GUSTAVO AQUILAR

The G&A Cocina Mexicana is a Brownsville institution. Located on Market Square, the restaurant serves some of the best breakfasts and lunches downtown. Nobody is more of a downtown institution than its owner, Gustavo Aguilar.

"I started working downtown when I was 19 years old," says Aguilar who sits on his stool behind the counter of his eatery that resembles a small cafeteria with its customers packed closely together.

"I started at a tendejo at the foot of Gateway Bridge. It was called Parra's Grocery Store. I worked there for five years and then I married the owner's daughter. That one good decision compensates for all the bad decisions I may have made. I know boxing and I know soccer, but I know this simple truth: A good wife makes for a good life."

Over the last 40 years Aguilar has owned three different restaurants downtown. His son Gilbert is his cook. Most locals don't appreciate downtown breakfast and lunch cuisine. They don't venture any farther south than Boca Chica.

"We don't serve greasy food," states an emphatic Aguilar. "We serve fresh food at an inexpensive price. I have plenty of competition. There are several restaurants in the Market Square area that force me to keep my standards high.

"I believe that if more members of the middle class ventured downtown on Saturdays for breakfast or lunch, they would be surprised by the quality. They would be shocked by the bill. You can eat well and inexpensively downtown."

Aguilar loves the downtown populace. He has seen them all--the drunks, the homeless, the prostitutes and the transvestites. He has a special place in his heart for those who make their living and for those who shop downtown.

"People are people. It doesn't make any difference whether you're rich or poor--you are hungry three times a day. I've taken a tremendous pride in bringing my brothers and sisters the satisfaction that only comes after a good meal."

Nothing excites the restaurateur more than a crucial soccer game or a big fight. He loves Mexican soccer. When he asks you about the Atlas-Pachuca showdown, you just have to shake your head. This is a guy who is into his futbol. But before any Brownsville Herald reporter bets on a championship boxing match, he needs to check with Aguilar.

"Who is the greatest boxer ever?"

"Cassius Clay."

"Who is the greatest Mexican boxer ever?"

"Julio Cesar Chavez."

"Who would win between Mayweather and Pacquiao?"

"Mayweather."

Gustavo Aguilar is the last of a generation that called a thriving downtown Brownsville home. Gustavo is part of the past, present and future of downtown's soul.