13.07.31-LH-Norma-Vall_opt2

Norma Valles: Danny Fulgencio

Preston Hollow resident Norma Valles will sing the national anthem for thousands of baseball fans at the Rangers game on Sept. 15, which also marks the start of Hispanic Heritage month. Valles is a recording artist, a wife and mother of three, as well as a co-owner of the Tex-Mex restaurant Nueva Casita, near Northwest Highway and Greenville. Every Saturday night from 7-10 p.m., Valles performs mariachi music at her restaurant. The Advocate had lunch with Valles, to talk about how her family business and singing career began.

When did you first start singing?
When I was little, my grandpa would sit me on his lap and play his three-stringed guitar and sing songs at family get-togethers. He won my heart.

How did you get started singing professionally?
Back in the late 1990s I had a friend who entered me into a singing contest without me knowing about it.

Were you upset?
I was nervous, but I sang in the contest anyways and ended up winning the mariachi category of the competition. Backstage I was so overwhelmed that I missed the announcer call my name as the overall winner. I beat out over 40 other performing bands. The overall cash prize was $200, and I was so excited.

Did winning the contest help your career?
Yes. For the next several years, I performed at different restaurants and was asked to do voice-overs, record music and sing the national anthem for both the Dallas Mavericks and the Texas Rangers. I also performed with the Tejano group Grupo Cariño.

Was it hard for you as a woman to break into the typically male-dominated world of Tejano and mariachi music?
It was easier with mariachi. The Tejano band wanted me to dress like a man and not wear my dress. I had to stand in the back during our performances. In the end I left the group and stayed with mariachi. I can sing and I am friendly, so I think that’s what helps me get along well with other mariachi performers.

[quote align=”right” color=”#000000″]”When I was little, my grandpa would sit me on his lap and play his three-stringed guitar and sing songs at family get-togethers. He won my heart.”[/quote]

Earlier this year, there was some backlash against 11-year-old Sebastien De La Cruz when he sang the national anthem in his mariachi outfit during the NBA finals. Some people accused him of being un-American. Was that hard to watch?
I didn’t understand it. When I sing the national anthem at the Rangers stadium, they ask me to wear my mariachi outfit. It’s an honor to sing the national anthem. I do it because I believe in my country, I love it, and I am proud to be an American of Hispanic descent.

 So how did you get into the restaurant business?
The previous restaurant owner fell into hard times financially, and my friend David Albert was the property owner and truly did not want to see the restaurant fail. It was called Casita Dominguez at the time, and it had been around since the 1960s. In December, David asked if I would help co-own the restaurant with him and his wife, Ginette. I didn’t want the employees to be out of a job before the Christmas holiday, so I said yes.

Did you have any experience with the restaurant industry?
No, and it is a very tough industry. I feel like in life you choose to sink or swim, and I’m not going to sink. I’m going to try to do whatever I can to make things work. So in three days, we closed Casita Dominguez, re-hired the employees, and re-opened as Nueva Casita. Fortunately for us, the customers continue to come.

Do you have any interesting regular customers?
We get some former Cowboys players. One night President George W. Bush and Laura dined with some friends at the restaurant. There was lots of security, but they were pretty friendly and relaxed.

What did the former President eat?
Cheese enchiladas.

Does your family work with you?
My husband does all of the maintenance. He can fix anything. My children have helped out a lot, too, but right now they are focusing on their studies at Brookhaven College and Hillcrest High.

Tell me more about your friend, David Albert. How did you meet him?
At a Mavericks game, David loved my rendition of the national anthem and asked if he could meet with me that night. It was the start of a partnership that is still going strong to this day.

What’s he like?
Well, I met him when he was in his 70s — he’s 86 now — but he acts much younger than he is. He is a military veteran, businessman and an entrepreneur at heart. He always encourages me to “throw things against the wall until something sticks.” David is an amazing mentor.

You co-own Nueva Casita with Albert. What other projects have you worked on with him?
I’ve released nine CDs of jazz, mariachi and cover music, including tutorials for Spanish speakers to earn their citizenship and learn English. In the past we manufactured jars of the Nueva Casita salsa and recorded children’s books. Recently, we have been looking for a manufacturer for these really great dish sponges.

Wow, that’s quite a range of projects. You seem like you have another idea that you aren’t even telling us about.
[laughs] I can’t say too much, but I did a half marathon this last year, and it has to do with training.

[quote align=”left” color=”#000000″]”All of the music and projects I do are to help other people. It’s about being involved and helping the community.”[/quote]

How do you balance your singing career and the restaurant business?
Since the beginning, I wanted the restaurant to give back. On the first Tuesday of every month, I sing patriotic songs and old military songs at the restaurant. We even pass out song sheets. I always end the night by singing “God Bless America.” There’s a bunch of veterans that come out almost every Tuesday to sing along. We donate a portion of our sales back to the nonprofit Defenders of Freedom. I think I’ve only missed two Tuesdays in the past six years.

That’s a cool way to give back.
All of the music and projects I do are to help other people. It’s about being involved and helping the community. I also work with the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas to help younger women pursue scholarships so they can get into college. You can make all the money in the world, but if you don’t have a good heart, as far as wanting to give back, then there’s no joy in it.