olivera rusu

Ms. Elvia is an icon of our beautiful island,  San Pedro,Ambergris Caye. She owns one of the top restaurants on the island. Elvi’s Kitchen is a must visit restaurant in San Pedro, she opened 37 years ago.

This sunday, she celebrated her 80th birthday with intimate family and friends. About 100 of them. And I was one of them… I felt so honored to be invited to her party and also asked for capture this event from her life. I enjoyed everything… the decorations were magnificent… Miss Elvi LOVE birds and this was the theme of the party: birds. The colors, blue as the sky, and green, as the grass… both meaning LIFE!

Party details and arrangements

What you would see on my photos, is definitely the story of this party.

Miss Elvia's 80 B-day Party

I asked one of her kids to tell me few words about Miss Elvi… “I think most people live their lives according to whatever values they hold dear. They strive to make a difference in the lives of those around them and hopefully leave their mark on the world. My mom is a remarkable woman and it only takes a peek inside her kitchen to see how this one little San Pedrana has  contributed so much to the cultural landscape of Belize”

80 years old, celebrating life

“In 1974, my mom cut out her tiny little corner of San Pedro and set up a charming little place called Burger Isle Takeout Stand where guests could enjoy a delicious Belizean meal and a cold drink. She did it to help support the family and because she was born to cook. She poured her love and her passion for cooking into that place. It wasn’t easy work. There were long nights, hot days and many tears. But there was also laughter and wonderful memories. Now, 37 years later, it has become the Elvi’s Kitchen we know today — a national icon, a popular restaurant known around the country and around the world for it’s delicious food, trademark dishes, friendly service and unique atmosphere.

close-up portrait at 80 years old

At 80 years old, my mom has earned the right to retire and let others carry on the work she started. But anyone who knows her will tell you that Elvia Staines can’t simply walk away from Elvi’s Kitchen because it is as much a part of her as she is a part of it. One cannot flourish without the other. My mom is happiest when she’s chopping fragrant cilantro or boiling lobsters or when she’s making her signature mango sauce or her famous flan. She is completely at peace when she’s cooking tamales, mole and other exotic native dishes. Always proud of the country’s heritage, my mom introduced the Friday night Mayan Buffet to Elvi’s Kitchen, where guests can enjoy traditional Mayan food lovingly prepared by Elvia and her staff. In her own way, she is reminding guests of Belize’s rich culture and history.

And whether she knows it or not, she is an ambassador of sorts. She is on the front lines of the tourism industry, greeting visitors to our nation and showing them an extremely vital part of Belizean life and culture: it’s food.

 Who would have thought that Dona Elvia, as she’s known, the wife of the late Enrique Staines Sr. and the mother of six children, would become such a prominent figure in the tourism community?

Some of you may know her from a friendly smile and handshake at the restaurant, or from photos in the many newspaper and magazine articles written about Elvi’s Kitchen.  But please know that Elvia Staines is first and foremost a loving wife and a patient mother. She has built her career on her love of cooking and a love for the island she has always called home...

Time to time I’ll add here the photos from the party and of course, her album, designed the way I was see it while I was photographing this amazing party.

great-grandma portrait

Enjoy! Many more photos soon…