continuing a legacy—panowicz jewelers CALENDAR OF EVENTS 29

Kelly Leavesque, owner of Capitol City Honda, understands better than most what it means to do business in your hometown. According to Kelly, “It means your neighbors are buying from you and it is so important that they walk out of our dealership feeling great about their purchase. Our reputation depends upon it.”

At Capitol City Honda, that reputation was earned by Kelly’s father, Ed McCarroll, who opened the dealership in 1971. Impressed by the quality of the Honda motorcycles, Ed took a risk on a relatively new car brand to the US as a leap of faith. Through his industry knowledge of car sales and service, he built it into a thriving dealership, winning national awards from Honda.

Kelly purchased the dealership from her dad in 2017. Serving as the dealership manager since 2000, she and her husband Chris knew she was buying a legacy. The couple share the workload of running the dealership with Chris serving as General Manager and Kelly as the Principal and President.

With Ed McCarroll’s passing in June at the age of 94, the dealership where Ed had still kept an office is adjusting to a life without him. But Kelly learned from her dad that your reputation is built through relationships.

Like Ed, Kelly and Chris continue to build relationships through their support of the community. Whether it is the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, or their newest commitment to 4 the Love Foundation that donated Thanksgiving meals to more than 500 local, school-age children, the couple picks charities in the most need.

A strong reputation with customers extends to their employees as well, with several of the staff at the dealership, including the office manager and sales manager, boasting a tenure of several decades. “Employee morale is important to us. It starts from the ground up. Customers feel that morale and it sets the tone for the store,” said Kelly.

Olympia Auto Mall 2370 Carriage Loop SW, Olympia 800.594.2956 capitolcityhonda.com

There’s a good reason that El Sarape has four restaurant locations. The food is authentic and delicious, and the service is consistently inviting.

When the Mexican restaurant first opened in Olympia in 1979, its owners believed that local and fresh foods shouldn’t be hard to come by. With that philosophy in mind, they have since opened in Tumwater, Lacey and Shelton as well. The chefs and team at each location are dedicated to providing customers with tasty food and quality service. El Sarape uses locally sourced grass-fed beef and free-range chickens. The menu is extensive, from appetizers to quesadillas to sizzling fajitas. Diners will recognize most items on the menu, but they’ll also see a few special traditional dishes and dishes that present new flavors to a wellknown cuisine. Chile a la Tinga is a traditional dish with a chicken and olive stuffed poblano pepper served with fresh salsa and jalapeño dressing. Baked Avocado Fries are spiced up with seasonings and lime juice and dipped in panko batter before baking to deliver a perfect crunch to each bite.

The street tacos are another part of the menu that can’t be ignored. Each one is topped with fresh onion, cilantro and cotija cheese. The Tinga street tacos are filled with shredded chicken cooked in a chipotle pepper salsa. The owners suggest pairing these tacos with a Cabernet Sauvignon from the wine menu.

Each restaurant location has secluded booths that are perfect for social distancing. They offer authentic and bold flavors of Mexican cuisine to the community for dine in and takeout. Check their website for the latest information.

EL SARAPE | elsarape.net