Sanchez shares passion for community and food
Many people use the phrase “Living the dream,” but for Alma Sanchez it rings true.
Sanchez grew up with a love of people and food. From working in a small cafe in Hardy, Ark., at the age of 13, to owning one of downtown Siloam Springs’ newest restaurants, Park House Kitchen + Bar, Sanchez has worked to make her dreams come true and has given back by trying to bring the community together for Siloam Springs’ first Pride Day in June of 2019.
Growing up in a small town
Sanchez grew up in the small town of Hardy, as one of 13 children, she said.
“Hardy is a tiny little town located on the Spring River,” Sanchez said. “It is a hot spot during the summer when tourists come from all over to canoe and fish the river.”
Growing up, Sanchez had a love of basketball and was a good student, graduating with honors from both high school and college, according to her mother, Kathy Sanchez.
“She was an exceptionally good little girl way beyond her years,” Kathy Sanchez said.
Sanchez discovered her love for restaurants when she started working at a small cafe in Hardy, located inside an auction house.
“My first real job was at 13 washing dishes in a cafe one day a week,” she said. “I originally went to school to be a teacher but soon realized I love the excitement, chaos and camaraderie that comes with the service industry.”
It was while working as a waitress at another restaurant, the Down Home Country Kitchen, that Sanchez would meet her future fiancé.
“There was just something that completely attracted me about her,” said Sanchez’ fiancé Wes Nicholson.
Nicholson grew up in Siloam Springs, but needed a change of scenery, so he moved to Hardy with a friend. After a week, he got an apartment right above where Sanchez lived. Despite the proximity the two did not get to know each other until someone broke into Nicholson’s apartment while he was out of town and Sanchez had called the sheriff.
Nicholson and Sanchez grew closer and eventually became a couple. When Nicholson wanted to move back to Siloam Springs in 2013, Sanchez followed him.
“I love the area (Hardy) but I knew I needed to expand my horizons,” she said.
When she moved to Siloam Springs, Sanchez took the time to attend college at Northwest Arkansas Community College and the University of Arkansas.
“When I brought her to Siloam, she fell in love with the city and knew that there was room for growth,” Nicholson said.
Driven, but sweet
Anyone who knows Sanchez will say the best word to describe her is driven and determined to succeed.
“I didn’t realize that until about a year in,” Nicholson said. “You can’t stop the girl, she’s very driven. If she wants something she’ll get it.”
Justin Eaton, owner of the IDK cafe in Bentonville, agrees with that statement.
“She was a go-getter,” Eaton said. “She had my back all the time.”
Eaton said Sanchez helped him design the menu for his business, saying the menu was her brainchild as much as it was his. Alma’s soon-to-be mother-in-law said she is very dependable and driven.
“(She has) good business sense, thinks things through and comes up with good solutions,” Kathy Nicholson said.
Despite being driven, her mother, Kathy Sanchez, also says she is a sweet girl. Another quality Sanchez is known for is having an incredible memory. Nicholson said she can remember small details, such as what a person was wearing.
Kathy Nicholson said she was talking about her sister one day and her future daughter-in-law knew exactly who she was talking about.
“They only met once, but Alma remembered her intimately,” said Kathy Nicholson.
The Park House
In 2018, Sanchez purchased The Park House Bar + Kitchen with her older sister Vera Stanley, a real estate broker in Salem, Ore. For Sanchez it meant the fulfillment of a joke, she said.
“We were at the Inn at the Springs (Park House’s old name) with her brother and fiancée. Alma made a joke that she would like to own this place somehow,” said Nicholson.
Sanchez had originally planned on owning a food truck, but when she heard about the Park House going up for sale, she changed her mind.
“When I heard this property may be going up for sale, my sister and I immediately jumped on the opportunity to find out more,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez wanted to offer an affordable and approachable dining option for downtown Siloam Springs, as well as having a space to host local musicians.
Sanchez’ dreams almost went up in flames when a fire broke out at the Park House on April 18, 2019, Nicholson said.
“The place almost burnt down,” he said.
The fire was caused by oily rags which were located too close to a dryer unit, according to an April 21, 2019, article in the Herald-Leader. Despite the fire, Sanchez persevered and the Park House is still serving customers today.
Sanchez’ skill and business savvy also helped her to survive the coronavirus pandemic, which left the Park House closed for several weeks due to the quarantine. The closure hit Sanchez hard because most of her business comes from liquor sales and the opportunity to host live musicians, she said.
Despite the closure, The Park House stayed afloat by offering free delivery to Siloam Springs residents and curbside pickup. The restaurant was also the only eatery to deliver brunch on Sundays, complete with champagne mimosas.
When the state of Arkansas began reopening restaurant dining rooms on May 11, Sanchez worked to limit the amount of indoor and outdoor seating in order to maintain the 6-foot social distancing requirements.
Sanchez took a lot of extra precautions to ensure the Park House could open. She supplied masks to customers for $1 each, if they did not bring their own. Sanchez also continued to offer curbside pickup to customers who do not feel comfortable coming in to dine.
Pride Day
Sanchez pioneered the city’s first Pride Day celebration at the Park House on June 29, 2019.
“I decided to host Pride after chatting with several of my new customers and employees that were members of the LGBTQ community,” she said. “The LGBTQ community was very much present in Siloam Springs. They just needed someone to help facilitate a safe and accepting environment.”
Nicholson said Sanchez did not do this to ruffle feathers, she did it for the people. Sanchez has always been very accepting of all people and Pride Day was a way to honor their struggles, successes and to educate people on different resources available, he said.
For Nicholson, it meant stepping out of his comfort zone, but it gave him a chance to embrace new people.
“When you take the time to know people and not worry about who they are you get the real person,” he said.
Sanchez’ mother said she was proud of her daughter for hosting Pride Day.
“I’m very proud of her for that because she is bringing the community out and bringing people together,” said Kathy Sanchez. “She does things that just amaze me sometimes.”
The event featured an opening prayer by Grace Episcopal Church Rector Stan McKinnon and continued with yard games, a T-shirt tie-dying station, a drag show and an outdoor dance party, according to a July 3, 2019, article in the Herald-Leader.
“Overall the community was very receptive,” Sanchez said. “It was such an overwhelming feeling to get so many downtown businesses to come together to sponsor this event. I was so proud of my downtown community.”
A bright future
Outside of the restaurant world, Sanchez is engaged to Nicholson, and the couple has two daughters, Natalie, 9, and Lucy, 4. She enjoys spending time with her family, but doesn’t have time for a lot of leisure activities.
I don’t have a lot of free time between running a business and having two young children,” Sanchez said. “I really enjoy cooking for friends and family and gardening. I also enjoy canoeing and bike riding.”
Nicholson said if the couple gets time together it is precious.
When asked about the future of Park House, Sanchez said the last few weeks have been rough but things are looking up.
“The future for The Park House is looking brighter,” she said. “I can’t thank my community enough for stepping up and helping us through this rough patch.”