ST. GEORGE, Utah — Paula Dominguez, the co-founder of Paula's Cazuela in St. George, died March 6 surrounded by family. She was 91.
For decades, the distinctive green, red, yellow, and pink neon sign for Paula's Mexican Food has blazed across the St. George skyline at night, becoming one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.
To many locals, the restaurant is more than a place to eat — it is where the community gathers.
"She was Utah's Dixie icon. This is where you ate. This is where you solve the world's problems. You need is some of Paula's salsa and her chips," lifelong St. George resident Ilene Hacker said.
Dominguez was born Oct. 5, 1934, in South Texas to a family of migrant workers.
"She picked cotton, she picked oranges, you name it. She worked in the fields," grandson Brogan Dominguez said.
She married Conrado Dominguez in 1957, and in 1963, the couple relocated to St. George with their two children. After working several jobs, her talent in the kitchen caught the attention of Desert Kitchen Restaurant, where her home cooking became so popular that it inspired her and Conrado to open Paula's Mexican Food in 1974.
Longtime customer Lorene Barney, who drives nearly a half hour from Hurricane to eat at Paula's, said she has been a fan since before the restaurant existed.
"I've been coming to Paula's since before Paula was Paula's when she worked at Desert Kitchen," Barney said.
Conrado Dominguez died in 2024, a year before the restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Paula's Mexican Food remains a family operation. Brogan Dominguez runs the restaurant alongside his mother, Isla, and his uncle Joey. Brogan's twin sons also work there now.
"I learned everything from her," Brogan Dominguez said. "And when I was a teenager, I would just come up here and help her cook the chicken, make the salad. She taught me go low and slow. Cook it low, cook it slow. Don't scorch it."
He described his grandmother as adventurous and full of life — someone who rode a Gold Wing motorcycle across the country with his grandfather, ran the St. George Marathon, and rafted the Colorado River.
Beyond the kitchen, Dominguez was also known as a dancer. She was a member of the Primetime Performers Senior Ladies Dance Team, which traveled the world, including performances in Hawaii and at the Sydney Opera House.
"She was out there busting a move with the best of them. And I saw the fun side of her," Hacker said.
Sunny 101.5 morning host Cindy Olson, who spent many of her three decades in local radio eating at Paula’s after work, remembered Dominguez as someone who made sure every visit was special.
"She's always nice. She's always there, so she makes sure that everything is perfect," Olson said.
For Brogan Dominguez, his grandmother's greatest contribution was something that went beyond the menu.
"The biggest compliment that you can give my grandma was she was the foundation, her and my grandpa," he said. "You couldn't ask for a better legacy than acceptance and love in my opinion."
Hacker said the restaurant's continued operation by the family is itself a tribute to Paula Dominguez.
"It would be a tribute to her. How it's going to keep going on because the kids, grandkids, they'll keep this going," Hacker said.
