn't know at the time was that this would mark the beginning of a 30-year adventure celebrating their culture as Mexican Americans here in the Big Apple. They loved the city so much that they began bringing their children back for frequent visits over the next three decades. At the time, Ralph owned a construction firm and Rina worked as a flight attendant in California when the idea struck them to help bring the tastes and hospitality of East LA to New York. They broached the idea to their daughter, Gina, son-in-law, Marco, and youngest son Lennard who had also developed a fascination with the Empire City and together they dreamed up what we now know as Florencia 13. With each person adding their talents to the pool(Lennard was involved in real estate, Gina- a high end fashion designer, and Marco- had a business background) they completed the quintet of owners and packed up to start the journey; bringing this aesthetic across the country. As a family, they began personally renovating 185 Sullivan St., and every piece of décor in the restaurant came from California based artists and themes they brought with them.