Arnulfo (Arnold) Madrigal Solis

Arnold Solis was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, the sixth of 8 children. When he was a young teen, the family moved to Richmond, CA. They were drawn by hope of greater opportunity – as many were in the 1940’s. After graduating from Richmond High, he married Ardith Porter, a union that would last 64 years. In 1950, newly wed, he joined the Air Force and would serve four years. Although the Korean Conflict was raging, Arnold spent most of his time stationed in Germany. Upon returning home, he drove trucks for UPS and then Smoked Prime Meats. He covered every mile of the SF Bay Area. In 1964, he followed his older brothers into the restaurant business and opened The Mexican Villa in Pinole, CA. They quickly outgrew the tiny lunch counter and within a couple of years had two dining rooms and a Cocktail Lounge. In 1971, they relocated to the Sierra Foothills and opened a restaurant in Rough and Ready, CA. A year later, without warning, Arnold abruptly left a restaurant full of customers to attend a Revival at a local church. He came home a Christian man. He made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ that night (and Ardith found it in her heart to forgive him for leaving during the dinner rush.)

In 1978, Arnold and Ardith opened the final Mexican Villa in Colfax, California. Over the years their customers became family and people talk about Arnold’s delicious food to this day. He and Ardith had the idea to furnish their restaurant entirely in antiques (all for sale) and later added a wing that became a beautiful shop, full of collectables acquired from their many road trips across the states. They were the original “Pickers”. They worked the “two-business” model; believing people would come in for a taco and buy a dresser. They were right. If Ardith was the business-mind of the restaurant, Arnold was the heart. He’d wander from table to table with his coffee cup, chatting the people up. When he had time, he’d bring his dinner out of the kitchen to eat with his favorites, always quipping, “I forgot my lunch!” In 1999, they hung up their aprons for good and sold the restaurant. In 2021, he moved to Maryville, Tennessee, with two of his daughters, for one last adventure. In the short time he lived there, he made some dear friends.

On April 14th, Arnold died peacefully at home. He was the only surviving patriarch of the Solis family, the final child of his generation. He was preceded in death by his parents, Manuel and Ariopajita Solis, his daughter Melinda Day, grandsons Lukas Ross and Joel Draper and his beloved wife Ardith. What a happy reunion they are having.