From Silver City to southern Arizona
Goya didn't find her knack for cooking until after she married and moved to Silver City, New Mexico, where her husband's family taught her the ropes. Years later she was running a restaurant of her own there.
Then her youngest son, José, told her he wanted his own place. Goya told him the truth: a restaurant is a marriage, and you have to be there all the time. He said he wanted it anyway. So the family moved to Tucson, and Goyita's opened in Oro Valley in 2016.
Goya had one rule for her new business partner. He had to learn every job, starting with the dish pit and working up through the line, the register and the bar.
The Green Valley restaurant opened at the end of 2023, off Duval Mine Road. In May 2025 the Oro Valley location closed, and Green Valley became the only Goyita's. Same recipes, same chile, same family.
“In this business, when we're working, I'm not your mom. I'm your coworker.”
“The more hot it is, the better it is for me.”
Why the chile matters
Green chile comes from Hatch, New Mexico. The red is sun dried, which is where that deep brick color comes from. Goya teaches the cooks herself, from the holiday tamales to the stacked enchiladas.