Meet Pepe Perez! Pepe is married to Abigail and the couple has two children. They own two restaurants just off the downtown Gainesville square: Consuelo and Centro on Bradford St. 

We want to thank Pepe for sitting down with us recently and telling us more about his life and love of Hall County.

Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.  

A: “I’m married to Abigail Guzman. We’ve been married for almost 20 years, and we will celebrate our 20th anniversary in February. Abigail is a member of the Gainesville City Council. We have two children: Emiliano, who is 18 and a senior at Gainesville High School, and Victoria, who is 12 and a seventh grader at Gainesville Middle School.”

Q: How long have you lived in Gainesville?

A: “I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Victoria was seven months old when we moved to Gainesville. We chose Gainesville to raise our family, and we’ve been here ever since. So, we’ve been here for 12 years now.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?

A: “Hall County is very united in the sense that people look out for one another, and they look out for their neighbors. In other towns, everyone tends to fend for themselves, but here, you really see how everyone looks out for each other and wants to see you thrive. That sense of unity is really what makes Gainesville and Hall County one of a kind.”

Q: What’s your favorite dish or cocktail at Consuelo and Centro?

A: “One of my favorite dishes is Carne en su Jugo because it’s a typical dish from Guadalajara, Jalisco, and it’s my wife’s recipe. As for cocktails, that’s a tough one. There are so many that I like, but I would have to say that the Consuelo Margarita is one of our most popular margaritas. It’s also named after my grandmother, Consuelo, and the restaurant is named in her honor. I really enjoy that one. From our second restaurant, Centro, my favorite is the chicken tinga bowl, which is my wife Abigail’s recipe.”

Q: You have traveled to many places with your family over the years. What’s one place you still want to visit?  

A: “I would love to go back to Rome. One place I would like to visit and explore is Oaxaca, Mexico. We haven’t been there yet.”

Q: What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been to?  

A: “Rome. It truly is gorgeous.”

Q: What do you like to do for fun?

A: “I spend time with my wife and kids—family time. That’s the thing I enjoy most nowadays: just spending quality time with my family.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?

A: “I really don’t know how to answer that; it’s so hard. If God allows me to live another 10 or 15 years, I will try to focus on living one day at a time.”

Q: What would you rate 10 out of 10?

A: “Every time I see the facial expressions and the satisfaction of my customers in our businesses, when I can genuinely see that they are enjoying themselves, savoring the moment, and having a good time. I give it a 10 out of 10 because, at that moment, I feel like we’re doing this right for Gainesville.”