Breakfast Moms – Marta
Have you met Marta?
Marta is the compassionate soul who operates our Elgin Mills, Richmond Hill Sunset Grill.
Life hasn’t been easy for Marta, however, despite hardships, she’s overcome all obstacles and has successfully raised four beautiful daughters: Alexandra, Sabrina, Lydia, and Erica, and one adorable son, Matthew.
It wasn’t without help.
“Raising five children is not easy. It’s very hard,” she explains. “I had an amazing mother-in-law. She helped raise my children. Without her, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“She was a great woman,” she says with admiration. “When she passed, it was very hard for me. I took it really hard,” she says. “She touched a big part of my heart.”
Marta begins to tear up. She takes a deep breath and continues.
“When I went to go see her, she grabbed my hand and said, “I’ll always love you. You were always like my daughter. Nobody treated me like the way you did.’”
It’s clear that their bond was a special one.
The value of family is something that is not lost on Marta. “Family is so important to me,” she says with affection. She treats her guests and staff like family, too. “We have a family here at Sunset,” she explains. “I treat everyone with respect. You have to have a heart for each and every person that is here.”
“You treat them good, and they treat you back the same way.”
Do you remember Ernie? Ernie is one of the loyal regulars that frequents Marta’s Sunset Grill. He’s a fiery 91-year-old who loves his piping hot tea and side of carrots. Ernie was generous enough to gift the staff with custom chocolates from New Brunswick with his last name inscribed on them as a thank you for everything Marta and her team does for him.
Ernie still drives, however, he has issues with parking, as the accessible parking is still enough of a walk to make it challenging for him to get to the front door of the restaurant. Marta and her team always go the extra mile for Ernie and help him with parking and getting in and out of his car. Ernie even has Marta’s home phone number, in case of emergency. Marta’s husband, Tony, has gone over to Ernie’s house on numerous occasions to help out.
That’s the kind of compassion Marta extends to everyone she meets, her staff included.
“I try to buy all of their wives a gift for Mother’s Day because you know what? They’re not with them. They’re here, they are working with us on the busiest day,” she says.
“At least my kids are all with me on Mother’s Day.”
Because it’s all-hands-on-deck for Mother’s Day at Sunset Grill, Marta and her kids usually celebrate the holiday on the Saturday before. This year she’s looking forward to going out for dinner with her family.
Three of her five children work at the restaurant faithfully, Marta explains. “They run the show for me when I need time off or a break.”
The family has an unspoken rule to not discuss the restaurant when they’re at home, as they work together seven days a week.
“I have to say, without my kids, I don’t think I’d be able to do this.”
Her youngest daughter, Erica, is going off to university in the fall. While Marta is extremely proud of her, she’s also going to miss her dearly, especially at the restaurant. She’s excited to spend some quality time with her kids during their upcoming family vacation at the end of May to the Dominican Republic.
Unfortunately, not all of the kids can go on this trip as there still has to be someone there to run the restaurant. “You have to make choices, decisions that are tough,” she says.
Marta is no stranger to tough choices.
When Marta and her family emigrated from Azerbaijan – a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia – back in 1979, they didn’t have much. They relied on donated clothing and food banks to survive while her parents searched for work. Eventually they got on their feet and were able to provide for themselves.
Living within your means is a lesson Marta learned at an early age, and it’s something she’s passed down to her own children.
She’s worked hard to get to where she is today. “I started at a donut shop when I was 13,” she shares. “I took the bus at Bathurst and Lawrence at 5 a.m. to open up a donut shop. It was hard.”
From there, she started waitressing, then worked at a banquet hall doing prep work for functions. She enjoyed it so much she decided to open her own catering company, before finally landing in an office job as a bookkeeper for about 10 years. That’s where she met Tony.
They’ll be celebrating three years at Sunset Grill in September and have another location slated to open later this year.
Marta got her start at Sunset when she was dining with her husband at our Major MacKenzie and Dufferin, Vaughan restaurant when she thought to herself, “I can do this.”
She liked the atmosphere, and when the opportunity to purchase the Elgin Mills location came up, they jumped on it. The rest, as they say, is history.
Marta is hoping to retire early within the next five to eight years and hand over the restaurant to her daughters.
Marta is proof that when you want something enough, you can make it happen. “Nothing is ever too late in life,” she says. “You want something? You work for it. It’s as simple as that.”
“Pursue your dreams, don’t give up. Always go for what you want. There’s always hope.”
The next time you stop by for breakfast or lunch at our Elgin Mills, Richmond Hill Sunset Grill, be sure to say hi to Marta and her daughters Alexandra, Lydia, and Erica!
STORE INFORMATION
Leslie St. & Elgin Mills Rd. E.
1500 Elgin Mills Rd. E.,
Richmond Hill, ON, L4S 0B2
Open Daily 7 AM to 3 PM
